Pope Leo celebrated an open-air Mass in Paris on Saturday, with a crowd reported at 700,000 people, according to The Irish Times. At the Mass, the pope praised the energy and commitment of young people, the BBC reported.
The Paris Mass was part of a wider visit to France. OSV News reported that Pope Leo prayed for the sick and suffering at the grotto in Lourdes. Vatican News reported that he also visited Maison Bakhita, where he said that no one is so poor as to have nothing to give.
The trip has drawn political attention as well as religious crowds. In an opinion piece for the Irish Independent, John Downing described the pope's French visit as a diplomatic headache for President Emmanuel Macron.
The reported figure of 700,000 places the Paris Mass among the largest gatherings of the visit. The Irish Times did not give further details in its headline and summary beyond the size of the crowd and the setting.
Coverage of the visit has come from several outlets, with the BBC focusing on the pope's remarks about young people, OSV News on his time at Lourdes, and Vatican News on his stop at Maison Bakhita.
What to watch next: whether the Vatican or French authorities confirm the crowd figure, and how the visit's political dimension develops in the remaining days of the trip.
