Pope Francis blesses children on visit to Marseille as French President Emmanuel Macron watches on

Pope Francis gave blessings to children in Marseille during his visit to France to meet with President Emmanuel Macron.

The pontiff met children, who presented him with gifts, on Saturday morning in the Avenue du Prado, following his meeting with the French President at Pharo Place.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to watch Pope Francis process through the streets and celebrate mass later on today, following his pro-migrant plea.

He said those who risked drowning at sea “must be rescued”, calling it a “duty of humanity, a duty of civilisation”.