Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass on the Champs‑Élysées before 700,000 people
On the second day of a four‑day visit to France, the pope called on Catholics to share their faith and celebrated the first Mass at Notre‑Dame since the 2019 fire.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open‑air Mass on Paris’s Champs‑Élysées that drew large crowds, with Vatican estimates placing attendance at 700,000 people after earlier reports of more than 600,000.
Speaking to the faithful gathered along the avenue, the pope urged Catholics to share their belief with others rather than keep it private. He told worshippers, "not to keep their faith to themselves, but to let it overflow so that those you meet may be healed and have their thirst satisfied."
The service included a large clerical presence: 2,400 priests and deacons took part and around 100 bishops were in attendance.
Security and costs
Authorities deployed roughly 14,500 police officers, gendarmes, soldiers and firefighters across Paris to secure the Mass, which took place on the second day of the pope’s four‑day visit. Organizers say the visit will cost the Church €27 million.
Pope Leo XIV began his trip to France the previous day with a prayer in the renovated Notre‑Dame Cathedral — the first Mass there since the Gothic landmark was partly destroyed by a major fire in April 2019. He is scheduled to visit the sanctuary at Lourdes next.
The open‑air liturgy on the Champs‑Élysées capped a day of public ceremonies and large crowds, highlighting both the scale of the papal visit and the logistical effort required to stage it in central Paris.
Photo: press material from the event
