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Huge Crowds Gather in Paris for Pope Leo Ahead of Mass
On Friday, Pope Leo XIV began his four-day official visit to France, marking the first such trip by a head of the Vatican in 18 years as he seeks to repair the church's standing following abuse scandals.
France, a secular nation where the separation of church and state is enshrined in a 1905 law, has witnessed steady decline in Catholic affiliation; yet adult baptisms reached a record 21,000 at Easter.
Thousands of worshippers cheered Leo at a stadium near Paris on Friday, where he urged world peace and warned against an AI-driven "paradise of machines," calling attendees the "saints of France."
More than 600,000 people are expected at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris today for an outdoor Mass led by the pontiff, marking the largest gathering of his weekend visit to France.
Leo heads to the pilgrimage site of Lourdes on Sunday, where he will meet seven French victims of abuse by clergy, and he plans to discuss peace in Europe while visiting Metz near the German border.