Bells Ring Across France as Pope Leo XIV Begins Four-Day Visit
Pope Leo XIV arrived in France on Friday for a four-day visit, with church bells tolling nationwide and heavy security in Paris.
Church bells rang out across France on Friday as Pope Leo XIV arrived for a four-day visit, the first papal trip to the country in 18 years. In Paris, the bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral sounded for several minutes at sunrise, while churches nationwide tolled as the pope's charter flight touched down at Orly airport.
Upward of a million people are expected to turn out during the visit, an turnout that has underscored the unexpected level of public interest in the trip. Leo was due to be greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron before travelling through the capital.
Security forces fanned out along the Left Bank well before the pope's arrival, securing the perimeter of the route his popemobile was to take through crowds toward Notre-Dame on Friday afternoon. The measures include mounted police, bomb disposal experts, anti-drone units and counter-terrorism deployments, according to a Paris police prefecture spokesperson, Hélène Denéchère.
"We are implementing a system similar to what was in place during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which means a protective perimeter around which other security perimeters will be added," Denéchère said.
In Paris alone, authorities planned for 14,000 police officers, gendarmes and military personnel, along with 2,500 firefighters on Friday. Numbers were expected to be only slightly lower on Saturday, when the pope is scheduled to celebrate Mass at the central Place de la Concorde.
Among those waiting along the route was Marie Sophie Monestes, who arrived with her husband at 7:30 a.m. to secure a spot. "It's the first time I will see the Pope. I'm very happy to be here," she said.
Volunteers set up banners ahead of the visit, while police dogs sniffed the area for explosives and military personnel patrolled the streets. Solene Rousseau, an artistic director watching preparations that included the laying out of large white cloth, said she believed the pope could play a role in a troubled world. "He projects something that could bring peace in the chaos we are living in, reconciliation and joy," she said.