Hundreds of thousands gather in Paris for special Mass with Pope Leo

Some of the hundreds of thousands of people who celebrated Mass with Pope Leo’s in central Paris on Saturday (September 26) said they were deeply moved by the event.

According to estimates, around 800,000 people crowded into the Place de la Concorde and lined the Champs-Elysees avenue to watch the event, the largest of Leo’s four-day visit to France.

Finance worker Nicolas Loubeyre, 31, said it was a special moment to be in the crowd cheering for the pope, and that they were united in praying for people going through difficult times across the world.

Dentist Alix Bayon, 33, said Leo’s message had been to “give hope to all these people that are maybe afraid of the future”.

“I think he did that. I mean, I go back home with hope because the message was really positive”, Bayon said.

Waiter Corentin Kienlen, 31, said he had experienced “a holy moment”. “I'm just full of joy, full of happiness”, he said.

The Mass was the last point on the pope’s agenda in Paris before departing for the southern sanctuary of Lourdes, one of the most famous Catholic shrines.

Camera: Lucien Libert, Editing & Writing: Lewis Macdonald, Production: Lewis Macdonald, Farah Salhi/Reuters