Paris: Pope Leo XIV is preparing to celebrate a major open air Mass in central Paris on Saturday, with nearly 600,000 people registered to attend the gathering.
The Mass is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time at Place de la Concorde, with worshippers also expected to fill parts of the Champs Élysées and areas extending towards Place de l'Étoile and Avenue de la Grande Armée.
The large gathering is expected to be the biggest public event of the Pope's four day visit to France. The large turnout has led organisers to extend the designated area towards Place de l'Étoile and Avenue de la Grande Armée.
The Pope's visit has already drawn large crowds. On Friday, the Vatican estimated that around 300,000 people gathered in Paris during the Pope's movements through the city. About 80,000 young people also attended an evening prayer vigil at the Stade de France.
The Pope arrived in France on Friday for the first official papal visit to the country since Benedict XVI's visit in 2008. His four day journey includes Paris, Lourdes and Metz and will continue until September 28.
On Friday, Pope Leo met French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace. He also visited UNESCO, where he spoke about the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and the need to protect human dignity.
The Pope warned about the risks of allowing technology to undermine human dignity. He also called for greater attention to peace and cooperation between countries at a time when international institutions face growing challenges.
Later on Friday, Pope Leo visited Notre Dame Cathedral and celebrated Vespers with members of the French Church. He then joined thousands of young people at the Stade de France for a prayer vigil.
Before the main Mass on Saturday, the Pope visited Maison Bakhita in Paris, a centre that supports migrants and refugees. He met staff, volunteers and people supported by the centre and spoke about welcoming migrants and protecting human dignity.
He later met members of the provincial synodal assembly, catechumens and people who had recently been baptised. During the meeting, he highlighted the recent increase in adults receiving baptism in France and urged the Church to continue accompanying people after they enter the faith.
The large crowds in Paris come at a significant time for the Catholic Church in France, which has experienced a long term decline in Catholic affiliation while also reporting a recent increase in adult baptisms.
French Church figures show that more than 13,000 adults were baptised at Easter in 2026, as part of a total of more than 21,000 baptisms. The number of adult baptisms increased compared with the previous year.
The Pope's visit also comes amid the continuing impact of the sexual abuse crisis in the French Catholic Church. An independent investigation published in 2021 estimated that about 216,000 people had been sexually abused by priests or members of religious orders since 1950. When abuse involving lay people working in Church institutions was included, the estimated number of victims rose to about 330,000.
The issue will remain part of the Pope's visit. On Sunday in Lourdes, Pope Leo is scheduled to meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy.
The Lourdes visit will also include prayer at the Grotto of Massabielle and other religious events. The Pope will then travel to Metz on Monday, where his programme will focus in part on Europe, peace and unity.
For now, attention in Paris is centred on the huge gathering planned for Saturday afternoon.
Alongside the large crowds, his meetings and messages during the journey have focused on faith, human dignity, migrants, technology, peace and the challenges facing the Catholic Church in France.