'Pope fever' takes hold as Pope Leo visits France

France is gripped by "Pope fever." Since the 1905 French law on separating church and state, the country has embraced secular traditions. But over the next few days, the streets will tell a different story.

From Friday, Pope Leo XIV will spend four days in France , visiting the capital Paris, Lourdes and Metz. All his public events have been sold out for weeks. Organizers expect around one million people to fill the streets of Paris on Saturday for a massive open-air mass at the Place de la Concorde.

"The pope is popular among both believers and nonbelievers," political scientist Olivier Roy told DW. He added that Leo XIV's conflict with US President Donald Trump in particular had lent him "a moral standing that extends far beyond the Catholic Church."

And massive crowds are expected. Some 600,000 people who were able to get tickets will fill the entire Champs-Elysees, going right up to the Arc de Triomphe. Many more are expected to show up without tickets. Authorities have announced that a number of metro stations will be closed. Across the city, churches have been draped with large portraits of the pope and Vatican flags. Security forces are gearing up for a major challenge.

With France's presidential elections just over six months away, the visit comes at a delicate time. The left, Roy said, "appreciates Leo's personality but is skeptical about the state's involvement in organizing the reception."

Those on the far right, he continued, welcomed the visibility of Catholicism but had objected, for example, to an interfaith meeting planned in the eastern city of Metz, which they say places Islam on an equal footing with Christianity .

Because of the separation of church and state, the president will not be able to attend the large public masses.

Leo's visit is likely to boost the pope's profile in the country, which last saw a papal state visit in 2008, when Benedict XVI (2005-2013) traveled to Paris and Lourdes, the world-famous pilgrimage site in the southwest of the country. He drew smaller crowds than those expected for Pope Leo.