Pope Leo XIV embarks on a four-day visit to France on Friday, with the highpoint being a giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in central Paris.

For Saturday’s afternoon celebration, an altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde and a large area around the Champs-Élysées sealed off by police.

Some 600,000 Catholic faithful are expected to cram the avenue up to the Arc de Triomphe and beyond.

Large crowds are also due at other stages in the Pope’s itinerary, reflecting an enthusiasm that the Church attributes to growing spiritual thirst among the French and other Europeans.

President Emmanuel Macron will greet the Pope at Orly airport on Friday morning, and then hold talks with him at the Élysée Palace on geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence (AI). He will also deliver a speech with the Pope in Metz.

However, the president will not be at any of the Pope’s Masses, largely to avoid breaching France’s strict separation of state and religion.

Instead, the Champs-Élysées Mass will be attended by his wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Several candidates for next year’s presidential election are also due, including Marine Le Pen of the nationalist right, centrists Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, and conservative Bruno Retailleau.

There were reports of tensions between Macron and the Vatican team sent to make arrangements, with the president allegedly frustrated in his wish for a more ceremonial aspect to the visit.

This was dismissed this week by Élysée officials, who said it was customary to offer a visiting head of state – which the Pope is – a range of high-profile events, such as a cavalry escort down the Champs-Élysées. But they said it was never expected that the Pope would actually take the offer up.

They did confirm that Pope Leo turned down Macron’s idea of a meeting with artisans who helped rebuild the fire-devastated Notre-Dame cathedral. This was because his agenda was too tight, they said.

After a Popemobile ride through crowds to Notre-Dame cathedral on Friday afternoon, Pope Leo XIV will be joined in the evening by 80,000 young people at the Stade de France in northern Paris.

On Sunday 150,000 have signed up to attend mass in the Pyrenean sanctuary of Lourdes.