Over 80,000 mostly young people packed France’s largest stadium Friday night to witness something extraordinary — a theatrical reenactment of Christianity’s nearly two-thousand-year history in France that moved Pope Leo XIV to tears.
The Footsteps of the Saints production at the Stade de France featured 1,700 young performers in historical costumes representing the saints and blesseds of France — the nation with the second-most saints in Christian history, trailing only Italy.
The performance traced Christianity’s roots in France from the earliest evangelists through martyrs, kings, and warriors who shaped Western civilization.
The production opened with Saint Saturninus, who traveled to Gaul in the Third Century to proclaim the Gospel, became the first bishop of Toulouse, and was martyred after refusing to perform a pagan sacrifice ritual. Mary Magdalene was portrayed as a saint of hope — Provence tradition holds she carried out the first evangelization in the region after traveling there with Martha, Lazarus, and other followers.
Early martyrs included Saint Blandina, a young slave woman tortured by Romans and thrown to beasts in a Lyon amphitheatre during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris, was beheaded at Montmartre — meaning the “Mount of Martyrs” — now home to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
A tableau depicted the baptism of Clovis, the Frankish King whose conversion to Christianity is seen as having spurred the Christianization of France and laid the groundwork for the later creation of the Holy Roman Empire — one of the most significant conversions in Christian history.
Saint Louis, the only king of France officially proclaimed a saint by the Church, was portrayed as a young man presenting Pope Leo with a replica of the Crown of Thorns while barefoot, demonstrating humility. He founded many hospitals and monasteries in France.
The performance also honored Saint Vincent de Paul, who founded the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity, and Saint John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who dedicated much of his life to educating impoverished children. The charities founded by the two men laid the groundwork for the modern understanding of human rights.
Perhaps the most stirring portrayal was that of Joan of Arc, who entered the stadium on horseback representing the courage of the Patron Saint of France — famed for her piety and her role in breaking the English siege of Orléans in 1429, before being wrongly convicted as a heretic. She was later canonized in 1920.
The ceremony featured some 60 relics of French Saints, including those of Saint Martin and Vincent de Paul, as well as the Holy Tunic of Christ, which Irene of Constantinople gifted to Charlemagne over 1,200 years ago.
At the conclusion, all 1,700 saints gathered before Pope Leo as fireworks blasted from the top of the stadium. Visibly moved to tears, Leo proclaimed in an off-the-cuff moment: “Thank you for your courage, thank you for your presence, thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”
In a speech to the tens of thousands of young people, Pope Leo said the performance illuminated “not only the prayer of each individual, but also the entire history of the Church.”
“Those who live with God strive for what is best: they are constantly striving. They seek virtue, that is, the strength that makes them good and true,” he said. “Dear friends, the dynamic that characterizes Christian life has a precise name: it is called the path of holiness. It is the path that the Lord opens before each of us, accompanying us all along the way. And how many sons and daughters of this beloved land of France have allowed themselves to be led on this path!”
Mathieu, a 22-year-old from Toulon, told France Catholique the event was profoundly moving.
“The saints have greatly influenced history and helped many people move from suffering to hope. These are words that resonate very strongly today,” he said. “The presentation was very moving; it is good to see these living figures among the young people. They became one with all the groups of young people present. They are not outdated figures. Our religion is embodied.”
“The Pope has awakened the youth of France. We must not forget to put Christ at the heart of our lives and not be afraid to bear witness to Him. Union with Christ is more important than our differences.”
Pope Leo’s visit to France marks the first papal visit to the European country since Benedict XVI visited in 2008. His agenda includes a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, a prayer service at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and an open-air mass along the Champs-Élysées.
This is just incredible. The Pope is absolutely loving this.
At the Prayer Vigil with the young people of France, they reenact the incredible history of the Church of France, from the arrival of Lazarus and his sister Mary Magdalene, the martyrdom of St. Denis, the baptism of… pic.twitter.com/kelLpsoV98
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) September 25, 2026
It was one of the most moving moments of Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer Vigil with young people at the Stade de France.
Hundreds of actors represented France’s more than 1,700 saints and blesseds, creating a striking image of a true “army of holiness.”
Pope Leo XIV was deeply moved and,… pic.twitter.com/NaRj50JSBR
— EWTN News (@EWTNews) September 25, 2026
