Pope's Paris parade draws massive crowds on Champs-Élysées
Large crowds gathered along the Champs-Élysées as Pope Leo XIV rode in the popemobile toward Place de la Concorde. The parade took place before a major open-air Mass in central Paris. A DePaul University professor appeared as a guest during the coverage.
Pope Leo XIV’s popemobile procession moved along the Champs-Élysées toward Place de la Concorde, attracting a crowd in the hundreds of thousands before a large open-air Mass in central Paris. Coverage noted Stan Chu Ilo, a senior research professor at DePaul University, as a guest.
The Paris stop formed part of a broader France tour, billed as the first papal state visit to the country in nearly two decades. Related reports said Leo XIV would meet French survivors of sexual abuse, visit migrants and people on society’s margins, and speak about peace, dignity, and secularity. Around 600,000 worshippers were expected at the Mass.
The event may strengthen public attention on the Catholic Church in France and on Pope Leo XIV’s messages about peace, dignity, and secularity. Crowds and the expected Mass could affect Paris traffic, security, and local businesses, while survivors and migrant communities may focus on his meetings with them. For many Catholics, the visit could be a moment of communal reflection; for broader society, it may prompt discussion about religion’s place in a secular state.