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France 24
France 24
National
FRANCE 24

Pope Leo XIV celebrates open-air Mass in front of 800,000 people in central Paris

Cover image: Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd from the "popemobile" as he rides down the Champs-Élysées avenue to arrive to celebrate an outdoor mass at Place de la Concorde, central Paris, on September 26, 2026. © Julien de Rosa, AFP

More than 800,000 people filled the streets of central Paris to hear Pope Leo XIV say Mass on Saturday, according to Vatican estimates. The pontiff rounded out the second day of his four-day apostolic visit to France by praying at the Grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes, a renowned pilgrimage site for Catholics from across the world.

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday rode along the Champs-Élysées in the "popemobile" and celebrated an open-air Mass in front of hundreds of thousands in Paris, before flying to the holy pilgrimage site of Lourdes in southern France.

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