Pope Leo XIV draws huge crowds in Paris as 600,000 await Mass

On the first day of his French pilgrimage, Pope Leo XIV was met with enormous crowds. The Vatican reported that 300,000 people cheered as he made his way through Paris in his popemobile. Later, a group of 80,000 young people gathered at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis for a vigil. On Saturday, nearly 600,000 worshippers were anticipated to attend a mass at Place de la Concorde, set to begin at 3 p.m. Among the attendees was Parisian Karine, who expressed her joy at being present, stating that the event was particularly meaningful for Maronites, Eastern Christians, given the current circumstances.

They plan to pray fervently for the Middle East. In the morning, the Pope made his initial stop at Maison Bakhita, a diocesan association that assists migrants. Many of these migrants, both Christian and Muslim, were able to meet with him. The Pope also noted an increase in the number of baptisms taking place in France during a visit to the Catholic Institute of Paris.

As the day came to a close, he departed for Lourdes, where he would commence his stay with a prayer.