Pope Leo Draws Huge Crowd for Paris Mass

Pope Leo XIV’s open popemobile rolled the roughly two-kilometer route from the Arc de Triomphe area down the avenue toward Place de la Concorde. Crowds chanted “Leo, Leo” and “Long live the Pope.” White and yellow Vatican flags waved along the barriers.

A lifelong Catholic, Farnabe attends Mass every Sunday in the Paris suburb of Suresnes. He has watched the numbers of new baptisms climb among younger adults. “There are more and more converts,” he said. “Many youngsters are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people aged between 25 and 40, who are getting baptized.”

The vehicle paused repeatedly so that volunteers could pass children, babies, and people with disabilities forward from the crowd. Leo blessed them. He caressed the babies’ heads. The popemobile moved on toward Place de la Concorde.

The mid-afternoon open-air Mass filled Place de la Concorde, Paris’s largest square at 7.6 hectares. An imposing stage capped with a golden cross rose above the assembly. Rows upon rows of choir singers and clergy occupied the platform. Others prayed under Pope Leo XIV’s gaze.

Vatican estimates put attendance between 700,000 and 800,000. About 600,000-plus had registered in advance. Turnout exceeded those registrations by roughly 100,000 to 200,000.

In the homily Leo told the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves. “let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied,” he said. He then prayed outward from the square itself: “From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France.”

The four-day, three-city visit of Pope Leo XIV to France—Paris, Lourdes and Metz—opened on Friday with prayer at the restored Notre Dame Cathedral. The cathedral ranks among France’s most notable churches. The stop marked the first papal visit there since the 2019 fire. The Catholic Church in France, long called the eldest daughter of the Church, traces its written record to the second century and to the baptism of Clovis I in 496.

That night about 80,000 young people filled the national stadium for an extravaganza of fireworks and a theatrical retelling of French Catholic history. The gathering kept the 71-year-old pope out until nearly 11 p.m. after a packed first day.

He delivered part of the address off the cuff in French. “Thank you for your courage! Thank you for your presence,” Pope Leo XIV said. “Thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”

Raucous cheers rose in answer.

On Saturday morning at the Catholic Institute of Paris, Pope Leo XIV blessed six-month-old Sophia and met with a group of the newly baptized.

Adult baptisms in France have tripled since 2016, hitting 13,000 this year. More than 21,000 adults and teenagers were baptized at Easter, the French bishops reported. It was a record. The numbers suggest new interest from young people who left the faith and came back or were never raised in it. They do not reverse the longer decline. In 1980 there were 513,000 baptisms in France. In 2024 there were 186,000. French priests fell from nearly 39,000 in 1980 to nearly 12,600 in 2024. Church weddings fell from about 217,500 in 1980 to about 40,680 in 2024.

“We must recognize, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns,” Pope Leo XIV said.

The same day showed how far beyond one flock that message could travel. The party-like atmosphere drew people of multiple faiths and of no faith at all. The fervor spanned generations. Many who did not identify as Catholics still came for the message.

Leontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic, put the reach in plain terms. “The message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example,” she said.

Thierry Chen, 40, a Parisian startup entrepreneur who is not Catholic, watched the same mix of faces. “People are seeing a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people of what is really important in life,” he said. “You see a lot of different people here, so it's not just about one race, religion or nation, but about a common belief in humankind.”

Sylvane Le Goff, 68, brought her 10- and 12-year-old grandchildren for unforgettable memories and the values of peace and unity. Solene Rousseau spoke of reconciliation and joy.

Later Saturday Pope Leo XIV headed to the Catholic shrine at Lourdes. Five million pilgrims visit the national shrine each year. On Sunday he is to meet French victims of clergy abuse there. Monday the itinerary reaches Metz.

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