Paris opens overflow zone for Pope Leo XIV's Mass as 600,000 sign up
Organizers have extended the pilgrim area for Pope Leo XIV's Mass at the Place de la Concorde on Saturday, September 26, and the Paris diocese will open an overflow zone at the Place de l'Étoile
Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass on Saturday, September 26, at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. According to fr.aleteia.org, 600,000 people have already received tickets assigning them a specific location.
On social media, ticket holders are trying to swap places to get closer to the altar or to sit with friends and relatives. Pilgrims traveling from different regions of France have posted messages about the trip, and many are looking for ways around seat assignments that have separated them from the people they are coming with.
Some have offered spare tickets after their plans changed, allowing others to attend.
Access requirements and security measures
To enter, those attending must show a valid QR code issued by the organizers together with personal identification. The police prefecture said no one will be admitted after 1 p.m. and advised arriving before 11 a.m. to avoid crowding.
The pilgrim reception area has been extended and now runs from the Place de la Concorde to the Avenue de la Grande-Armée, a stretch of about three kilometers. The aim is to ease arrivals and keep the flow orderly given the large turnout expected. Those attending must use the correct entrances, because moving between zones will not be allowed.
Registration and admission are free. Anyone offered tickets in the street should be wary, as they may be fraudulent.
The Mass is part of Leo XIV's first apostolic journey to France, a four-day trip from September 25 to 28 that takes him to Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes and Metz. The numbers have forced organizers to expand the arrangements originally planned, and the diocese will open an overflow zone at the Place de l'Étoile after registrations exceeded the places available. The official program also includes the pope's visit to Notre-Dame, the first by a pope since the cathedral reopened, and a vigil with thousands of young people in Saint-Denis.
