Pope Leo draws 800,000 people to central Paris for open-air Mass on iconic square
PARIS — Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées avenue to attend an open-air Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church’s enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country. The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people attended — about 200,000 more than the number who had registered in advance. The turnout testified to the…
Paris witnessed an open-air Mass attended by an estimated 800,000 people who gathered along the Champs-Élysées avenue on Saturday. This massive turnout, which exceeded the 200,000 registered attendees, demonstrated the Catholic Church's enduring influence in France, despite declining church attendance and secularization trends across Europe.
The American Pope Leo XIV greeted the enthusiastic crowds, waving flags and receiving cheers, as he traveled 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) on his popemobile from the grand boulevard to the Place de la Concorde, the symbolic heart of Paris. In his homily, Pope Leo urged the faithful not to keep their faith to themselves but to share it with others, saying, "From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France."
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
