Pope Leo XIV Meets Catholic Leaders as Crowds Gather for Paris Mass

Pope Leo XIV spent Saturday morning meeting with Catholic leaders, catechumens and neophytes at the Institut Catholique de Paris, the largest French-speaking Catholic academic institution in the world, as part of the second day of his four-day visit to France.

The gathering at the institute brought together faculty, students, and people who have recently entered or are preparing to enter the Catholic faith. The meeting formed part of a broader schedule during the papal visit that has placed emphasis on education, religious formation, and the vitality of Catholic life in France.

At the same time, organizers reported that an estimated 600,000 people were converging on the Place de la Concorde in central Paris ahead of an open-air Mass the pope is due to celebrate there later in the day. The scale of the expected crowd has required significant coordination among French authorities, church organizers, and thousands of volunteers tasked with managing security, transport, and hospitality for pilgrims arriving from across France and abroad.

The Mass is expected to be one of the highlights of the pontiff's visit, drawing worshippers of varying ages and backgrounds to the French capital for what organizers have described as a historic gathering. Streets around the square and along the Champs-Élysées have been prepared to accommodate the crowds, with medical stations and crowd-control measures put in place.

Pope Leo XIV's visit to France, his first as pontiff, is being closely followed both in France and abroad, with the Vatican and French officials providing regular updates throughout the four-day trip. Additional events are scheduled in the days ahead as the visit continues.