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“Here I am, Lord!” 80,000 young people shout with the Pope
Developing
In Short: Pope Leo XIV addressed a packed stadium of young French Catholics outside Paris.
Young people from across France gathered early in the day at the country's largest soccer stadium for a Youth Vigil, part of Pope Leo XIV's apostolic visit to France.
The event, which drew an estimated 80,000 attendees, featured a program of music, drama, and prayer.
The vigil included a dramatic performance titled 'In the Footsteps of the Saints,' where 1,700 young people in historical costumes representing France's saints and blesseds processed into the stadium.
Despite France's secularist society, the enthusiasm among young people for the Pope's visit was palpable, with attendees from various backgrounds united by their faith.
Pope Leo XIV shared music, drama, questions, prayer, and a challenge with the crowd, concluding the event with fireworks.
What's still developing
- As France 24 reported, young people themselves noticed the different energy: "I find it pretty crazy that there can be 80,000 of us and that we can all pray together," 27-year-old Jean Pelee told AFP before the pontiff's arrival for an evening vigil with 17- to 35-year-olds at a stadium outside Paris.
- They had come to meet with the Vicar of Christ, Pope Leo XIV.
- "Rural and urban, workers, students, young professionals and manual workers, united by their faith and their desire to hear the Pope’s words." The enthusiasm among young people for the leader of the Catholic Church stands in some contrast to France's secularist society.
Sources
- aleteia.orglink