{
  "id": 10018916,
  "title": "'A once-in-a-lifetime event': Faithful and curious flock to Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Paris",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/a-once-in-a-lifetime-event-faithful-and-curious-flock-to-pope-leo",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-26T16:24:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "France 24",
    "slug": "france-24",
    "url": "https://www.france24.com/en/france/20260926-a-once-in-a-lifetime-event-faithful-and-curious-flock-to-pope-leo-xiv-s-mass-in-paris"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass in Paris, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. According to France 24, around 700,000 people attended the event. The Pope rode in the popemobile along the Champs-Élysées Avenue, waving to crowds beneath the Arc de Triomphe.\n\nThe event was part of the Pope's four-day trip to France, a secular country with deep Catholic roots. The city centre was sealed off for the service, with security measures including helicopters and snipers on rooftops. People of all ages attended, with some bringing pushchairs and children perched on their shoulders.\n\nThe Pope's visit stirred enthusiasm and spiritual fervour among the faithful. Some attendees, like 62-year-old Suzanne Grange, expressed their luck in seeing the Pope, having previously seen Pope John Paul II in Paris. The Pope also blessed several babies during the visit, as reported by People Daily Kenya.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}