Some 200,000 Catholics are expected in central Paris for an open-air mass presided over by Pope Benedict XVI on his first official visit to France.
As part of his four-day trip, the Pope will celebrate Mass at Les Invalides.
He will later fly to the shrine of Lourdes for the 150th anniversary of the pilgrimage site.
Arriving in Paris on Friday, the Pope was met by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whom he praised for promoting the role of religion in society.
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Positive papal poll
The Pontiff attended a service at Notre Dame Cathedral on Friday, before meeting representatives of France's Jewish and Muslim communities.
While Catholicism remains by far the country's main religion, France is also home to Europe's biggest Muslim and Jewish communities.
In a speech to leading cultural figures, the 81-year-old Pope urged the French people not to sweep aside their Christian heritage.
"What gave Europe's culture its foundation - the search for God and the readiness to listen to him - remains today the basis of any genuine culture," he said in fluent French.
Although church attendance and vocations to the priesthood are falling in France, the German-born pontiff has received a warm welcome, says the BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris.
Before his visit, a French newspaper poll showed that more than half of those questioned had a positive view of Benedict XVI, who was elected Pope in 2005.
Security arrangements are tight for the trip, with more than 9,200 French police officers deployed.
(BBC)
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