Pope Leo celebrates open-air mass before 700,000 people in Paris

Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air mass before an estimated 700,000 people in Paris on Saturday, the second day of his four-day tour of France — the first official papal visit to the country in 18 years. The Vatican said the crowd was larger than the 600,000 who had registered in advance. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/several-hundred-thousand-people-gather-for-pope-leos-mass-in-paris)

The pontiff greeted flag-waving, cheering throngs from his popemobile as it travelled the 1.9-kilometre Champs-Elysees before arriving at Place de la Concorde, Paris’s largest public square, where he held the outdoor mass and led hundreds of thousands of people in prayer. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/several-hundred-thousand-people-gather-for-pope-leos-mass-in-paris)

President Emmanuel Macron was not present and was represented by his wife, Brigitte, while far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen was also among the attendees. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/several-hundred-thousand-people-gather-for-pope-leos-mass-in-paris)

The pope travels next to the southwestern town of Lourdes, where he will meet seven French victims abused by members of the clergy on Sunday — five years after an inquiry found that 330,000 children were abused by clergy and lay members over the span of seven decades. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/several-hundred-thousand-people-gather-for-pope-leos-mass-in-paris)

On Friday he met Macron at the Elysee Palace and spoke out against artificial intelligence, warning that “a paradise of machines” could cause people to lose their humanity. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/26/several-hundred-thousand-people-gather-for-pope-leos-mass-in-paris)