OMM Redaksiyası
Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in central Paris to greet Pope Leo XIV ahead of a major open-air Mass, Reuters reported.
The pontiff travelled along the Champs-Élysées beneath the Arc de Triomphe in his popemobile, waving to crowds as they cheered and chanted “Leo, Leo”. He also stopped at several points to bless babies.
More than half a million people are expected to attend Saturday’s ceremony at the Place de la Concorde, where a special altar has been built for the Mass.
French politicians attend ceremony
French President Emmanuel Macron, who held an hour-long meeting with Pope Leo on Friday, will not attend any of the pontiff’s Masses during his four-day visit. His absence is largely intended to respect France’s strict separation of state and religion.
Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu are expected at the Champs-Élysées event. Several potential candidates in next year’s presidential election are also due to attend.
Marine Le Pen of the National Rally party and conservative politician Bruno Retailleau were seen at the Place de la Concorde. Centrists Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal are also expected, while former Prime Minister François Fillon was also seen at the venue.
Pope meets migrants in Paris
Earlier on Saturday, Pope Leo visited the Maison Bakhita centre, an organisation supporting refugees, where he met migrants and praised its work for inviting people to “see those who are invisible”.
He said it was possible “to encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace”, while highlighting the “fundamental role of women in building a civilisation of love”.
At the start of his visit to France on Friday, the Pope also warned about the risks posed by artificial intelligence. Speaking to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace, he cautioned against “losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines”.
Pope’s wider France visit
Large crowds are expected throughout the pontiff’s trip, which the Catholic Church says reflects growing spirituality among people in France and elsewhere in Europe.
On Sunday, about 150,000 people have registered to attend Mass at the Pyrenean sanctuary of Lourdes. On Monday, Pope Leo will travel to Metz in northeastern France to pay tribute to Robert Schuman, a founding figure of the European Union and a devout Catholic who is a candidate for beatification.
Pope Leo, who was born in Chicago in 1955, was originally named Robert Prevost. His paternal grandmother was born in Le Havre, Normandy, in 1894. After marrying an Italian man in the United States, she and her husband adopted the surname Prevost, her mother’s maiden name.
