Pope Leo XIV addresses clergy at Notre-Dame and holds open-air mass in Paris

Gathering at Notre-Dame Cathedral

Pope Leo XIV addressed members of the Catholic clergy at Notre-Dame de Paris on Friday, 25 September. For several hours in the late afternoon, the cathedral and its adjoining parvis transformed into an assembly of religious figures displaying various ecclesiastical vestments. Attendees gathered on the esplanade wearing Roman collars, dark soutanes, and white liturgical albs. Senior prelates wore purple and red skullcaps, while religious sisters wore veils in shades of black, grey, and beige. Delivering his remarks before the assembled hierarchy, the pontiff spoke against internal retreat, arguing that the Catholic Church must remain engaged with contemporary society rather than shielding itself from modern challenges.

Not a refuge in which one would withdraw to protect oneself from one's era.

Pilgrim arrivals at the Stade de France

Pilgrims from across the country travelled to Saint-Denis for the pontifical visit. Reservation places for the gathering at the Stade de France were claimed rapidly, filling the national arena faster than stadium concerts by Marseille rapper Jul. Among the earliest attendees on Friday were an eighteen-member group of young faithful, each aged roughly 20, who journeyed from Aubagne near Marseille. The group woke at dawn to take an early train to the capital before arriving at the Porte de Paris metro stop. Emerging from the underground transit system, the young pilgrims found the broad stadium esplanade still completely empty and expressed surprise at being the very first arrivals on site.

Preparations in Le Mans and Sarthe

Parishes in western France initiated their travel arrangements nearly a week before the Pope's arrival in Paris. In the late morning on Sunday, 20 September, more than one hundred parishioners filed out of the church of Christ-Sauveur in the Vauguyon neighbourhood of Le Mans following their pastoral resumption mass. The congregation gathered afterwards for an informal friendship drink where discussions focused on the upcoming pontifical ceremony. Local churchgoers compared their regular parish gathering to the scale of the papal liturgy scheduled for Saturday, 26 September in the capital. Catholic educational institutions across the Sarthe department organised travel groups to transport enrolled students directly to the event.

I will be inside the event, so as close as possible to the pope, it is a privilege.

Open-air mass on Saturday

Thirteen-year-old student Marilyne joined fellow pupils from Catholic schools across Sarthe heading to Paris, describing her anticipation for the gathering. She noted in her remarks that opportunities to see the Pope in person do not occur every day, viewing her interior placement near the pontiff as a distinct privilege. The Saturday itinerary centred on a large open-air liturgical ceremony led by Pope Leo XIV in the Paris area. Regional delegations from departments including Sarthe in the west and Bouches-du-Rhône in the south converged on central transport nodes and stadium gates. Organisers directed crowd movements through the Porte de Paris transit access points to manage entry into the interior enclosures, concluding the public events of the pontifical visit.