Before he addresses the whole of Europe this Monday in Lorraine, Pope Leo XIV has won over France. Success cannot only be measured in numbers. Even for the capital Paris, which has been tried and tested in major events, the influx to the Pope's open-air mass on Concorde Square and on the Champs-Élysées was impressive. 800,000 people cheered as the popemobile drove past and then celebrated mass. For comparison: in 2008 it was during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. before the Invalides there were 260,000.
At the Stade de France, 80,000 young people experienced an evening with the Pope that they will not forget. The “Generation Leo” reflects the French immigrant society in its diversity. A Catholic comedian with Algerian roots made the young people laugh with clichés of sanctimonious, prejudice-filled “Cathos”. The stage show, with horses and elaborate period costumes, telling France's history along the saints, was designed by a supporter of the traditionalist movement Notre-Dame-de-Chrétienté.
The joyful, peaceful coexistence of opposing ecclesiastical currents gave rise to a strength that erupted in enthusiastic cries of “Leo, Leo.” The sports stadium is located in the north of Paris in the “youngest and most cosmopolitan department in France,” as the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Etienne Guillot, emphasized. This department, in which evangelization is no longer a foreign word, also contributes to the high number of adult baptisms.
The Holy Father once again attracted hundreds of thousands of believers to the pilgrimage site of Lourdes. The anti-clerical press paid unusually close attention to the visit. The Catholic influencers, who in large numbers address a predominantly young audience on social media, also contribute to this.
The Pope has succeeded in penetrating the deeply secularized French society with his message. His word has an impact in France far beyond the circle of believers. Something has started to move in the politically torn country, even if it is still unclear how far the Pope's message will carry.
“John Paul II woke up the East, Leo XIV could wake up the West,” remarked Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio. This reflects the French perception that the West needs new orientation since the United States wants to shed its role as a protective power for Europe. The American Pope forms a moral counterweight to the American President, whose policies of wars, rejection of multilateralism and deregulation of artificial intelligence are only causing the world to spiral further out of control.
Just as the Polish pope was instrumental in bringing down communism, there is hope that the American pope could strengthen those forces in his homeland and in the West that stand for democracy, peace and justice. At the same time, Leo
In the French perception, the Pope thus fulfilled the task of contradiction that many politicians in the Western world do not dare to undertake. The Gaullist tradition of standing up to American world power is more awake than ever. This is also shown by the great success of the two films dedicated to Charles de Gaulle. France is thirsty for role models.
Seven months before the first round of the presidential election, it was clear to everyone on the streets how much the French long for unity. There hasn't been this much happiness and helpfulness in the capital since the Summer Olympics. 14,000 volunteers were committed to the impeccable organization.
But politics predominantly offers the French divisions and exclusions. This was evident even in the seating arrangement at the mass, where presidential candidate Edouard Philippe did not want to sit next to his challenger Gabriel Attal. Marine Le Pen and her right-wing extremist rival Eric Zemmour attended the mass.
The Pope had previously unequivocally condemned the right-wing populists' plan to ban the Islamic headscarf in public spaces. During a visit to the Catholic refugee aid facility Bakhita in Paris, he pleaded for “living together in dignity.”
It is uncertain whether the Pope's visit will lead to a Catholic revival. The legally enshrined separation of church and state releases generations of school leavers every year who have not received any religious instruction. The road to a “renewal of the nation from its roots steeped in faith,” as the Pope preached, is still long. But a first stage has been completed.
