Around 700,000 people gathered in the heart of Paris on Saturday as Pope Leo celebrated an open-air Mass, exceeding the number who had registered to attend.
Key facts
- Around 700,000 people gathered in central Paris for the open-air Mass.
- The turnout was about 100,000 more than the number who had registered.
- The Mass took place on the second day of Pope Leo's official visit to France.
- It marks the first official papal visit to France in 18 years.
- Pope Leo, 71, praised the 'energy and commitment' of young people.
Around 700,000 people gathered in central Paris on Saturday as Pope Leo celebrated an open-air Mass, according to the BBC. The event took place in the heart of the French capital and drew crowds far larger than organisers had initially expected.
More than half a million people had been anticipated for the gathering, but the final turnout was significantly higher. The Vatican estimated 700,000 people attended the outdoor Mass, according to the Guardian, about 100,000 more than the number of people who had registered.
Crowds lined the Place de la Concorde and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to hear the pontiff speak and offer prayer, the Guardian reported. The scene marked one of the largest public religious gatherings in the French capital in recent memory.
During the Mass, the Pope praised the ‘energy and commitment’ of young people, according to the BBC. The 71-year-old American pope addressed the vast crowd as it filled the streets of central Paris.
The gathering came on the second day of Pope Leo’s visit to France, described by the Guardian as his first official papal visit to the country in 18 years. The scale of the turnout underlined the level of public interest in the visit.
Coverage of the event was reported by the BBC and the Guardian across the day, with attendance figures rising from early estimates of more than half a million to the Vatican’s final count of around 700,000.
Why it matters
The turnout highlights the enduring public draw of a papal visit, particularly one that is the first official trip to France in nearly two decades. Large-scale gatherings of this kind reflect the continued significance of the papacy as a global public figure and the logistical scale involved in hosting such events in a major capital.
Frequently asked questions
How many people attended the Pope's open-air Mass in Paris?
The Vatican estimated around 700,000 people attended the open-air Mass in central Paris, about 100,000 more than the number who had registered, according to the Guardian.
Where did the Mass take place?
The Mass took place in the heart of Paris, with crowds lining the Place de la Concorde and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, according to the Guardian.
When was the last official papal visit to France?
According to the Guardian, this was Pope Leo's first official papal visit to France in 18 years.