'A once-in-a-lifetime event': Faithful and curious flock to Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Paris
Some 700,000 people are estimated to have packed the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde in Paris on Saturday for Pope Leo XIV's open-air Mass, the high point of his first official visit to France. Scouts, nuns, families and curious onlookers told FRANCE 24 why they came, from quiet prayer to hopes of spotting Canadian singer Céline Dion.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass in Paris, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. According to France 24, around 700,000 people attended the event. The Pope rode in the popemobile along the Champs-Élysées Avenue, waving to crowds beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
The event was part of the Pope's four-day trip to France, a secular country with deep Catholic roots. The city centre was sealed off for the service, with security measures including helicopters and snipers on rooftops. People of all ages attended, with some bringing pushchairs and children perched on their shoulders.
The Pope's visit stirred enthusiasm and spiritual fervour among the faithful. Some attendees, like 62-year-old Suzanne Grange, expressed their luck in seeing the Pope, having previously seen Pope John Paul II in Paris. The Pope also blessed several babies during the visit, as reported by People Daily Kenya.
Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, People Daily Kenya, National Post, South China Morning Post, Free Malaysia Today — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
