Thousands line up to see the pope this afternoon
Thousands of people have already lined up to get into the area where Pope Leo will hold Mass at 3pm. Some people started queuing already at dawn.
Photo: Lara Bullens, FRANCE 24
In pictures: Security tight as crowds gather at Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde
Photo: Gonzalo Fuentes, Reuters
Photo: Sarah Meyssonnier, Reuters
Photo: Sarah Meyssonnier, Reuters
Pope meets clergy, catechumens and neophytes at the Institut Catholique de Paris
Pope Leo XIV is now meeting with members of France's Provincial Synodal Assembly, as well as catechumens and neophytes at the Institut Catholique de Paris.
“We must recognise, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns,” the pontiff said.
Pictured with him on stage are also French archbishop Laurent Ulrich as well as the pope's private secretary Edgard Ivan Rimaycuna Inga.
Photos: Alberto Pizzoli, AFP
🎥 Pope says 'authentic secularity' does not exclude religion
Pope Leo XIV said on a visit to France on Friday that "authentic secularity" should not exclude religion, in a country that has separated church and state for more than a century.
"An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good," he said.
In pictures: Paris metro overcrowded as people flock to see pope
Photo: Lara Bullens, FRANCE 24
Photo: Cyrielle Cabot FRANCE 24
Pope has arrived at Institut Catholique de Paris
“It’s a historic day for the ICP. Nearly 50 years after the visit of John Paul II, we have the honour this morning of welcoming Pope Leo XIV,” the university writes on X.
Morning meetings and Mass in Paris before heading to Lourdes
Pope Leo XIV will kick off his second day in France, and his last in Paris, with a visit to Maison Bakhita – an association that helps people in exile integrate. His visit there starts at 9am CET.
After that, at 10:15am, he will head to the Institut Catholique de Paris – the biggest theological faculty in the francophone world – where he will meet members of the Provincial Synodal Assembly, catechumens and the newly baptised, and deliver remarks.
At 2:30pm the pope will ride down the Champs-Élysées in his popemobile towards Place de la Concorde.
At 3pm he will celebrate Mass and deliver a homily.
Following the Mass he will head to the airport and fly to Lourdes, where he will arrive at 7:05pm.
Upon arrival in Lourdes, he is expected to do a tour of the sanctuary in his popemobile before holding a prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions at Massabielle, which will start at 7:50pm.
At Maison Bakhita, pope says it is possible ‘to live together in dignity and peace’
During his visit at Maison Bakhita in Paris, Pope Leo told migrants that it was possible to “live together in dignity and peace”.
“I am pleased to begin this second day in Paris with you, in a house that bears witness to the whole city that it is possible to encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace,” he said.
Adult and teen baptisms on the rise in France
The Catholic Church of France has seen signs of renewed interest among adults and teens lately.
This year, it expects around 13,200 adults and 8,200 adolescents aged between 11 and 17 to be baptised – up 28 percent and 10 percent respectively from 2025.
In pictures: Pope Leo visits support and social integration centre Maison Bakhita
Pope Leo XIV meets with youth at the Maison Bakhita support and social integration centre, on the second day of his visit to France, in Paris, France, on September 26, 2026.
The pope listens to the director of Maison Bakhita.
Photos: Alberto Pizzoli, Reuters
Read more: The Catholic youth movement Anuncio
Read more: A look back at the pope's first day in Paris
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
