Hundreds of thousands turn out for Pope Leo along Champs-Élysées ahead of mass in Paris
Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris's iconic Champs-Élysées avenue for Pope Leo XIV's big outdoor mass on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church's enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris to greet Pope Leo XIV ahead of a giant open-air Mass. The crowds cheered as the pontiff moved down the avenue, waving to them from his popemobile and blessing several babies along the way. Chants of "Leo, Leo" rang out as he made his way beneath the Arc de Triomphe.
According to MyJoyOnline Ghana and BBC News, more than half a million people were expected to attend the event, with a special altar built on the Place de la Concorde for the ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with the Pope on Friday, will not be attending any of his Masses during the four-day visit, but his wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will be in attendance.
The event drew a large crowd, with RTE News reporting over 600,000 people registered to attend, and DW News estimating around 700,000 people attended the Mass. The Pope's visit comes as the Catholic Church seeks to repair its standing in France after abuse scandals caused nationwide shock.
Brief written by urgent.news from CBC News, MyJoyOnline Ghana, BBC News, RTE News, DW News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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