Pope Leo in France!
Paris, Sep 25 (EFE).-
The Vatican’s colors filled the streets of Paris as crowds cheered for Pope Leo XIV as he waved from the popemobile during a drive to Notre Dame Cathedral, his first appearance before the people during his four-day visit to France.
Before celebrating his first Mass at the restored Gothic cathedral, Pope Leo XIV delivered a speech at the UNESCO headquarters and greeted the 300,000 people who, according to authorities, filled the central boulevards of the French capital to welcome him.
Initial estimates put the turnout at around 250,000 people, but the Vatican revised the figure upward to 300,000 based on data from local authorities.
From early Friday morning, large groups took their places along a 2.5-kilometer route, passing through the Church of Our Lady of the Fields and the banks of the Seine.
For security reasons, the motorcade was kept at a distance from the public and flanked by numerous police vehicles. It stopped only a few times, almost always so that the Pope could bless some children.
The papal motorcade crossed its first main street from west to east, before turning north onto Boulevard Saint-Michel. It headed toward the square of the same name, where the procession ended next to the cathedral.
Amid the shouts of enthusiasm, music took center stage, performed by numerous amateur groups that had livened up the area all day. These groups had come from every corner of France and abroad.
The Pope then proceeded to Notre Dame, marking the first visit by a pontiff to the cathedral since its partial reopening in 2024 after the 2019 fire that destroyed its roof. The cathedral will be fully reopened in 2025.
As of Friday, Pope Leo XIV called on the French Church to be “an open house” and to “welcome those who are far away” and “foreigners” in his address following the celebration of Vespers with the country’s clergy at Notre Dame Cathedral.
He stated that “Notre-Dame is a sign of this encounter in the heart of Paris, a missionary presence, simple and benevolent, that also helps to bridge cultural differences and heal the wounds present in our societies.”
Leo XIV urged the church to be “a living, multifaceted, and accessible Church” capable of exposing unjust power structures and preserving the seeds of justice and peace.
He encouraged them to cultivate a genuine love for the liturgy and to foster unity among God’s people.
“In the heart of the city, the open cathedral is a sign of a community that praises the Lord and embodies hospitality, so that everyone may feel at home in a changing world, without being dominated or marginalized,” he said. EFE
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