Pope Leo XIV presided over a massive Mass this Saturday, September 26, in Paris’s Place de la Concorde, where he called on French Catholics to rediscover the roots of their country and to publicly transmit faith in Jesus Christ. Before some 700,000 faithful, according to the Holy See, the Pope presented Christ as the only answer capable of quenching the thirst for meaning, truth, and fulfillment that remains in the human heart.
The celebration was the largest event up to that point of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to France. The Pontiff left the Apostolic Nunciature at 2:00 p.m. and headed to Place Charles-de-Gaulle, from where he traveled in an open vehicle to Place de la Concorde, greeting the crowd gathered along the Champs-Élysées. Attendance far exceeded initial expectations: already in August more than 200,000 people had registered within hours to participate in the Mass.
“Only God can fill that inner void”
Pope Leo XIV’s homily centered on the Gospel image of living water and humanity’s deep thirst. Starting from Christ’s words—“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink”—the Pope explained that the fundamental search of the human person cannot be satisfied with material goods, pleasures, or entertainments.
The Pontiff warned that even after achieving goals or seeing one’s efforts rewarded, the inner void may reappear. In the face of the temptation to fill it with new possessions or immediate gratifications, he recalled that only God can fully respond to the deepest thirst of the human heart.
Pope Leo XIV presented Jesus Christ as the source from which the believer must drink in order to become, in turn, a source of life for others. Citing Origen, he recalled that whoever drinks from the Heart of Christ becomes himself a “well, spring, and river” for his neighbor.
A nation renewed from its roots
Addressing the French gathered in the heart of Paris, the Pope evoked the country’s long history of holiness and asked that the living water of the Holy Spirit be poured out over all of France.
Pope Leo XIV recalled the first martyrs—Blandina, Pothinus, and Irenaeus—saintly bishops such as Martin of Tours and Francis de Sales, and figures especially linked to charity, such as Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam, and Jeanne Jugan.
The Pontiff also highlighted those who continue to commit themselves in society and in parishes “for life, for the family, for truth, for peace, for fraternity, for justice.” The reference extended one of the themes that had marked his first day in France, after at the Élysée Palace he defended the right to life and warned against euthanasia, surrogacy, and genetic manipulations.
A special message to families and young people
Pope Leo XIV addressed particular words to French families who persevere in their mission despite daily difficulties and thanked them for the good they do. He also spoke again to the young people, protagonists of the vigil held the previous night at the Stade de France.
“You are the Church of today!” he reminded them, highlighting their enthusiasm, dynamism, commitment, and joy within Christian communities.
The Pope also mentioned the catechumens and neophytes, with whom he had met that same morning at the Catholic Institute of Paris. He asked that the gift of the Holy Spirit make them witnesses capable of spreading around them “the civilization of love.”
A votive Mass of the Virgin Mary
The celebration was the votive Mass of the Virgin Mary, source of salvation. Pope Leo XIV concluded his homily by turning his gaze toward the Mother of God, presented as the one who leads the lives of Christians to her Son and as a model of a free and trusting response to the divine will.
The liturgical booklet prepared for the journey had established for this celebration the Eucharistic Prayer III, the same one planned for the other two papal Masses on French soil. The liturgical program of the journey had previously confirmed that the Roman Canon would not be used in any of the three celebrations.
From Paris to Lourdes
At the end of the celebration, the Archbishop of Paris, Msgr. Laurent Ulrich, offered words of thanks to the Pontiff. Pope Leo XIV then left Paris to continue his journey in Lourdes, the second stage of his apostolic visit to France.
HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE LEO XIV
Dear brothers and sisters:
I thank God for the gift he has granted me to be here, in this Place de la Concorde, to celebrate the Eucharist. Yes, how good and sweet it is for brothers and sisters to live together in unity (cf. Ps 133:1), to proclaim the greatness of God! May my presence among you confirm your faith and encourage you to radiate and transmit without ceasing the life, peace, and love of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ.
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink” (Jn 7:37). Brothers and sisters, our thirsty community makes its way toward Christ, the source of living water; that water which quenches thirst and makes life flourish, that water of the love of God which “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5:5).
The desire for God dwells in the depths of our heart, and we cry out with the psalmist: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2). It is the cry of a man, humble and passionate, whose most intimate and existential thirst never ceases to grow. Yet it is Jesus Christ, through his incarnation, who meets every person in his or her history and reveals himself as the true source of living water capable of quenching that thirst. It is not so much a material thirst, but a thirst for meaning, truth, and fulfillment that dwells in the heart of each one. Jesus responds to that deep desire for relationship, for communion with God, in whom the fullness of life resides forever.
In the first reading, the prophet Ezekiel saw water flowing from the Temple and, as it spread through the desert, purifying and fertilizing everything (cf. Ezek 47:1-2,8-9,12). Later, Saint John will see water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus as he hands over his spirit (cf. Jn 19:30-34). All may then drink from this source to be reborn and receive the gift of the Spirit, so as to become children of God, new creatures.
Brothers and sisters, we must recognize that here on earth nothing fully satisfies us. When we believe that at last we have finished our work and that our efforts have been rewarded, very often the inner void reappears, even deeper. Then, to fill it, we may seek new pleasures, want to possess new things, do everything possible to “entertain ourselves” so as not to feel that inner discomfort.
Today’s Liturgy of the Word invites us to examine our heart: what is our deepest thirst? What are we really seeking in life? We all long for happiness, love, and fulfillment. But from what source do we seek to quench our thirst? Do we settle for material goods, immediate satisfactions, those countless little idols that promise the moon and the stars but leave our heart empty? Through baptism we have received the living water of which the Gospel speaks, but have we truly encountered Christ personally? The human being is, in essence, a being of desire, and only God can fill that inner void. Yes, brothers and sisters: Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, leads us, as the shepherd guides his sheep, to the source of happiness and peace. He knows each one of us by name. None of our secrets, intentions, or weaknesses escapes him. He searches the depths of our heart. He gave his life for us and continues to give it through the sacraments. He carries on his shoulders the weary or wounded sheep and gently brings back those that have strayed. Jesus reveals God’s unconditional love for us. For him, none of us is a number on an identification card or a serial number, but a person, a unique and irreplaceable person.
Seeing you gathered here, my brothers and sisters, heirs of a long and beautiful history of holiness in France, I say to you: quench your thirst also at this source, which is the pierced Heart of Jesus. Yes, you thirst for God, for life, for truth, for unity, for peace, for communion, for happiness. Aspire to rediscover a luminous horizon, to build a nation renewed from its roots, watered by faith. Do not keep this faith in Jesus Christ only for yourselves; rather, let it overflow to quench and fill the people you meet. It is up to you to bring hope where discouragement and spiritual drought reign.
Indeed, by accepting to live in truth under the gaze of Jesus we can be authentic, we can see our lives with clarity. Certainly our lives are fragile, vulnerable, destined to pass through death, but they are also wonderful, miraculous, capable of being renewed in their relationships and of opening themselves to true love.
“Let the one who believes in me drink; … ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (Jn 7:37-38). By being satisfied at the source that is the Heart of Christ, we ourselves become, as Origen wrote, wells, springs, and rivers for others (cf. Homily 12, 1, 2-3). Indeed, the believer who drinks from it also becomes a source of life thanks to his existential bond with Christ and transmits that same life to his neighbor.
Dear brothers and sisters, the living water of the Holy Spirit has been poured out in abundance and continues to bear fruit in the Church through missionaries and witnesses present in all cultures and among all peoples. This water makes fruitful whatever allows itself to be touched and transformed by it so as to produce its fruit, namely the holiness of those who worship the true God and serve their brothers and sisters with charity and generosity. In this beautiful country that is France, many have been satisfied with this living water throughout the centuries and have consecrated their entire lives to the good: the first martyrs such as Blandina, Pothinus, and Irenaeus; the holy founders and foundresses of religious orders, saintly bishops such as Martin of Tours and Francis de Sales; men and women with hearts sensitive to the needs of their neighbors, such as Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam, Jeanne Jugan, and many others. Even today, there are very many in our society, in our parishes, and in our various activities who continue to commit themselves in favor of life, the family, truth, peace, fraternity, and justice.
From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may be poured out over all of France. I think of you, dear families, who, despite the many difficulties you face daily, persevere courageously in your mission. I thank you from the heart for all the good that is accomplished through you; may the concrete presence of Jesus never be lacking in your lives. I think of you, dear young people: you are the Church of today. How beautiful it is to see your enthusiasm, your dynamism, your commitment, and the joy you bring to Christian communities! I also think of you, dear catechumens and neophytes, who are setting out on the path of faith, conversion, and Christian initiation. May you be able to bear witness, to those around you, to the path you are traveling and motivate them, in turn, to ask questions. May the gift of the Holy Spirit make you living witnesses, ready to spread around you the civilization of love.
Brothers and sisters: let us turn our gaze toward the Mother of God, Source of Salvation, she who guides our lives toward her Son, the author of all grace. With her free and trusting “yes,” she became the humble vessel desired by God, in which the love of the Father became incarnate to give itself to the world.
Let us invoke her with confidence so that, through her intercession, springs of living water may arise in the heart of the People of God and make the shoots of faith, hope, and charity blossom throughout France. Amen.