Pope Leo XIV addresses youth at giant Paris Mass

More than 700,000 people flocked to Paris' famous Champs-Élysées Avenue for Pope Leo XIV's outdoor Mass on Saturday, showcasing the Catholic Church's enduring appeal in France. This surpassed the 600,000 who had registered in advance. Despite recent declines in church attendance and secularizing trends, the turnout demonstrated the church's lasting influence.

In his speech, Pope Leo encouraged attendees in secular France to build a renewed nation on faith. The event drew people of various faiths and no faith at all. The pope emphasized social justice during his four-day visit, which included a prayer at the restored Notre Dame Cathedral and a prayer service at the Catholic shrine at Lourdes.

The number of adult baptisms in France has tripled since 2016, reaching 13,000 this year. However, experts caution that this increase may not fully counteract the overall trend of French Catholics not attending Mass or baptizing their children. The decision to hold the Mass at Place de la Concorde, a site with a history of executions during the French Revolution, sparked criticism from secularism supporters who argued for alternative locations.