Pope Leo XIV greets hundreds of thousands at open-air Mass in Paris
Quick Look
- Pope Leo XIV greeted hundreds of thousands of people at an open-air Mass in Paris, moving down the Champs-Élysées in his popemobile and blessing babies.
- More than half a million are expected to attend the event at Place de la Concorde.
- French President Emmanuel Macron will not attend any Masses due to secularism rules, but his wife and prime minister will.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Pope Leo XIV is on a four-day visit to France, engaging with religious, political, and social groups. France maintains a strict separation of state and religion, known as laïcité, which influences official attendance at religious events.
Hundreds of thousands of people have greeted Pope Leo XIV in the centre of Paris for a giant open-air Mass.
Crowds cheered as the pontiff moved down the Champs-Élysées Avenue beneath the Arc de Triomphe, waving to crowds from his popemobile.
The head of the Catholic Church blessed several babies as he stopped at different stages along the avenue as chants of "Leo, Leo" rang out.
More than half a million people are expected to attend the event in the heart of the French capital on Saturday and a special altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde for the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Leo for an hour of talks on Friday, will not be at any of the Pope's Masses during his four-day visit to France, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion.
But the Champs-Élysées Mass will be attended by Macron's wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Several candidates for next year's presidential election are also expected to attend.
Marine Le Pen of the hard-right National Rally party and conservative Bruno Retailleau were both pictured at the Place de la Concorde ahead of the event, while centrists Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal are also due to be there.
Mayor of Le Havre and former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and former Prime Minister Francois Fillon were both also seen at the Place de la Concorde.
Earlier on Saturday, the Pope met migrants as he visited the Maison Bakhita centre, an association supporting refugees, and praised the organisation for inviting "us to see those who are invisible".
During the visit Leo said it was "possible to encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace".
He also stressed the "the fundamental role of women in building a civilisation of love".
The Pope also issued a warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of his visit to France on Friday.
Leo cautioned against "losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines" in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Pope Leo XIV will continue to address themes of migration, AI ethics, and women's role in society during the rest of his visit.
Likely · Within days
Open Questions
- What specific policies or messages will Pope Leo XIV emphasize during the remainder of his visit?
- How will the Pope's AI warnings be received by French technological and governmental sectors?
- Will any of the attending presidential candidates reference the Pope's visit in their campaigns?
