Pope Leo XIV in France: visit to Paris and mass at Place de la Concorde

The visit of Pope Leo XIV to France, after the first day in Paris, continues with other commitments in the capital and the transfer, in the afternoon, to Lourdes. This morning he visited the Maison Bakhita Accompaniment and Social Integration Center. Then he had a meeting with the members of the Provincial Synodal Assembly, the catechumens and the neophytes at the Catholic Institute of Paris. Mass is underway in Place de la Concorde, then at around 5.45pm the departure from Paris/Orly International Airport towards Lourdes, where the Pope will land at around 7pm. Finally, at 7.40 pm, prayer is scheduled at the cave of the apparitions of Massabielle at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Pontiff's first commitment of the day was a visit to the Maison Bakhita Social Integration and Accompaniment Center. It is a reception center for migrants launched in 2018 by the Archdiocese of Paris, in response to Pope Francis' 2017 appeal to "welcome, protect, promote and integrate" every migrant. Located in the 18th arrondissement of the French capital, the Center is named after Saint Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese religious symbol of the fight against slavery. The Pope invited us to "recognize the fundamental role of women in building a civilization of love, an alternative to the culture that disintegrates communities and makes cities sick with loneliness". And he said: "The history of the Church and of humanity, upon closer inspection, is not written by those who seem to win, imposing themselves and occupying space, but by those who 'make space', initiate peace processes, generate trust and encourage life".

The Pope, in the meeting at the Catholic Institute of Paris, admitted that he was "astonished by the number of people who reappear on the threshold of faith and by how many adults ask for the sacraments of Christian initiation. It may seem paradoxical - observed Leo And instead "your experience and your testimony, dear catechumens and neophytes, are the tangible sign of the work of God's grace, which goes beyond statistical and sociological analyses", added the Pontiff, quoting Pope Francis who spoke, in this regard, of "sterile pessimism". In France there is a real boom in baptisms requested by young adults. According to data from the French Episcopal Conference, 21,386 catechumens were baptized on Easter night this year, including 13,234 adults and 8,152 adolescents. The increase compared to 2025 is almost 20%, with a more marked growth among adults (+28%) than adolescents (+10%). The Pope asked to accompany this new discovery of faith by young people with adequate spiritual formation.

There are 700 thousand faithful who attend mass at Place de la Concorde, much more than the 600 thousand initially estimated. The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron is absent, but the former president Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of the Républicains and candidate for the Elysée Bruno Retailleau, the former prime minister François Fillon, the presidential candidate for the Macronian centre, Gabriel Attal, the far-right polemicist Eric Zemmour, the former prime minister and also a probable candidate, Dominique de Villepin, are present.

In his homily the Pope invited French Catholics to emerge from a private dimension of faith: "Aspire to rediscover a luminous horizon, to build a renewed nation starting from its roots watered by faith. Do not keep faith in Jesus Christ only for yourselves, but let it overflow to quench the thirst and fill the people you meet. It is up to you to bring hope where discouragement and spiritual aridity reign", he declared. "In fact, it is by accepting to live in the truth under the gaze of Jesus that we can be authentic." As the Pope underlined, God has "unconditional love" for us and "in his eyes, none of us is a number on an identity card, nor an identification code, but a person, a unique and irreplaceable person". The Pope cited the great saints of the history of France and underlined that "even today there are very many in our society, in our parishes, in our various activities, those who continue to commit themselves in favor of life, of the family, of truth, of peace, of brotherhood, of justice. From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may spread throughout France. I think of you, dear families, who despite the many difficulties you face daily, courageously persevere in your mission", he added the Pontiff. Then he spoke to the young people: "You are the Church of today! How beautiful it is to see your enthusiasm, your dynamism, your commitment and the joy within the Christian communities. I also think of you, dear catechumens and neophytes, who undertake the path of faith, conversion and Christian initiation. May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you witnesses, ready to spread the civilization of love around you", concluded Leo XIV.

Yesterday the Pontiff, after arriving at Orly airport, moved to the Elysée together with French President Emmanuel Macron and delivered his first speech to the country's authorities. Then in the afternoon there was a visit to UNESCO and the celebration of vespers in the Notre-Dame Cathedral, with Leo who was the first Pontiff to see the church restored after the 2019 fire. Finally, the Pope closed the day at the Stade de France, in Saint-Denis, with a prayer vigil with 80 thousand young people.