Pope Leo

Champs Elysees, a symbol of Paris, France, on the afternoon of the 26th (local time).

When the white 'Popemobile' (papal ceremonial vehicle) carrying Pope Leo

Shouts of “Leo,” “Leo,” and “Leo” erupted from everywhere, and citizens welcomed the Pope by waving yellow and white Vatican flags.

On this day, the Champs Elysees, a shopping spot lined with luxury stores, was filled with cheers reminiscent of an outdoor concert hall. Pope Leo XIV received a warm welcome like a rock star.

On this day, the Pope rode the Popemobile along the Champs-Elysées, a boulevard that is approximately 2km long, connecting the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde. The Pope smiled and waved to the welcoming crowds gathered throughout the streets. Volunteers approached the babies they lifted, placed their hands on their heads, and blessed them.

This is the Pope's official visit to France for the first time in 18 years since Pope Benedict XVI in September 2008.

Leo It is reported that 600,000 people registered to participate in the outdoor mass. Presidential candidates, including Marine Le Pen of the far-right party National Rally (RN), also attended the mass.

People gathered around the Champs Elysées from early in the morning despite the cloudy weather that day. The nearby Matignon Avenue, which leads to the Champs-Elysées Boulevard, was also full of people even before 8 a.m.

Volunteer Sonnier (21) from the Philippines could not hide her excitement, saying, “This is a really cool thing.” He also said, “This is a really good thing for French youth,” and “The Pope delivers a message of peace.”

Regarding the Pope celebrating mass at the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées, where the guillotine where Louis XVI and others were executed during the French Revolution, he said, “I think it is a great symbol for us because it is a site of French history.”

Young people who came out with their parents or family members were also noticeable.

Park Ryeo-young (19), a second-year student at the Paris School of Political Science, said, “I think people my age feel familiar with the Pope because he is young,” and said that artificial intelligence (AI) and peace messages will likely have an impact on young people. Kang Hye-jeong (58), who came with her daughter, expressed great anticipation for the World Youth Day (WYD) to be held in Seoul next August and said, “The Pope will play a big role in peace on the Korean Peninsula, which is directly related to world peace.”

World Youth Day, held every two to four years, is a festival where Catholic youth from around the world come together and exchange, and Pope Leo XIV is also scheduled to attend.

Earlier, the Pope began his second day by visiting an immigrant and refugee support facility this morning.

The Pope visited the 'House of the Vaquita' in downtown Paris, met with immigrants and people with disabilities who came to France from Africa and the Middle East, and issued a message urging coexistence with immigrants.

The immigration issue is one of the main issues in next year's French presidential election. Le Pen of the far-right RN, who advocates the principle of “French people first,” is leading the approval ratings among the candidates for the next presidential election.

On the 25th, the first day of his visit, Leo In particular, he mentioned AI and emphasized, "We must not lose our humanity in the paradise of machines that have entered our daily lives."

He then gave a speech at UNESCO headquarters, which is experiencing financial difficulties due to the aftermath of the United States' withdrawal after President Donald Trump came back to power, then held an evening prayer at Notre Dame Cathedral, and led a late-night prayer amid the cheers of about 80,000 young believers at the Saint-Denis Stadium on the northern outskirts of Paris.

In France, which pursues thorough secularization and strictly prohibits religious expressions in the public sphere, it was calculated that only about 5% of the population of 69 million people regularly attend mass as of last year. However, in recent years, youth and adult baptisms have increased.

Following Paris, the Pope will visit Lourdes in the south, a Catholic pilgrimage site, and Metz, a city on the border with Germany that was the center of the founding of the European Union (EU). In Lourdes, he will meet seven victims of clergy sexual abuse, and in Metz, he will give a speech on 'European Roots for Peace and Unity'.