The Pope at Lourdes
Pope Leo XIV to Visit Lourdes on September 27, 2026
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes will have the joy and honor of welcoming His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on Sunday, September 27, 2026. As part of his apostolic journey to France, he will become a pilgrim among pilgrims.
Itinerary for the Trip to France
The detailed itinerary for this trip, during which the Pope will come to encourage the Catholic faithful and meet with the people of France, is currently being finalized. The three stops have now been confirmed: Pope Leo XIV will visit Paris on September 25 and 26, Lourdes on September 27, and Metz on September 28.
Please read the statement by Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, President of the French Bishops’ Conference.
More information at www.pape-france.fr
Program in Lourdes (coming soon)
A pilgrim among pilgrims, the Pope will visit the Grotto of Massabielle on Sunday, September 27, and will preside over an open-air Mass in the afternoon, open to all, on the large meadow of the Shrine.
Fourth Papal Visit to Lourdes
This will be the fourth visit by a Pope to Lourdes. Saint John Paul II visited twice, in 1983 and again in 2004, notably on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Benedict XVI then made history at the Shrine with his visit in 2008 on the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous. Pope Leo XIV’s visit continues this tradition.
A French national sanctuary and the regular venue for the plenary assemblies of the bishops of France, the Sanctuary’s influence extends far beyond its borders, welcoming several million pilgrims from around the world each year (4 million in 2025). A place of prayer, consolation, and hope, Lourdes is a space for fraternal encounter where the sick and the most vulnerable hold a central place. The Holy Father’s visit underscores this universal dimension of the Sanctuary of Lourdes, where each one comes seeking consolation and hope.
A Third Pilgrimage to Lourdes for Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV’s connection to Our Lady of Lourdes is deep and personal. During a private audience on June 26, 2025, in which Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes and Father Michel Daubanes, Rector of the Sanctuary of Lourdes, presented an official invitation to the Holy Father, he spoke of his two visits—first at the age of 19, and then at age 29 when he was a young priest. He has a longstanding attachment nourished over the years by a faithful devotion to Mary. This spiritual closeness was clearly evident during their conversation, in which Bishop Jean-Marc Micas was able to appreciate “the quality of his presence, his listening, and his memory. The bishop noted that “the Holy Father asked very precise questions to fully understand. He revisited key points and he showed genuine concern for the reality of our diocese and of the Sanctuary of Lourdes.” Bshop Micas also said that he sensed “a genuine attachment and a desire to return,” adding that “beyond his official role, I met a pastor deeply committed to his mission, attentive and profoundly turned toward Christ and the Church.”
Lourdes and the new pontiff: a deep-rooted connection
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has visited the replica of the Grotto of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens on several occasions. He prayed there on May 31, 2025, the Feast of the Visitation, and again on February 11 of this year on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, World Day of the Sick. These moments of prayer reflect a deep spiritual attachment to the Message of Lourdes, centered on Marian prayer, conversion, and a special concern for the sick, who are so present at the heart of the Shrine. They also express gratitude for the humble and faithful service of the hospitaliers and all those who serve the sick at Lourdes who are a concrete sign of the Church’s charity and a living expression of the Gospel among those who suffer most.
Lourdes and the Popes
The popes have always shown great interest in Lourdes, seeing it as a providential sign and a source of spiritual renewal for the Church.
• Pius IX, who was pope at the time of the apparitions, recognized the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, four years before the events at Lourdes, which lent great legitimacy to Bernadette’s testimony.
• Leo XIII strongly encouraged Marian devotion in Lourdes and approved several prayers and indulgences associated with the shrine.
• Saint Pius X initiated the process of beatification for Bernadette, who was beatified in 1925 and then canonized in 1933 under Pius XI.
• John Paul II made recent history by visiting Lourdes in 1983 and in 2004, despite his advanced illness. John Paul II chose to be in Lourdes among the sick who come on pilgrimage.
• Benedict XVI also made a pilgrimage there in 2008, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions. He emphasized the importance of silence and prayer, at the heart of the Lourdes experience.
• Although Pope Francis never visited Lourdes in person, he often spoke fondly of the place, highlighting the care shown to the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable. He was very fond of the water of Lourdes, as Bishop Jean-Marc Micas testified in April 2025 at the time of his death: “In Rome, the last time I met him with the rector of the shrine, we gave him a small plastic Virgin Mary filled with water from Lourdes. And during our conversation, he told us three times how grateful he was that we had brought it to him, and that every day he applied water from the Lourdes grotto to his body—he showed us his heart.”
Seven cardinals who became popes starting in 1914 had come on pilgrimage before their election. This was the case for the future Benedict XV (1914–1922) and Pius XI (1922–1939). It was Pius XI who beatified the visionary of Lourdes on June 14, 1925, and canonized her on December 8, 1933. The future Pius XII (1939–1958) visited Lourdes in 1935. He would dedicate an encyclical letter to Lourdes, titled “The Pilgrimage to Lourdes,” published on July 2, 1957. Cardinal Angelo Roncalli visited Lourdes before becoming Pope John XXIII, when he was Apostolic Nuncio in Paris. He came to consecrate the Basilica of St. Pius X, built for the centenary of the apparitions (1958). The future Paul VI (1963–1978) visited Lourdes twice, in 1958 and 1962, while the future John Paul I (August–September 1978) made a pilgrimage there in 1975.
