Photos: Pope Leo draws hundreds of thousands for open-air Mass in Paris

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV drew a massive crowd in Paris on Saturday, leading an open-air Mass that filled the Champs-Elysees and Place de la Concorde, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and Vatican figures. The Vatican said about 800,000 people attended, including many more than had registered in advance. The gathering included cheering pilgrims, clergy, choir singers and worshippers spread along the avenue and surrounding square.

The pope traveled through the city in a popemobile before the service, greeting flag-waving crowds during a roughly 2-kilometre procession to the mass site. The event took place at Place de la Concorde, a central Paris landmark with deep historical symbolism, including its role as an execution site during the French Revolution and as a major location for national ceremonies in France.

The choice of venue also stirred debate because of France’s tradition of strict secularism and the 1905 law separating church and state. Critics argued that a site associated with the republic was an unusual choice for a large religious service, while organisers said it was one of the few places in central Paris able to accommodate such numbers.

During the Mass, Pope Leo urged believers not to keep their faith private, but to share it with others. The service underscored both the scale of the papal visit and the continuing public prominence of Catholic events in a country where religion and state are formally separated.