Pope Leo XIV Draws Huge Paris Crowd for Historic Mass

Hundreds of thousands welcomed Pope Leo XIV in Paris on 26 September 2026 as his popemobile — the pope's open-sided vehicle — traveled the Champs-Élysées, where he blessed babies. A temporary altar built at Place de la Concorde will host a 3 p.m. Mass expected to top half a million, on France's first formal papal visit in nearly 20 years.