In brief
More than half a million spectators gathered in Paris to watch Pope Leo XIV drive down the Champs‑Élysées in a popemobile for an open‑air Mass. The pontiff waved, blessed babies and sang “Leo, Leo” while political leaders such as Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu signed up to cheer. The Pope also visited a refugee centre, praised migrants and warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence. This event signals a surge in European spirituality, with 150,000 already signed up for a Mass in Lourdes and a future visit to Metz.
All‑but‑half‑a‑million people gathered in the heart of Paris to watch Pope Leo XIV travel down the Champs‑Élysées in a popemobile for an open‑air Mass. The pontiff waved at the cheering crowds, stopped to bless babies, and sang “Leo, Leo” with thousands of supporters.
The gathering pulls together politics and faith: President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu attended, alongside candidates like Marine Le Pen, Bruno Retailleau, and former prime ministers Edouard Philippe and Francois Fillon.
Beyond the spectacle, the Pope also visited the Maison Bakhita refugee centre, praised migrants, and warned about the dangers of artificial intelligence, urging humanity to keep its compassion amid a “paradise of machines.”
The event marks a surge in European spirituality, with 150,000 already signing up for the Mass at Lourdes and the Pope set to visit Metz to honor EU founding father Robert Schuman.
