Pope Leo XIV celebrates open-air Mass in front of 800,000 people in central Paris

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday rode along the Champs-Élysées in the "popemobile" and celebrated an open-air Mass in front of hundreds of thousands in Paris, before flying to the holy pilgrimage site of Lourdes in southern France. The leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics is on a four-day trip to France, an officially secular country with deep Catholic roots, on the first official papal visit there in nearly two decades. In the highlight of the visit's second day, the 71-year-old pope led believers in a Mass at Place de la Concorde, where a giant white canopy had been erected to serve as a makeshift altar. "It is truly good and pleasant when brothers and sisters come together and glorify the greatness of God," said Pope Leo, dressed in white liturgical vestments. Read more'A once-in-a-lifetime event': Faithful and curious flock to Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Paris Over more than two kilometres, some 800,000 people had gathered all the way beyond the Arc de Triomphe, the Vatican said. The city centre was sealed off for the service, with helicopters circling overhead and snipers positioned on rooftops. "It's one time in history to see the pope," said Aline Riziki, 41, who was born in the D...