Huge crowds greet Pope in Paris for open-air Mass

Hundreds of thousands of people have greeted Pope Leo XIV in the centre of Paris for a giant open-air Mass.

Crowds cheered as the pontiff moved down the Champs-Élysées Avenue beneath the Arc de Triomphe, waving to crowds from his popemobile.

The head of the Catholic Church blessed several babies as he stopped at different stages along the avenue as chants of "Leo, Leo" rang out.

More than half a million people are expected to attend the event in the heart of the French capital on Saturday and a special altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde for the ceremony.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Leo for an hour of talks on Friday, will not be at any of the Pope's Masses during his four-day visit to France, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion.