600,000 sign up for Pope Leo’s Paris Mass as organizers expand route
Over 600,000 people registered for Pope Leo XIV’s open‑air Mass on September 26 at Place de la Concorde and the Champs‑Élysées, prompting organizers to expand the security perimeter beyond the original footprint. The French bishops’ conference estimates the visit’s cost at €27 million, with only €5.5 million raised so far, leaving a €21.5 million shortfall that will be covered by corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales, and donations. The visit includes additional stops in Lourdes and Metz, with the Pope scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Marian shrine on September 27. Cardinal Jean‑Marc Aveline highlighted the high turnout as evidence that France “resists secularization,” citing a surge of new catechumens.
5 days ago
Nearly 600,000 people have registered for Pope Leo XIV’s open-air Mass in central Paris on Sept. 26, prompting organizers to expand the security and gathering area. The Sept. 25–28 visit will also include stops in Lourdes and Metz, while France’s bishops face a €21.5 million funding shortfall.
Registration for the Mass at the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées closed on Sept. 16 after reaching nearly 600,000 people. Registration was encouraged but not mandatory, and the response led organizers to extend the security perimeter beyond the event’s original footprint.
More than 200,000 people registered within the first few hours after sign-ups opened on Aug. 10. The 80,000 available places for the youth vigil at the Stade de France on Sept. 25 were also filled within hours, while almost 300,000 registrations were recorded for the two Paris events during their first day.
Organizers reported receiving about 8,000 additional registrations each day during the final phase of preparations. An overflow area will extend from the Place de l’Étoile along Avenue de la Grande-Armée toward Porte Maillot.
The Mass remains scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sept. 26. Gates are due to open at 9 a.m., with Pope Leo expected to arrive at the Champs-Élysées at 1:45 p.m. local time.
The French bishops’ conference estimates the total cost of the papal visit at €27 million, or about $31 million. A fundraising campaign launched during the summer had raised €5.5 million, leaving a reported shortfall of €21.5 million.
The campaign is expected to continue throughout the visit. Funding is being sought through corporate sponsorships, merchandise sales, and donations from Catholics through the bishops’ conference website.
The French state is providing security forces and public services but no direct financial contribution to the visit.
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, president of the French bishops’ conference, said the level of public interest demonstrated that France “resists secularization.” He attributed the response in part to what he called a new momentum among neophytes and catechumens.
Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris thanked those who responded to Pope Leo’s invitation to pray with him, while organizers continued expanding arrangements to accommodate the expected crowds.
After the Paris events, Pope Leo is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the Marian shrine in Lourdes on Sept. 27. He is also expected to meet privately with seven survivors of abuse.
The visit will conclude on Sept. 28 with a Mass in Metz, in northeastern France. Archbishop Philippe Ballot has presented the border city as a symbol of reconciliation and friendship among peoples, describing the border as a place of encounter rather than separation.
Pope Leo will also speak at the Robert Schuman Centre, named for the Catholic statesman whom Pope Francis declared venerable in 2021.
Pope visits demonstrate Catholic resilience amid French secularization
Papal visits to France can indeed reveal Catholic resilience, but they should not be mistaken for evidence that secularization has been reversed. Large crowds, public religious celebrations, and renewed attention to the Church show that Catholicism remains capable of mobilizing people and shaping France’s cultural memory. Yet the French bishops have also described declining religious practice and the need for a renewed proclamation of the Gospel, even among the baptized.
The resilience is visible in three ways:
At the same time, a papal visit is primarily a moment of evangelization, not merely a cultural festival or expression of nostalgia. John Paul II warned that secularization can remove traditional supports for faith and therefore called for visible Christian communities, catechesis, families, parishes, and new networks of Christian support.
The appropriate Catholic response is neither retreat nor political domination. Benedict XVI emphasized that the Church does not seek to replace the state, but should speak freely and cooperate with civil authorities for the good of society. Pope Francis similarly defended a “healthy secularity” that distinguishes Church and state while permitting constructive cooperation.
Thus, papal visits demonstrate that French Catholicism is not extinct or culturally irrelevant. They reveal a living capacity for faith, public witness, pilgrimage, and service. But their deeper success will be measured less by crowd size than by whether they lead to conversion, sacramental life, vocations, Christian communities, and sustained missionary action.