Pope Leo XIV will hold a prayer ceremony for hundreds of thousands of his followers on Saturday at the "Place de la Concorde" in central Paris. The ceremony, which will start at 3 PM local time (1300 GMT), is expected to attract around 600,000 participants.
Pope's Trip to France
Pope Leo XIV is visiting France for four days and will also travel to the cities of Paris, Lourdes, and Metz during this time. This is his first trip to France since his election as pope last year. During this visit, he has been meeting with his followers and holding various ceremonies.
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A large crowd has been waiting in line since early morning to enter the ceremony. Many parents and children are among this crowd, hoping to see the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. One teacher named Sylvain Leclerc said, "This is a major event, and we have come to share our Christian enthusiasm. We Catholics don’t speak much, but now we want to raise our voices; but to proclaim love, peace, and joy."
Pope's Meetings in France
Pope Leo XIV also visited a social center on Saturday and later met with adults who have recently been baptized. On Friday, about 300,000 people gathered to see the pope as he traveled in the popemobile towards Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has been restored after the devastating fire in 2019.
President Emmanuel Macron of France will not be present at the ceremony, but Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right, and Édouard Philippe, a centrist politician, have confirmed their attendance.
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