Pope Leo XIV blesses dozens of babies from large crowds in Lourdes, France

Pope Leo XIV blessing dozens of babies and children amid massive crowds occurred during his apostolic visit to France.

The visual of the Pope stopping repeatedly to bless babies was a highlight of his pope mobile procession down the Champs-Élysées toward Place de la Concorde in Paris. Security halted the pope mobile multiple times as parents in crowds of hundreds of thousands brought forward young children and infants.

The procession led into an outdoor Mass attended by roughly 800,000 faithful. The baby blessings in Paris were part of the broader four-day papal itinerary across France September 25 to 28, which includes Paris, the Marian pilgrimage site at Lourdes, and Metz. In Lourdes, the Pope greeted pilgrims, prayed at the Sanctuary grotto, and met with abuse survivors as part of the pilgrimage.