Pope Leo XIV has called for peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity as he met migrants and refugees in Paris on Saturday, ahead of a major open-air Mass expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people.
The pontiff is on a four-day visit to France, his first official trip to the country and the first papal visit there in 18 years. His visit comes as France prepares for next year’s presidential election, with immigration among the major political issues.
On the second day of his visit, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics was scheduled to lead a Mass at Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées from 3 p.m. local time.
About 600,000 people were expected to attend the Mass. President Emmanuel Macron was not scheduled to attend, although several presidential hopefuls, including Marine Le Pen and Edouard Philippe, were expected to be present.
Earlier on Saturday, Leo visited Maison Bakhita, an organisation supporting migrants and refugees.
“I am pleased to begin this second day in Paris with you, in a house that bears witness to the whole city that it is possible to encounter one another and to live together in dignity and peace,” he said.
The association said the pope was scheduled to meet Christian and Muslim migrants and refugees from Algeria, Belarus, Iraq and Ivory Coast.
Valerie Moniod, president of the association, said the visit was intended to underscore the shared humanity and dignity of people regardless of their political beliefs.
Leo has previously criticised the treatment of migrants in the United States, calling it “extremely disrespectful” and urging governments to seek more humane approaches.
His visit has drawn large crowds across Paris. About 300,000 people reportedly gathered on Friday to see him during his journey by popemobile to Notre Dame Cathedral.
During his engagements on Friday, Leo called for ethical safeguards around artificial intelligence, warning against an AI-driven “paradise of machines”. He also urged France to remain a strong advocate for peace as the war in Ukraine continues.
Later that day, he told young people at a stadium outside Paris that the Catholic Church needed them.
France remains a largely secular country, with about five per cent of its 69 million residents attending Catholic services regularly, according to a survey conducted last year. However, while infant baptisms have declined, baptisms among teenagers and adults have increased.
After the Paris Mass, Leo is scheduled to travel to Lourdes in southwestern France, where Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl in 1858.
In Lourdes on Sunday, he will meet seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse. A 2021 inquiry estimated that about 330,000 people were sexually abused as minors by clergy or other Church members in France over seven decades.
The pope will conclude his visit in Metz on Monday, where he is expected to deliver a speech focused on peace in Europe.
