Pope Leo XIV fills Stade de France in under an hour as 200,000 register for Paris Mass

Registration surge

Free registrations for Pope Leo XIV's September visit to France opened at midday on Monday, 10 August, and were overwhelmed within hours. The free online platform covers vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral, the youth vigil at the Stade de France, and the large Mass on Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. The Diocese of Paris announced the same evening on X that the Stade de France had reached full capacity for the youth vigil on 25 September, with places taken in less than an hour. A waitlist remains open, as spots may free up through cancellations or removal of duplicate registrations, and will be offered first to those on the list. Each internet user could reserve up to four places at no cost.

For the open-air Mass on Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées scheduled for Saturday, 26 September, more than 200,000 people had registered by the end of the first day. The diocese described the mobilization as "very strong" and "very strongly" recommends registration, while confirming that unregistered attendees will still be able to participate within designated areas set aside for them. Organizers expect approximately 500,000 participants for that Mass alone. All events during the visit are free of charge.

Registered by 10 Aug200,000

Expected total500,000

Registered by 10 Aug

200000 people

Expected total

500000 people

Data from the article text

Itinerary

The visit begins on 25 September with a meeting between Leo XIV and President Emmanuel Macron, followed by a speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The Pope will then celebrate vespers at Notre-Dame Cathedral in the presence of bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and seminarians. The evening continues with a vigil for young people aged 17 to 35 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

On 26 September, Leo XIV will celebrate the large outdoor Mass on Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. On 27 September, he will travel to Lourdes, one of the principal Catholic pilgrimage sites, for another open-air Mass. The visit concludes on 28 September in Moselle, where a "discourse on Europe" is planned at the Metz Congress Center, along with a Mass at the city's cathedral. The stop includes the burial site of Robert Schuman, one of the founders of European integration, for whom the Church has opened a canonical process toward beatification.

Local anticipation

In Lourdes, businesses are already feeling the impact. A 302-room hotel in the city is fully booked. Hervé Jeanson, co-manager of the Hôtel Paradis in Lourdes, said the phone has not stopped ringing since the visit was announced.

“The calls have been coming since the very first day it was announced. Since then, it hasn't stopped ringing.”

Believers encountered at Notre-Dame de Paris expressed eagerness as well. One young man described a papal Mass as "always a grandiose moment," while a woman said she registered to discover a pope she had never seen and for the international character of the event. In Lourdes, a faithful visitor called it an exceptional moment to meet or at least see the Pope.

Organizers hope to recapture the enthusiasm seen during Pope Francis's visit to the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille three years ago. The visit to Metz will be the first by a pope to the Moselle capital since John Paul II.