Pope Leo recently drew large crowds during his visit to France, with an estimated 800,000 people gathering in Paris and over 150,000 attending Sunday Mass at Lourdes. The article explores whether this enthusiasm indicates a resurgence of Catholicism in a historically secular country. While there are signs of renewed interest, such as a significant increase in baptisms, France remains predominantly non-religious, with only 29% identifying as Catholic according to recent surveys.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Pope Leo XIV drew 800,000 people to an open-air Mass in Paris, held at the iconic Place de la Concorde, on Saturday. The event was part of his four-day visit to France, aimed at promoting Catholic teachings amid a secular country. Despite sharp declines in church attendance over recent decades, the large turnout testified to the Church's enduring influence in France. However, the choice of Place de la Concorde as the venue for the Mass was criticized by supporters of France’s strict separation between church and state. As the Pope moved down the Champs-Élysées, cheering crowds waved Vatican flags and greeted him with chants like "Leo, Leo."
Written for “Pope Leo Paris Mass Crowd” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 36 other(s) covering the same event.
For a few days, France — one of Europe's most secular countries — looked like it was in the throes of a Catholic revival.
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it → look → revival
An estimated 800,000 people filled the streets for
in Paris on Saturday, according to the Vatican.
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people → fill → Vatican
Priests there were seen hearing confessions out in the open, no confessional required.
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confessional → see → open
The night before, roughly 80,000 young people gathered for a lively prayer vigil full of singing and dancing at the Stade de France, the national football and rugby stadium.
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people → gather → France
In
, where believers say a famous Catholic shrine gushes with healing waters, streets were crowded with pilgrims waving flags and holding babies aloft as the pope passed in his popemobile.
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pope → say → popemobile
More than 150,000 people attended Sunday Mass there.
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people → attend → Mass
This, all in a country where hundreds of clergy were publicly executed during the French Revolution — many by guillotine.
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hundreds → execute → guillotine
French Ambassador to the Holy See Charles Personnaz described the pope's visit as a "very living exchange between the pope and the people of France" and said it allowed an "appeal to the young people to engage themselves for peace, not to be afraid of the future."
"And that is a wondrous sign for the youth of France and everywhere in Europe, in fact," he said.
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he → describe → fact
The crowds offered a striking welcome for the first American pope.
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crowds → offer → pope
They also raised a question: Is faith making a comeback in France?
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faith → raise → France
Some evidence suggests renewed interest.
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evidence → suggest → interest
The French bishops conference counted 21,386 adult and adolescent baptisms at Easter this year.
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conference → count → Easter
That number included 13,234 adults, up 28% from last year and more than triple the number a decade ago.
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number → include → adults
Leo made a point to publicly visit some of the newly baptized during his visit.
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Leo → make → visit
Still, France has a population of nearly 70 million, and in the latest broad survey from the national statistics agency, 51% of people aged 18 to 59 said they had no religion.
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they → have → religion
Just 29% identified as Catholic.
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% → identify → Catholic
The same survey showed the fastest-growing religious category was Christians who did not identify as Catholic.
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who → show → Catholic
Their share rose in the last decade from 2.5% to 9% among 18- to 49-year-olds.
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share → rise → olds
Islam rose from 8% to 11% in the same age range.
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Islam → rise → range
A number of French laws reflect the gaps between Catholic teaching and public policies and civic values.
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number → reflect → teaching
In 2024, France added a guaranteed freedom to seek an abortion to its constitution.
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France → add → constitution
Last month, it enacted a law allowing assisted dying under specified conditions for people with serious, incurable illnesses.
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it → enact → illnesses
Both measures conflict with the Catholic Church's position on the sanctity of life, and Leo spoke out against both on this trip.
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Leo → conflict → trip
Catholic affiliation also has been falling across much of the West.
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affiliation → fall → West
In the U.S., the share of adults identifying as Catholic dropped from 24% in 2007 to 19% in 2023-24, according to Pew Research's Religious Landscape Study.
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share → identify → Study
The scenes in Paris and Lourdes have visibly inspired Pope Leo and clergy across France.
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scenes → inspire → France
But whether they signal a lasting change in church attendance or religious affiliation remains to be seen.
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signal → signal → attendance
The Aporia
