In a landmark display of public devotion that has captured the attention of France and the global Catholic community, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and onlookers packed central Paris on Saturday to welcome Pope Leo XIV ahead of his major open-air Mass, the centerpiece of his four-day official visit to the country.
The pontiff traveled along Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées, traveling from the Arc de Triomphe toward Place de la Concorde in his popemobile, as cheering crowds lined the avenue to catch a glimpse of the leader of the Catholic Church. Chants of “Leo, Leo” echoed through the tree-lined boulevard as the Pope stopped at multiple points along the route to bless infants and exchange brief greetings with attendees. Organizers project that over 500,000 people will ultimately take part in the day’s Mass, for which a custom ceremonial altar has been constructed on the historic Place de la Concorde.
French political protocol has shaped the attendance of the country’s top leadership: President Emmanuel Macron, who held an hour-long private meeting with Pope Leo on Friday ahead of the visit’s public events, will not attend any of the papal Masses during the trip. The absence adheres to France’s long-standing strict legal separation of state and religious institutions. In his place, First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will represent the French government at the Champs-Élysées Mass.
Multiple candidates vying for next year’s French presidential election have also signaled their attendance at the high-profile event. Hard-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and conservative figure Bruno Retailleau were already spotted at Place de la Concorde ahead of the ceremony, while prominent centrist politicians Edouard Philippe, the mayor of Le Havre and former prime minister, and Gabriel Attal, also former prime minister, are scheduled to join them. Former Prime Minister Francois Fillon was also among the early arrivals at the venue.
Earlier on Saturday, Pope Leo carried out a quieter, reflective engagement at Paris’ Maison Bakhita centre, a community organization that provides support to migrants and refugees. During the visit, he commended the group for its work centering people often pushed to the margins of society, saying the organization “invites us to see those who are invisible”. He reaffirmed his commitment to inclusive coexistence, noting that “it is possible to encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace”, and highlighted the outsized “fundamental role of women in building a civilisation of love”.
The Pope’s visit opened on Friday with a wide-ranging address to French Church and state leaders at the Élysée Palace, where he offered a notable caution about the rising global influence of artificial intelligence. Leo warned that communities must avoid the risk of “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines”.
Church officials frame the massive public turnout for the papal visit as a signal of growing spiritual interest among populations across France and broader Europe. The trip includes additional major engagements in the coming days: on Sunday, 150,000 registered attendees are expected to gather for a Mass at the famous Catholic sanctuary of Lourdes in the Pyrenees. On Monday, the Pope will travel to Metz in northeastern France to honor Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union and a devout Catholic who is currently being considered for beatification.
For Pope Leo, born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, the visit carries personal as well as religious significance. His paternal grandmother was born in Le Havre, Normandy, in 1894; the Prevost family name, carried by the Pope today, originates from his great-grandmother’s French maiden name.