By Paul Joseph
Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered in central Paris to welcome Pope Leo XIV as he led a major open-air Mass during his four-day visit to France.
The pontiff travelled along the Champs-Élysées beneath the Arc de Triomphe in his popemobile, waving to cheering crowds as chants of “Leo, Leo” filled the avenue.
During the journey, Pope Leo stopped at several points to bless babies as large crowds waved French flags and followed his movement.
More than 500,000 people are expected to attend the Mass at the Place de la Concorde, where a special altar has been constructed for the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who held talks with Pope Leo for about an hour on Friday, is not expected to attend any of the Pope’s Masses during the visit, in keeping with France’s strict separation of state and religion.
However, Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, and French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu are expected at the Champs-Élysées event.
Several prominent French politicians, including Marine Le Pen, Bruno Retailleau, Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, have also been linked to the event.
Earlier on Saturday, Pope Leo visited the Maison Bakhita centre, which supports refugees and migrants.
During the visit, he praised the organisation for helping people who are often overlooked by society, saying it was possible for people to “encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace.”
He also highlighted what he described as the fundamental role of women in building a “civilisation of love.”
The Pope had earlier warned about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence during his visit to France, cautioning against the risk of “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines.”
Large crowds are expected to continue following the Pope during his French tour. About 150,000 people have reportedly registered for a Mass he is scheduled to celebrate in Lourdes on Sunday.
Pope Leo is expected to travel to Metz in northeastern France on Monday, where he will pay tribute to Robert Schuman, one of the founding figures of the European Union and a Catholic who is currently a candidate for beatification.
Born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, Pope Leo XIV has French family roots through his paternal grandmother, who was born in Le Havre, Normandy, in 1894.
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