Pope Leo draws estimated 700,000 to outdoor Mass in Paris

Paris, France. Pope Leo arrived on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées on Saturday for an outdoor Mass that the Vatican estimated drew about 700,000 people. It was the largest event of his weekend visit to France.

Crowds along the boulevard

Crowds stretched 2.2 km (1.4 miles) from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, waving white and yellow flags and pressing against security barriers for a glimpse of the pontiff. More than 600,000 people had registered for the mid-afternoon Mass.

Chants of “Leo, Leo” and “Long live the Pope” echoed along the tree-lined boulevard as he passed in an open-top popemobile. The vehicle stopped frequently while Leo blessed babies, children and people with disabilities brought forward by volunteers.

Geraldine Pambou, 42, said she hoped the first US pope would speak out again for peace. Leo drew a rebuke from US President Donald Trump this year for criticising the Iran war.

“The most important thing is that he emphasises world peace,” she said. “There are too many wars.”

Pierre-Marie Estienne, 36, was also waiting for the Mass in central Paris with his wife and their four young children.

Visit to France

Leo is on a four-day, three-city visit to France, where he is seeking to repair the Church’s standing after abuse scandals caused nationwide shock.

The pope, who has forcefully criticised the direction of global leadership in recent months, warned in a speech on Friday at the Paris headquarters of UNESCO, the UN culture and education body, that the UN and other multilateral groups were in crisis.

He also repeated his appeal for the world to reconsider the development of artificial intelligence, telling French leaders that AI could create a future in which “a paradise of machines” takes control of the Earth.