Pope Leo Prays at Lourdes Grotto, Lights Candle Before Virgin Mary Statue

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lourdes on Saturday evening and went straight to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where he knelt in prayer before the site associated with the visions reported by Bernadette, a young shepherdess, in 1858.

The pope touched the grotto wall, gazed at the shrine and lit a candle before the statue of the Virgin Mary as the faithful gathered and sang.

Visitors described his presence as deeply moving. One pilgrim said the occasion had stirred her, noting that the pope re-consecrated France to the Virgin Mary and spoke about the future of the country and the family. Another said the pope's visit had made a place already special to him even more so, adding that his presence could be felt.

A third visitor said the pope had offered a message of hope, greatness and renewal for France, describing him as charismatic and extremely warm. A religious sister said the prayer for peace and for the young had touched her.

The grotto is linked to Bernadette, who said she saw visions of the Virgin Mary 17 times in 1858 and was directed to a spring at the site. Within a few years of those visions, the Catholic Church declared the location a Marian sanctuary. It now draws millions of pilgrims each year, among them many sick and disabled people who seek relief from its waters, which they believe have healing powers.

Pope Leo is the third pope to visit the sanctuary, after John Paul II and Benedict XVI.