Pope Leo XIV in Paris: 600,000 people expected, an extraordinary security challenge

The success exceeded all expectations. Ten days before the arrival of Leo The perimeter was to stretch from Concorde to the end of Avenue des Champs-Élysées. It was widened at Place de l’Étoile and Avenue de la Grande-Armée.

This will be the Pope’s third walkabout in Paris. The day before, a popemobile ride is planned on the left bank with 250,000 people. And in the evening, the Pope will hold a vigil at the Stade de France for 80,000 participants. “We chose this simply because there are many, many people,” explains General Hervé Wattecamps, coordinator of the trip to Paris. For the open-air mass, the organization had ruled out the Invalides, where Benedict XVI officiated in 2008, and the Champ-de-Mars, because they were too narrow.

To prepare the scene, Place de la Concorde, as well as half of the Champs-Élysées, have been closed to traffic since September 16. The surrounding metro stations will be closed on D-Day. Filtering zones will be installed. 14,000 police officers, gendarmes and soldiers will be deployed on Friday, 12,000 the next day, “in addition to 2,500 firefighters from the Paris brigade”, explains Hélène Denéchère, spokesperson for the police headquarters, which is securing the event.

“All professions are mobilized,” she continues: the fight against terrorism, but also intelligence, mine clearance, drones, anti-drone fighting, securing public transport, etc. “High-precision shooters and mine-sweeping dogs will even be called upon. Hélène Denéchère is confident: “Our priority is to ensure maximum security, while limiting the impact on the daily lives of Parisians. The police headquarters draws on proven know-how and experience in securing major events. » First and foremost, the 2024 Olympic Games.

“Papal Corridor”

On the route of the popemobile, the day before, the prefecture will secure 2.5 km between Boulevard de Montparnasse and Place Saint-Michel and will organize a “papal corridor eight meters wide”, specifies Quitterie Dugas. This 21-year-old student volunteer orchestrates the walk with 35 other young people. Security requirements did not prevent them from placing parish music groups along the entire route. “The pope must feel good. We have thought of everything so that there is popular fervor and that the Holy Spirit acts,” explains Quitterie.

Paris will therefore take on the appearance of an open-air concert hall. Which will not displease fans of Céline Dion, who is singing at the Plenitude Arena in La Défense on September 25 and 26. That’s almost 35,000 people expected per evening. “It requires coordination,” acknowledges Hélène Denéchère, while putting things into perspective: “The Céline Dion concert is held in a closed enclosure, which changes a lot of things. » Final detail: we will have to deal with the climate march scheduled for September 26 at 2 p.m., with a departure from Place de la Nation.