{"id":100092,"date":"2026-09-27T01:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T01:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=100092"},"modified":"2026-09-27T01:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T01:39:00","slug":"arab-news-pope-leo-draws-800000-people-to-central-paris-for-open-air-mass-on-iconic-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=100092","title":{"rendered":"Arab News | Pope Leo draws 800,000 people to central Paris for open-air Mass on iconic square"},"content":{"rendered":"


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PARIS: Hundreds of thousands of people packed Paris\u2019 iconic Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es avenue to attend an open-air Mass with Pope Leo XIV on Saturday, a sign of the Catholic Church\u2019s enduring appeal in the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.<\/p>\n

The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people attended \u2014 about 200,000 more than the number who had registered in advance. The turnout testified to the church\u2019s lasting influence in France despite declining attendance and secularizing trends that have emptied churches across Europe.<\/p>\n

The American pope greeted the flag-waving, cheering throngs from his popemobile during a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) parade along the grand boulevard leading to the Place de la Concorde for Mass, essentially the heart of Paris and a symbol of the French republic.<\/p>\n

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd, on his way to a prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions of Massabielle, in Lourdes, France, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo\/Thibault Camus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In his homily, Leo asked the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves, but to instead \u201clet it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Although a security blanket shut down central Paris to road traffic, the partylike atmosphere drew people of multiple faiths and no faith at all. The fervor spanned generations. People brought dozens of babies and young children from the crowd for Leo to caress on the head as he rode slowly past aboard the popemobile.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example,\u201d said Leontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic who came with two friends of Moroccan origin who grew up in Muslim culture.<\/p>\n

An appeal to persevere against the trends<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leo has sought to encourage French Catholics to persevere in their faith \u201ceven amid the thorns\u201d of a secular world during his four-day visit. It began on Friday with his arrival and prayer at the restored Notre Dame, the first by a pope since the cathedral\u2019s devastating 2019 fire. It continued Saturday night when Leo arrived in Lourdes in southern France, one of the Catholic Church\u2019s most-visited shrines.<\/p>\n

\"Faithful
Faithful wait for Pope Leo XIV, in Lourdes, France, on Sept. 26, 2026. (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At the Catholic Institute of Paris on Saturday morning, the pope said he was surprised by the number of new converts in recent years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must recognize, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Adult baptisms in France each year have tripled since 2016, hitting 13,000 this year. But statistics and experts caution that the uptick, which has also been recorded in secular Spain, doesn\u2019t counteract the overall downward trend.<\/p>\n

In 1980, there were 513,000 baptisms in France; in 2024, a total of 186,000.<\/p>\n

The pope is a crowd-puller<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rivers of people who crammed central Paris and their joyful enthusiasm rivaled other communal but non-religious moments of celebration that marked France in recent decades. Huge crowds celebrated on the Champs-Elys\u00e9es when France won the soccer World Cup in 1998 and again in 2018.<\/p>\n

Many on Saturday didn\u2019t identify as Catholics, but came to hear the pope\u2019s message.<\/p>\n

\"People
People wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV for a prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions of Massabielle, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople are seeing a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people of what is really important in life,\u201d said Thierry Chen, a 40-year-old Parisian startup entrepreneur who is not Catholic. \u201cYou see a lot of different people here, so it\u2019s not just about one race, religion or nation, but about a common belief in humankind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sylvane Le Goff, 68, who lives in the Paris region, came with her 10- and 12-year-old grandchildren to \u201cgive them unforgettable memories.\u201d Le Goff, who was raised Catholic but is not practicing, said she wanted to open her grandchildren\u2019s minds.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only about seeing the pope but it also is about his message of peace and unity, values I\u2019d like to share with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Leo has clearly been impressed by the numbers and enthusiasm, especially at a Friday night vigil that kept the 71-year-old pope out until nearly 11 p.m. after a packed first day.<\/p>\n

Some 80,000 young people filled the national stadium for an extravaganza of fireworks and a theatrical retelling of French Catholic history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for your courage! Thank you for your presence,\u201d Leo said to raucous cheers, speaking off the cuff in French. \u201cThank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!\u201d<\/p>\n

Mass adds a new chapter for historic Paris square<\/strong><\/p>\n

The imposing stage erected for the Mass, capped with a golden cross, and rows upon rows of choir singers, clergy and others who prayed under the pope\u2019s gaze on Place de la Concorde marked a new chapter for the history-steeped square.<\/p>\n

\"Nuns
Nuns greet children as they wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV to lead a prayer with worshippers in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, southwestern France, on September 26, 2026 on the second day of his visit to France. (AFP) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was an execution site during the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were guillotined there. For many in France, it embodies the Republic and traditionally stages Bastille Day celebrations. In 2024, the Paris Olympics gave it a blast of modernity, using it for break dance, skateboard, BMX and 3X3 basketball events.<\/p>\n

Organizers of the Mass said it was the only area in central Paris that could accommodate such crowds.<\/p>\n

But the choice was criticized by supporters of France\u2019s strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state. They argued that the site represents the Republic, and that other places such as the Invalides, a complex of buildings where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with 240,000 people in 2008, would have been more appropriate.<\/p>\n

Leo\u2019s Mass came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot.<\/p>\n

A lifelong Catholic, Farnabe attends Mass in the Paris suburb of Suresnes every Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more and more converts,\u201d he said. \u201cMany youngsters are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people aged between 25 and 40, who are getting baptized.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n