Pope Leo has celebrated a major public Mass in Paris as part of his four-day visit to France, marking the first official papal visit to the country in nearly two decades.
The 71-year-old pontiff led the Mass at Place de la Concorde on the second day of his visit. A large white canopy was erected as a temporary altar, while dozens of screens were installed to allow thousands of worshippers to follow the roughly 90-minute service.
The gathering drew large crowds of Catholic faithful, with prayers accompanied by choral and organ music as the ceremony took place under clearing skies.
“It is truly good and pleasant when brothers and sisters come together and glorify the greatness of God,” Pope Leo said while dressed in white liturgical vestments.
The Vatican said around 800,000 people gathered along a stretch of more than two kilometres extending towards the Arc de Triomphe. Authorities closed large parts of central Paris for the event, with helicopters monitoring the area and security personnel deployed on rooftops.
Many worshippers travelled from different parts of France and abroad to attend the Mass. Aline Riziki, 41, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said she attended to pray for peace in the eastern part of her conflict-affected homeland.
Families also joined the crowds, with parents bringing young children and lifting them onto their shoulders in an effort to catch a glimpse of the pontiff.
Jeanne de Montagnac, 29, attended the service with her husband and their two-year-old daughter. She said the family wanted to share the experience with their child despite her being too young to remember the occasion.
The visit comes seven months before France is due to choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron. Several potential presidential candidates attended the Mass, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist politician Edouard Philippe. Macron did not attend but was represented by his wife, Brigitte Macron.
Some worshippers said the gathering reminded them of the large crowds that welcomed Pope John Paul II during his visits to France.
Earlier on Saturday, Pope Leo met migrants at Maison Bakhita, an organisation supporting refugees. He spoke about the possibility of living together in dignity and peace and highlighted what he called the fundamental role of women in building a “civilisation of love”.
The pope had already attracted large crowds on Friday, when an estimated 300,000 people gathered along his route to Notre Dame Cathedral.
During his first day in France, Pope Leo called for ethical safeguards around artificial intelligence and warned against the emergence of what he described as a machine-dominated future. He also urged France to remain committed to peace as the war in Ukraine continues.
Later on Saturday, Pope Leo was scheduled to travel to Lourdes in southwestern France, a major Catholic pilgrimage site associated with reported appearances of the Virgin Mary in 1858.
On Sunday, the pope is expected to meet seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse.
