Pope Leo XIV celebrates mass with hundreds of thousands in Paris

Several hundred thousand people gathered in the center of Paris for a large mass with Pope Leo XIV. The head of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide was welcomed by a huge crowd at the Place de la Concorde near the Champs-Élysées. According to official information, around 600,000 participants registered. Leo XIV had previously driven down the Champs-Élysées in the Popemobile to great cheers from a huge crowd.

The American-born pope has been visiting France since Friday. In the late afternoon we continue to the Marian pilgrimage site of Lourdes in the southwest of the country. Despite the strict separation between church and state, Leo is very applauded during his first stay in France.

On Saturday Leo first visited a social center. Later he met with adults who had recently been baptized. He appealed to them not to be deterred in their faith in Christ and to spread the faith.

According to the French Bishops' Conference, 13,000 adults in France were baptized this year, three times as many as ten years ago. However, the number of child baptisms has more than halved since 2000.

Catholics continue to be the largest religious group in France in the country of 69 million inhabitants. However, the proportion of Muslims has increased significantly in recent years. Many no longer profess any religion at all.

In France - with the exception of some regions in the east - there is a strict separation of church and state (secularism). Nevertheless, there is great enthusiasm for the Pope's visit. The entrances to the trade fair on the Place de la Concorde, one of the largest squares in Paris, were blocked hours before it began at 3 p.m.

Many believers passed the time before mass with choral singing. Some wore jerseys from the French national soccer team with the imprint “Pape Léon” (Pope Leo) and the number 14 on the back. For security reasons, the area around the Champs-Élysées was cordoned off to the other side of the Seine.

One of the hundreds of thousands, the Frenchman Étienne Fabre, said: “We have been waiting for this visit here in Paris for almost 20 years. We missed the Pope sorely.” The most recent was the German Pope Benedict XVI. Visited the French capital in 2008. In view of the jubilant scenes, some French media spoke of “papomanie” (pope mania).

Church groups from Germany are also among the visitors. Theology student Johann Beikircher (27) from Freiburg said: “Something like this, this great joy, would be unthinkable in Germany. Here the church is not afraid to hide.” Nevertheless, he hopes that the Pope will visit Germany soon. There is no date for this.

This is the Pope's first trip to France since his election last year. The last stop on Monday will be the city of Metz, not far from the German-French border. The pontiff from the USA wants to give a speech on Europe there.