Pope Leo XIV Draws 800,000 to Paris Mass as Crowds Fill Central Paris
PARIS — Hundreds of thousands of worshippers and onlookers filled the Champs-Élysées and the heart of Paris on Saturday for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde, a display of Catholic vitality in a country that remains deeply shaped by its Catholic past even as it enforces strict secularism in public life.
The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people turned out, more than the 600,000 who had signed up in advance. The scale of the gathering surprised even organizers and offered a striking counterpoint to the long decline in church attendance across France and much of Europe.
In his homily, Leo urged a largely secular France to “build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith.” The pope, on a four-day visit, has repeatedly encouraged French Catholics to hold fast to their faith “even amid the thorns” of a world that increasingly relegates religion to private life.
Security was tight, with central Paris closed to road traffic. Yet the mood was closer to a public festival than a locked-down state event. Families, young people, older Catholics, Muslims, Jews, secular Parisians and tourists all mingled. As Leo passed slowly aboard the popemobile, people lifted dozens of babies and small children for him to bless or caress on the head.
“The message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example,” said Leontine Joseph, 42, a devout Catholic who came with two friends of Moroccan origin who grew up in Muslim culture.
The visit began Friday with Leo’s arrival and prayer at the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral, the first papal visit there since the devastating 2019 fire. He was joined inside by many of the people who helped rebuild the landmark. The trip is also taking him to the Catholic shrine at Lourdes.
The turnout in Paris carried particular weight in France, a traditionally Catholic nation that enshrines a strict form of secularism based on the 1905 law separating church and state. For decades, Mass attendance has fallen sharply, churches have emptied, and many French families no longer baptize their children.
Still, church leaders point to signs of renewed interest. Adult baptisms in France have tripled since 2016, reaching 13,000 this year. Last Easter, according to the French bishops, more than 21,000 adults and teenagers were baptized, CBS News foreign correspondent Chris Livesay reported—a sharp increase from the previous year. Similar upticks have been recorded in officially secular Spain.
Experts caution, however, that the gains do not reverse the broader generational trend: children of practicing French Catholics are increasingly skipping Mass and choosing not to baptize their babies. In 1980, France recorded 513,000 baptisms; in 2024, the figure was 186,000.
Even so, the rivers of people in central Paris rivaled some of the country’s biggest nonreligious celebrations in recent memory, including the crowds that flooded the Champs-Élysées when France won the soccer World Cup in 1998 and again in 2018.
For Jean-Claude Farnabe, the visit was a birthday gift. He turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot in the crowd. A lifelong Catholic who attends Mass every Sunday in the Paris suburb of Suresnes, Farnabe said he has recently seen a surge in faith.
“There are more and more converts,” he said while waiting for the pope. “Many youngsters are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people aged between 25 and 40, who are getting baptized.”
The choice of Place de la Concorde was significant. Organizers said it was the only central Paris site large enough to accommodate the hundreds of thousands expected, and they extended the crowd area last week as projections grew. But the venue drew criticism from staunch secularists, who argue the square represents the Republic and that another location, such as the Invalides—where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before 240,000 people in 2008—would have been more appropriate.
Place de la Concorde was laid out at the end of the 18th century and became one of the main execution sites of the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were guillotined there. For many French people, it embodies the Republic; presidents traditionally celebrate Bastille Day there.
Not everyone in the crowd identified as Catholic. Many came out of curiosity about the pope’s message or a desire for a shared moment of unity.
“People are seeing a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people of what is really important in life,” said Thierry Chen, a 40-year-old Paris startup entrepreneur who is not Catholic. “You see a lot of different people here, so it’s not just about one race, religion or nation, but about a common belief in humankind.”
Sylvane Le Goff, 68, who lives in the Paris region, came with her 10- and 12-year-old grandchildren to “give them unforgettable memories.” Raised Catholic but not practicing, Le Goff said she wanted to open their minds.
“It’s not only about seeing the pope but it also is about his message of peace and unity, values I’d like to share with them,” she said.
The huge turnout will likely intensify debate in France over the place of religion in public life. For the Catholic Church, it offered a rare moment of visibility and encouragement. For secular France, it was a reminder that faith still commands crowds—and that the pope’s appeal can reach well beyond the pews.