PARIS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people flooded Paris’ iconic Champs-Élysées avenue to attend an open-air mass with Pope Leo XIV Saturday, a sign of the enduring appeal of the Catholic Church in this once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country.
The Vatican estimates that 800,000 people participated, about 200,000 more than the number of people who registered in advance. The turnout testifies to the lasting influence of the Church in France, despite declining attendance and trends toward secularization that have emptied churches across Europe.
The American Pope greeted the crowds waving flags and cheering from his popemobile in a 2-kilometer parade along the grand boulevard leading to Place de la Concorde for mass, essentially the heart of Paris and symbol of the French republic.
In his homily, Leo asked the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves, but to “let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and quenched their thirst.”
“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit will flow throughout France,” he said.
Although a security system closed central Paris to road traffic, the festive atmosphere attracted people of multiple faiths and even no faith. This fervor has crossed generations. People brought dozens of babies and young children from the crowd so Leo could pet them on the head as he slowly rode past in the popemobile.
“Pope Léon’s message goes well beyond the Catholic people, he speaks for example of social justice,” explains Léontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic who came with two friends of Moroccan origin who grew up in Muslim culture.
A call to persevere against trends
Leon sought to encourage French Catholics to persevere in their faith “even amid the thorns” of a secular world during his four-day visit. It began on Friday with his arrival and prayer at the restored church. Notre DameTHE first by a pope since the devastating cathedral fire in 2019. It continued Saturday evening when Leo arrived in Lourdes, in the south of France, one of the most visited shrines in the Catholic Church.
Saturday morning at the Catholic Institute in Paris, the pope said he was surprised by the number of new converts in recent years.
“We must recognize, welcome and protect the little flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the little seed that strives to grow even among the thorns,” he said.
Adult baptisms in France have tripled every year since 2016, reaching 13,000 this year. But statistics and experts warn that the rise, which was also recorded in Secular Spaindoes not counteract the overall downward trend.
In 1980, there were 513,000 baptisms in France; in 2024, a total of 186,000.
The Pope attracts crowds
The streams of people filling the center of Paris and their joyful enthusiasm rivaled other moments of communal but non-religious celebration that have marked France in recent decades. Huge crowds celebrated France’s victory at the FIFA World Cup on the Champs-Élysées in 1998, and again in 2018.
On Saturday, many did not identify as Catholic, but came to hear the pope’s message.
“People see a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people what’s really important in life,” said Thierry Chen, a 40-year-old Parisian 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 a common belief in humanity.”
Sylvane Le Goff, 68, who lives in the Paris region, came with her grandchildren aged 10 and 12 to “leave them unforgettable memories”. Le Goff, who was raised Catholic but is not practicing, said she wants to open her grandchildren’s minds.
“It’s not just about seeing the pope, but also about his message of peace and unity, values that I would like to share with them,” she said.
Leo was clearly impressed by the numbers and the enthusiasm, particularly during a Friday evening vigil that kept the 71-year-old pope until almost 11 p.m. after a busy first day.
Some 80,000 young people filled the national stadium for an extravagant fireworks display and a theatrical reenactment of France’s Catholic history.
“Thank you for your courage! Thank you for your presence,” Léo said to loud cheers, speaking spontaneously in French. “Thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”
Mass adds new chapter to historic Paris square
The imposing stage erected for the mass, topped with a golden cross, and the rows of choristers, clergy and others who prayed under the gaze of the pope in the Place de la Concorde marked a new chapter for this square steeped in history.
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 hosts July 14 celebrations. In 2024, the Paris Olympics gave it a modern touch by using it for break dancing, skateboarding, BMX and 3X3 basketball events.
Mass organizers said it was the only area in central Paris that could accommodate such crowds.
But the choice was criticized by supporters of the strict form of secularism in French public life, based on a 1905 law separating church and state. They argued that the site represents the Republic and that other locations like Les Invalides, a complex of buildings where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated mass with 240,000 people in 2008, would have been more appropriate.
Léo’s mass was a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabé, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning finding a place.
A lifelong Catholic, Farnabe attends mass in Suresnes, a Paris suburb, every Sunday.
“There are more and more converts,” he said. “Many young people are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people between 25 and 40 years old, who are baptized.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives AP support collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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