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Pope Leo XIV celebrated a historic outdoor mass in Paris on Saturday — welcoming a record-breaking crowd of around 800,000.
The pope told the massive crowd of faithful gathered that only their faith would provide true happiness.
“Only God can fill the emptiness within us,” he said during his homily outside the Place de la Concorde, according to Vatican News.
The American-born pope, who delivered the Mass in French, also made it a point to address the young people who were present, declaring: “You are today’s church.”
Pope Leo, whose name is Robert Francis Prevost, is on his second day of a four-day apostolic journey in France, marking the first official papal visit to the country in 18 years.
Pope Benedict XVI presided over the 2008 Mass in the City of Light, which attracted a crowd of 250,000 people, less than half of the amount who came out on Saturday to see Pope Leo, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
The Archdiocese of Paris announced that the unexpectedly large turnout prompted police to open two overflow sites.
Paris native Philippe Baptiste told NCR why he thinks so many turned out to see and be in the presence of Pope Leo.
“He is a pope who is young, 71, and he moves the young people forward; he is calm, a good-listener and he has very precise ideas and is able to express them clearly and in an engaging way — all the young people and the crowds here show that,” he said.
Merci, Paris! Hundreds of thousands of faithful filled Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées for an open-air Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV—one of the largest public Catholic gatherings France has seen in years.
The Pope arrived down the Champs-Élysées before presiding… pic.twitter.com/MOFfrBNJ4l
Pope Leo also addressed the rich history of Catholicism in France, noting the many saints who hailed from the country.
“Seeing you gathered here,” the Pope said, “the heirs of France’s long and beautiful history of faith, I say to you: Drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus, who alone can quench our thirst for God, life, truth, unity, peace, communion, and happiness.”
As he traveled to France on the papal plane, he spoke about the mission of his trip.
“I, above all, am travelling to France, as to anywhere else in the world, as a follower of Jesus Christ wanting to proclaim peace, the peace of Christ throughout the world,” he said, the Vatican News reported.
“It is a message which at this time, as we all know, is particularly important.”
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