Pope Leo XIV addressed an estimated 800,000 faithful at an open-air Mass in central Paris on Saturday, urging the crowd to turn to faith for fulfillment.
The American-born pontiff, 71, whose birth name is Robert Francis Prevost, delivered the liturgy in French outside Place de la Concorde. The gathering marked the second day of his four-day apostolic journey to France, the first official papal visit to the country in nearly two decades.
“Only God can fill the emptiness within us,” he said during his homily, according to Vatican News.
The turnout dwarfed the 250,000 who attended Pope Benedict XVI’s 2008 Mass in the same city. The Archdiocese of Paris said police were forced to open two overflow sites to accommodate the unexpectedly massive crowds.
Philippe Baptiste, a Paris native, spoke to the National Catholic Reporter about why he believed the new pope drew such numbers.
“He is a pope who is young, 71, and he moves the young people forward; he is calm, a good-listener and he has very precise ideas and is able to express them clearly and in an engaging way — all the young people and the crowds here show that,” he said.
The pope made a direct appeal to younger attendees during the service.
“You are today’s church,” he declared.
Before arriving in France, Pope Leo spoke to reporters aboard the papal plane about the purpose behind his travels.
“I, above all, am travelling to France, as to anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ wanting to proclaim peace, the peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said.
“It is a message which at this time, as we all know, is particularly important.”
He also framed the gathering within France’s deep Catholic heritage, pointing to the nation’s long line of saints.
“Seeing you gathered here,” he continued, “the heirs of France’s long and beautiful history of faith, I say to you: Drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus, who alone can quench our thirst for God, life, truth, unity, peace, communion, and happiness.”
The Vatican shared images of the scene on social media, noting that faithful had filled both the historic square and the nearby Champs-Élysées.
Pope Leo’s election earlier this year made him the first American-born leader of the Roman Catholic Church. His visit to France comes as the country grapples with its secular identity and declining religious participation, making the scale of Saturday’s gathering particularly striking.
The pope’s itinerary continues with remaining engagements in the country through the coming days.