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Pope Leo XIV Calls for Penance at Lourdes
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to repent and do penance during a visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church, and invited all to repent and do penance, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.
The pope celebrated Mass on a prairie across the river Gave de Pau from the grotto of the apparitions on the third day of his Sept. visit.
Claire Banks, a nurse from the UK who has traveled to Lourdes over 100 times, said, “There’s been a phenomenal amount of excitement locally waiting for Leo to come visit. The town has really gotten behind everything that’s happening.”
Libby Frank, another Mass attendee from the UK who has lived in Lourdes for 40 years, echoed Banks’ sentiments.
Over 150,000 faithful gathered to see the pope at the shrine, which grew around the Grotto of Massabielle, where, in 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous said the Virgin Mary appeared to her 18 times.
Pope Leo XIV met seven French victims of clerical sexual abuse on Sunday, making a gesture of solidarity and reconciliation at a shrine world-famous for its healing waters.
Speaking in French, Pope Leo reflected on “the miracle of finding serenity and joy amidst suffering.” He encouraged the sick to keep St. Bernadette’s words in mind.
Pope Leo noted that we can often forget this in an age and society focused on progress and material wellbeing.
The pope also spoke to French bishops at the auditorium near the shrine, where he urged them not to be “discouraged by the errors, inconsistencies and even falls” of the church, and instead “always have the courage to acknowledge failings with a love of the truth and a determination to bind up wounds” in a spirit of charity.
Pope Leo XIV led tens of thousands of people in a candlelight rosary procession Sept. 27, holding a large candle in his right hand and a rosary in his left, as the five decades of the glorious mysteries of the rosary were prayed in multiple languages.
Officials at the sanctuary completely covered the artwork, installed on the 150th anniversary of the shrine in 2008, before the pope’s arrival and said they may keep it covered indefinitely.
The pontiff made the appeal on September 27 before the Angelus prayer at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, stressing that prayer should be accompanied by concrete acts of penance and mercy, alongside efforts to promote dialogue and reconciliation.
What this adds
The nearly two-hour encounter took place at the residence of the local bishop, where Leo is staying for his two nights at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Pope Leo XIV’s visit included a private meeting with victims of clerical sexual abuse, highlighting the church’s ongoing efforts to address the issue.
Candlelight rosary processions are a frequent part of the pilgrimage experience in Lourdes throughout the year.
The pope’s itinerary includes a visit to UNESCO headquarters, meetings with government officials and religious communities, and religious services in Paris, Lourdes and Metz.
Background
Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church during his visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.
A 27-year-old sign language interpreter who grew up in foster care will join Cistercian nuns in Lourdes, hoping to confirm her call to monastic life.
What's confirmed
- The pope noted that we can often forget this in an age and society focused on progress and material wellbeing.
- LOURDES, France — Pope Leo XIV issued a firm call to conversion from sin and error in the Church, and invited all to repent and do penance, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.
- Lourdes is an evocative backdrop to the private meeting, since it is among the first shrines to cover artwork by the accused sexual abuser Father Marko Rupnik, currently on trial at the Vatican.
- The pope celebrated Mass on a prairie across the river Gave de Pau from the grotto of the apparitions on the third day of his Sept.
What's still developing
- “I worked for three papal visits and now I’ve come to one papal visit to enjoy it with my family and friends and just be part of the community,” she said, referencing two visits by St. Pope John Paul II in 1983 and 2004, and one by Pope Benedict in 2008.
- The nearly two-hour encounter took place at the residence of the local bishop, where Leo is staying for his two nights at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
- Five of the seven involved in the meeting revealed their identities ahead of the pope’s trip.
- “What helps us most in accompanying victims is listening to them. And to do that, you cannot have 50 people sitting in front of you. That is really what the pope wanted,” Bozo said.
- “The light that guides us and draws us onward is the light of hope, which never abandons us even as we journey through this life — a life often marked by trials, yet already filled with the joy of knowing ourselves to be children of God, loved and saved by Jesus,” the pope said.
- “Dear brothers and sisters, pilgrims and all who are ill, you have come from France and throughout the world to take part in this fervent and peaceful procession of light. Let us bring our dearest and most urgent intentions, and present them to Our Lady,” the pope said.
- As the “Ave Maria” Lourdes hymn was sung between mysteries, all of the pilgrims in the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary lifted their candles high in the air, creating a sea of lights.
- Candlelight rosary processions are a frequent part of the pilgrimage experience in Lourdes throughout the year.
- Pope Leo noted that Pope Pius XII wrote in 1957, “No one has ever seen such a procession of suffering in one spot on earth, never such radiance of peace, serenity and joy.” Prayer intentions collected during the day were presented to the Virgin Mary, and she was asked to intercede for peace.
- The church “must have the courage to begin with herself. In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze,” the pope said.
- “The voice of the Church has every right to be heard in the public square,” the pope said, praising the bishops for their opposition on end-of-life issues.
- Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God, and is called to flourish for ever in the love of the Father.