Pope Leo XIV draws 700,000 to Paris Mass and raises AI, nuclear concerns during France visit
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an outdoor Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris on Saturday, September 26, 2026, during a four-day visit to France. The Vatican estimated 700,000 people attended — exceeding the 600,000 who had registered in advance — with crowds lining the Champs-Élysées for the pope's popemobile parade. The visit, the first official papal state visit to France in 18 years, also included an evening prayer at the restored Notre Dame cathedral and a planned stop at the Lourdes shrine.
Pope Leo XIV rode along a 2-kilometer stretch of the Champs-Élysées on Saturday before celebrating Mass at the Place de la Concorde, drawing a crowd the Vatican estimated at 700,000. The square, long associated with the French Republic — it was an execution site during the Revolution and the traditional stage for Bastille Day celebrations — was chosen by organizers as the only central Paris space large enough to accommodate the expected numbers, according to AP reporting.
The choice of venue drew criticism from supporters of France's strict secularism, rooted in a 1905 law separating church and state. Critics argued that sites such as Les Invalides — where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before 240,000 people in 2008 — would have been more appropriate for a religious event. AP and the Washington Examiner both reported the secularism objection, with the Examiner providing additional context about the venue expansion that organizers ordered after predicting higher-than-expected turnout.
In his homily, Leo urged attendees to let their faith "overflow" and said he prayed that "the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France." At the Catholic Institute of Paris on Saturday morning, he said he was surprised by rising numbers of new converts and described the trend as God's "unfathomable work." AP noted that adult baptisms in France have tripled since 2016, reaching 13,000 this year, but statisticians caution the increase does not offset broader declines: baptisms fell from 513,000 in 1980 to 186,000 in 2024.