(RNS) — Like Julius Caesar, Pope Leo XIV could say about his return from France, “veni, vidi, vici,” “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Unlike Caesar, who conquered Gaul with the sword, Leo swept the country with a message of compassion and love. He put forth the message of Jesus in a way that was welcomed even in secular France.
The response to the pope and his message during his four-day visit (Sept. 25-28) was extraordinary. He was welcomed like a rockstar by young people, as a respected world leader by European officials and as a pastor by hundreds of thousands of French citizens.
The Stade de France was packed on Friday (Sept. 25) with 80,000 screaming young people who sang, prayed and listened to the pope. He outdid Celine Dion, who drew 35,000 to her concert in Paris at the same time.
From their excitement, it appeared as though the kids were not forced to attend by their parents and priests — they wanted to be there to celebrate with the pope and each other. The program focused on the long history of saints in France, as Leo called on the young people to be saints in their time. To be a saint today is to love and to work for the common good, justice and peace.
Even more awesome was the 800,000 people who turned out for the pope’s Mass the following day. The 1.2-mile Avenue des Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde was packed tight with so many people that police had to open additional overflow areas. Another 150,000 people attended his Mass in Lourdes on Sunday (Sept. 27).
All of this was extraordinary for a country where the government is officially secular, and half the people are unchurched.
Pope Leo XIV leads a prayer of the Holy Rosary and a torchlight procession at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Although Catholicism has a long history in France, its relationship with the government has been rocky, to put it mildly, since the French Revolution. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of priests and religious were killed during the Reign of Terror. Since 1905, the government has been officially secular. Unlike in the United States, where there is also separation of church and state, in France it was an antagonistic relationship fed by anticlericalism among the educated class.
Today, the relationship is much improved. For example, despite its secular stance, the French government spearheaded restoring Notre-Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire.
Still, the symbolism of holding the papal Mass at the Place de la Concorde — where hundreds were executed by guillotine during the French Revolution — should not be missed.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church no longer aligns itself with the far-right. It opposes the right’s anti-immigrant policies throughout Europe, where Catholic social doctrine is closer to democratic socialism than to laissez-faire capitalism.
While the youth greeted the pope like a celebrity, European officials welcomed him as a respected leader who supports multilateralism, reconciliation, justice and peace.
Pope Leo XIV waves after a prayer vigil with young people at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis near Paris, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
At UNESCO, he did not receive the usual welcome but warm and prolonged applause, which only ended when he sat down. Here, an international staff saw the pope as a supportive ally in their work in education, healthcare, poverty reduction and peace at a time when UNESCO is under attack by the Trump administration.
Likewise in Metz, where he spoke with European leaders, Leo came across as a knowledgeable supporter of a united and peaceful Europe.
Pope Leo did this not just as a world leader, but as a pastor preaching the gospel of Jesus as articulated in Catholic social doctrine, where everyone is welcomed, where all are brothers and sisters, and where all are called to work for reconciliation, justice and peace.
While others may fear that Christian Europe is being invaded by Muslim immigrants, the leader of Catholicism says immigrants should be welcomed as brothers and sisters. While many plan for war, he urges negotiations and reconciliation. While some promote separatism and division, he promotes multilateralism and unity.
In France, there were signs of a Catholic revival as the pope met with recently baptized young adults who are bringing enthusiasm to the church. It is too early to know if this will continue as a new renaissance for the European church, but clearly both the church and Europe have changed.
The church of Francis and Leo is no longer the church of our grandparents. Where in the past it was condemnatory, it is now welcoming. Where it was once aligned with the right, it is now willing to work with anyone for justice and peace. Where once it was authoritarian and paternalistic, it is now willing to listen and dialogue.
Likewise, the world has changed. France no longer sees the church as a threat. Anticlericalism is fading, at least when aimed at the papacy.
Young people are thirsting for something more than a culture of consumerism that leaves them owning many things but still empty. Catholicism is now countercultural. There’s a thirst for spirituality that gives meaning to young people’s lives as they long for community that fosters relationships.
Community and spirituality are what churches are supposed to be about. But the pope cannot do this with a single visit to Paris or alone from Rome. Just as all politics is local, so too, all religion is local.
Parishes and local communities must be more welcoming and empowering if young people are to experience them as homes where they are nourished so they can go out as disciples of Christ to promote reconciliation and love, justice and peace.
The French welcomed this unusual American in Paris as a friend who is fluent in their language, as a world leader pointing the world in the right direction and as a pastor who unabashedly preaches Jesus as a source of reconciliation and peace.
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