Hundreds of thousands of people have greeted Pope Leo XIV in the centre of Paris ahead of a giant open-air Mass. Crowds cheered as the pontiff moved down the Champs-Élysées Avenue beneath the Arc de Triomphe, waving to crowds from his popemobile. The head of the Catholic Church blessed several babies as he stopped at different stages along the avenue, with chants of "Leo, Leo" ringing out.
More than half a million people are expected to attend the event in the heart of the French capital on Saturday, and a special altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde for the ceremony.
Attendance and Political Figures
French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Leo for an hour of talks on Friday, will not be at any of the Pope's Masses during his four-day visit to France, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion. However, the Champs-Élysées Mass will be attended by Macron's wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Several candidates for next year's presidential election are also expected to attend, including:
- Marine Le Pen of the hard-right National Rally party
- Conservative Bruno Retailleau
- Centrists Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal
