As first US pontiff with French roots touches down in Paris, a million faithful prepare for historic Champs-Elysees Mass

Pope fever has officially hit France — and it’s been a long time coming.

As reported by cbinews.tv, Pope Leo XIV touched down just outside Paris at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) on Friday, marking the Vatican’s first state visit to France in 18 long years. Church bells rang out across the country as the 71-year-old pontiff — the first ever American pope whose paternal grandmother was born in France — began his four-day apostolic journey.

And what a welcome. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were on the tarmac to greet him, kicking off a visit that many Catholics say they thought they’d never see again.

The last time this happened? September 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI came to France. Before that, you’d have to go back through the three pastoral, but not state, visits made by Pope Francis, who famously skipped the grand reopening of Notre Dame in late 2024 — an event that saw Donald Trump and Elon Musk in the pews instead.

So, why now and why does it matter?

In Paris alone, organisers are expecting a million people to line the streets over the first two days. The centrepiece? A massive open-air Mass on Saturday at Place de la Concorde stretching down the iconic Champs-Elysees. On Friday afternoon, the Pope will do a 2.5km popemobile ride to Notre Dame — becoming the first pope to see its stunning renovation after the devastating 2019 fire.

Then it’s south-west to Lourdes, the world-famous pilgrimage town where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in a grotto in 1858. Finally, to Metz on Monday, near the German border — a city synonymous with Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of what is now the EU — for a major speech on peace in Europe.

“I Don’t Think I’ll See This Again”

Beyond the politics and pageantry, this visit is deeply personal for many.

“The pope’s visit gives me a sense of peace in a troubled world,” 76-year-old Andree Estienne told cbinews.tv as she waited for the Champs-Elysees Mass. “I don’t think I will experience anything of this scale again in my lifetime.”

That sense of once-in-a-lifetime excitement was echoed by Carmen Quintana, a 71-year-old Peruvian who travelled to be near the Pope. “We’re very happy to be able to be near him,” she said. The connection is real — Pope Leo XIV spent two decades as a missionary in Peru and holds Peruvian nationality.

For young Catholics, there’s a special moment too. On Friday night, 80,000 believers aged 17 to 35 will pack a stadium in Saint-Denis for hymns and prayer, with a relic believed to be the tunic Jesus wore during the Passion brought out from the nearby Saint-Denis Cathedral.

The Bigger Picture: A Secular France Finding Faith Again?

Here’s the fascinating context. France is famously laïque — fiercely secular. Only around 5% of its 69 million people go to Catholic Mass regularly, according to a 2024 survey. It’s the country that has enshrined the right to abortion in its constitution and recently approved assisted dying for some patients.

Infant christenings have been dwindling for years. And yet — and this is the twist — adult baptisms are soaring. Thousands of young adults are choosing the faith in their 20s and 30s, a quiet revival the Vatican is watching very closely.

That’s why the Pope’s agenda is so pointed. Seven months out from French presidential elections where the far right is eyeing power, Leo XIV is expected to speak bluntly on:

1. Artificial Intelligence: His speech at UNESCO headquarters on Friday is expected to call for global regulation of AI — a theme he has championed since his election, warning of AI’s threat to human dignity and work.

2. Migration and Europe: What does “European values” mean in 2026?

3. The Abuse Crisis: On Sunday in Lourdes, he will meet seven victims of clerical sexual abuse. A landmark 2021 inquiry found that some 330,000 minors had been abused by clergy or lay members in France over 70 years. More recent scandals around charity icon Abbe Pierre and a Catholic boarding school near Lourdes have reopened wounds.

4. Peace: In Metz, with Russia’s war in Ukraine dragging into its fifth year, he will deliver a keynote on peace in Europe — deliberately from Schuman’s heartland.

This isn’t just a religious parade. It’s geopolitical.

For Macron, who won’t attend Saturday’s Mass himself, it’s a chance to position France as a moral mediator before he leaves office. For presidential hopefuls like far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Edouard Philippe — both confirmed to attend the Mass — it’s an unmissable photo-op with the faithful.

For the Vatican, France is the ultimate test case: Can Catholicism speak to a rich, secular, AI-obsessed Europe that has largely stopped going to church but is suddenly seeing young people search for meaning again?

What Happens Next?

Friday: Official welcome at the Elysee Palace, UNESCO speech on AI, popemobile to Notre Dame.

Saturday: The big one — giant Mass at Place de la Concorde / Champs-Elysees.

Sunday: Lourdes — private meeting with abuse victims and pilgrims.

Monday: Metz — closing speech on European peace, then departure.

One thing is certain: for a country where church bells don’t ring as often as they used to, this weekend they’ll be ringing loud and clear.

Source: cbinews.tv

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