"Seeing you gathered here," Leo told worshippers, he was looking upon the "heirs of France’s long and beautiful history of faith," according to Vatican News.

The pope called on French Catholics not to keep that rich inheritance to themselves.

"Let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied," Leo said. "From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France."

The setting carried particular resonance in a country known for its strict tradition of secularism.

It is notable that the Place de la Concorde was an execution ground during the French Revolution, where devoutly Catholic King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined. Today, the square is closely associated with the French republic and regularly hosts Bastille Day celebrations.

The decision to celebrate a papal Mass there drew criticism from supporters of France’s strict separation of church and state, who argued another site would have been more appropriate.

The images also offered a striking contrast with another massive Paris spectacle just two years earlier.

The 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony drew worldwide controversy over a tableau featuring drag performers that Christian leaders and other critics said mocked Christianity.

The French Bishops’ Conference said at the time that the ceremony "included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity," adding that Christians around the world had been "hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes."

The tableau was widely interpreted by critics as a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper," though Olympics organizers disputed that interpretation.

Leo’s visit comes as France experiences a notable increase in adult conversions even as the country continues a decades-long decline in overall Catholic participation.

Annual adult baptisms in France have tripled since 2016, reaching 13,000 this year, according to restored Notre Dame Cathedral, the first by a pope since the devastating 2019 fire.

He traveled Saturday night to Lourdes, one of the Catholic Church’s most visited pilgrimage sites.