Pope Leo XIV Leads Torchlight Rosary Procession at Lourdes

Pope Leo XIV concluded his stay in Lourdes on Sunday evening by taking part in one of the shrine's signature rites: a torchlight procession and the recitation of the Rosary.

Walking behind the statue of the Virgin Mary, the pontiff prayed with thousands of pilgrims who carried candles through the sanctuary grounds. The Rosary was recited in several languages as the procession moved through the night.

Addressing the faithful afterwards, the Pope said he was moved to see each generation answer what he described as the Virgin Mary's tender invitation. He spoke of the consolation of hearing Christians sing with fervour and walk with a light in their hands towards their Mother in Heaven, and said he gave thanks to the Lord for the chance to become "a pilgrim among pilgrims" that evening.

The procession followed a day of heavy engagements. Earlier, the Pope celebrated Mass before some 150,000 people on the prairie beside Lourdes' main basilica, many of them in wheelchairs. He also visited a care centre for sick people on the sanctuary's grounds.

During the visit, the American pontiff condemned the legalisation of medically assisted death as immoral "false compassion", restating Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life at the shrine long associated with miraculous healings.

Before the evening rites, he met privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic personnel.

On Monday, the Pope is due to close his four-day visit to France with an address to international leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, in Metz. The meeting at the Robert Schuman Conference Centre is focused on European peace and unity.