Pope Leo XIV drew an estimated 800,000 people into the heart of Paris on Saturday for a massive open-air Mass, filling the iconic Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. The American pope traveled through central Paris in the popemobile before celebrating Mass, with flag-waving crowds packing the streets.
The Vatican estimated attendance at 800,000, roughly 200,000 more people than had registered in advance. People of faith gathered in the streets, with families lifting babies and young children toward the popemobile as Leo made his way through the French capital.
In his Mass, Leo urged Catholics to openly share their faith in an "increasingly secularized society." He told worshippers that they were the "heirs of France's long and beautiful history of faith," and called on French Catholics not to keep that rich inheritance to themselves.
The setting carried particular resonance in a country known for its strict tradition of secularism. The Place de la Concorde, where the Mass was held, was an execution ground during the French Revolution, where devoutly Catholic King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined. Today, the square is closely associated with the French republic and regularly hosts Bastille Day celebrations.
The decision to celebrate a papal Mass at the Place de la Concorde drew criticism from supporters of France's strict separation of church and state, who argued another site would have been more appropriate.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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