Katholische Kirche: 700.000 Menschen bei Papstmesse in Paris

Pope Leo XIV celebrated a large Mass in the heart of Paris, attended by 700,000 people, marking the highlight of his France visit. The Pope, wearing the Papamobile, was greeted with enthusiasm as he traveled down the grand Champs-Élysées avenue. The Mass itself took place at the Place de la Concorde, one of Paris's largest squares, where tens of thousands had gathered well before the service began at 3 PM.

French political heavyweights, such as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen, were among the attendees. President Emmanuel Macron, barred from running for re-election, did not attend due to France's strict separation of church and state. His wife Brigitte was present.

Born in the USA, Pope Leo XIV had been in France since Friday for his visit, which continued to the Lourdes shrine in southwestern France on the late afternoon. The final stop will be Metz on Monday, near the German-French border. On Saturday, the Pope first visited a social center, then mingled with recently baptized adults, urging them not to be swayed by faith and to spread it further.

According to the French Bishops' Conference, 13,000 adults were baptized this year, three times more than a decade ago. However, the number of baptisms of children has more than halved since 2000. Queues formed hours before the Mass started.

France remains the largest religious group in the 69 million-inhabitant nation, but the Muslim population has grown significantly in recent years, while many people no longer identify with any religion. In most of France, church and state remain strictly separated (laicity). Nevertheless, the enthusiasm for the Pope's visit was immense.

The entrances to the Place de la Concorde Mass were blocked hours before the start, with participants singing hymns. Some attendees wore French football national team jerseys with "Pope Leo" emblazoned on the back and number 14. Safety measures surrounded the Champs-Élysées area up to the other side of the Seine. Over a hundred thousand people, including a French resident named Étienne Fabre, expressed their joy, saying they had waited nearly 20 years for the Pope's visit in Paris. The last visit was by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.