Pope Leo XIV Celebrates Mass Before Huge Paris Crowd
The pope addressed around 700,000 people during a Mass at the Place de la Concorde. Pope Leo XIV is on a four-day visit to France.
Pope Leo XIV presided over a massive outdoor Mass in central Paris on Saturday, drawing an estimated 700,000 attendees near the Champs-Elysees. The pontiff arrived in a popemobile, greeted by enthusiastic crowds lining the route. News agencies reported that the throng stretched for 2.2 kilometers, with many waving white and yellow flags to catch a glimpse of the pontiff.
A massive white canopy was set up to serve as a makeshift altar for the service, which lasted an hour and a half. Dozens of screens were installed to enable those in attendance to follow along. In his homily, Pope Leo urged Catholics to find happiness in faith rather than material things and prayed that God's "living water" of the Holy Spirit would flow throughout France.
The Mass was the highlight of Pope Leo's four-day visit to France, which also included stops at Lourdes and Metz. French President Emmanuel Macron did not attend the Mass, but far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Edouard Philippe confirmed their presence.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
