Pope encourages French youth to seek holiness during visually rich stadium vigil

Pope Leo XIV urged 80,000 young people to pursue holiness, peace, and a living relationship with Jesus during a prayer vigil at the Stade de France on Sept. 25. Addressing the crowd, the pope thanked the attendees for their courage, presence, and faith.

The pope said true freedom comes from a relationship with Jesus, which brings wisdom to plans and beauty to the heart's desires. He stated that Christ calls people to a conversion that moves them from confusion to truth and from indifference to a commitment to justice.

The event included non-Christian students from Catholic schools in the Diocese of Saint-Denis who attended at the invitation of their local schools. The diocese serves approximately 2 million people from over 130 countries, with its 22,000 practicing Catholics often coming from immigrant families.