The pontiff cautioned against "losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines" in wide-ranging remarks to Church and state officials at the Élysée Palace, following an hour of talks with President Emmanuel Macron. The highpoint of his visit is set to be a giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in Paris on Saturday, for which an altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde and a large area around the Champs-Élysées sealed off by police. Large crowds expected throughout the trip, reflecting an enthusiasm that the Church attributes to growing spirituality among the French and other Europeans. He was greeted at Orly airport early on Friday by Marcon, with the pair expected to deliver a speech later in the day in Metz. Crowds were meanwhile gathering along a route to the Notre Dame, where the pontiff will later be driven in his popemobile. The president will not be at any of the Pope's Masses, largely to avoid breaching France's strict separation of state and religion. Instead, the Champs-Élysées Mass will be attended by his wife Brigitte and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Several candidates for next year's presidential election are also due, including Marine Le Pen of the nationalist right, centrists Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, and conservative Bruno Retailleau. (BBC)