Pope Leo XIV Prays at Lourdes Grotto After Paris Mass Draws Crowds

Pope Leo XIV opened his pilgrimage to Lourdes on Saturday evening with a period of silent prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions, the site at the heart of the Catholic shrine in southern France. The visit followed a large outdoor Mass in Paris earlier in the day, which drew hundreds of thousands of worshippers to the Place de la Concorde.

The grotto is a natural limestone cave where, in 1858, fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous reported eighteen visions of a lady dressed in white. The Catholic Church later recognised the visions as apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The reported visions, together with the later discovery of spring waters said to have healing properties, led the Church to establish a sanctuary at the site.

Located near the Spanish border, Lourdes attracts millions of pilgrims each year, among them sick and disabled believers who come hoping for a cure from the spring water. On Saturday evening, the pope was seen kneeling in silent prayer before the grotto's statue of the Madonna, then entering the cave and touching its walls as the faithful cheered and took photographs.

The pilgrimage is set to continue on Sunday, when the pope will meet French bishops before celebrating an outdoor Mass on the Prairie of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, followed by the Angelus prayer. In the afternoon, he is scheduled to meet staff and sick people at the Accueil Notre-Dame and to hold a private meeting with contemplative religious sisters.

The pope will also meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic personnel. The encounter is likely to be closely watched by critics who argue the Church has not done enough to address the issue. Some survivors' groups have questioned the decision to meet individuals rather than representatives of established organisations.

The pope's stay in Lourdes is due to conclude on Sunday evening with the Rosary and a torchlight procession, one of the sanctuary's signature rites.