Two Spectacles, Two Frances

Pope Leo XIV led a youth vigil at the Stade de France on Friday, September 25, featuring a commemoration of French saints. The event included a procession of numerous relics and a theatrical parade titled the Army of Saints, which traced French history from Lazarus and Mary Magdalene to the recently beatified Gabriel-Maria Nicolas.

The vigil used various musical elements to highlight French religious history, including a choir of 2,500 singing the proclamation Tu es Petrus and chants of probable Frankish origin used to hail early martyrs. The program also featured melodies by Maurice Duruflé to introduce religious reformers. The evening concluded with a fireworks display.