Receiving a rousing welcome from a packed-out sanctuary in Lourdes, Leo XIV arrived in France’s beloved Marian sanctuary on Saturday evening for the second leg of his four-day voyage.
The streets of Lourdes delivered a hearty welcome to yet another papal visitor on Saturday evening, as Leo XIV arrived fresh from a day and a half in Paris. It was back in 2008 that Lourdes last saw a papal visit.
After landing in Lourdes-Tarbes airport, the pontiff was driven straight to the river-side town of Lourdes. Once in the pope-mobile he toured around the sanctuary, with his greeting of the large number of crowds somewhat delaying the carefully choreographed timetable.
Only hours before, Leo had been greeted by over 800,000 onlookers who lined the streets of Paris to wave at him as he drove to the Place de la Concorde to celebrate an open air Mass. In the city which has tried to often to rebel against its identity as the national capitol of the Eldest Daughter of the Church, Catholicism was front and centre once again.
Striking images show the streets surrounding the Champs-Élysées thronged with those who had gathered to greet the Pope just before he celebrated Mass for the 600,000 people – a maxed out capacity for the venue. Estimates however are putting the Mass attendance well above that figure, between 700,000 and 800,000.
There, where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed by the revolutionary hordes, the Pope celebrated Mass while the nation watched. Addressing the “heirs to France’s long and beautiful history of faith”, Leo urged those present to “drink from the source that is the pierced heart of Jesus”.
“Do not keep this faith in Jesus Christ to yourselves,” he urged, reinforcing the missionary directive he imparted to the congregation at Notre-Dame cathedral the night before. “From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France.”
Leo’s moderately short homily was centred on the evangelisation theme as he urged French Catholics to become emboldened in their faith once again and to emulate the many saints from their native land.
His Mass served as the culmination of the first leg of the papal voyage, which had seen a variety of agenda items in the political, religious and social sectors of Paris. With his appointments in the nation’s capitol thus concluded, Lourdes serves as the second section of the trip.
Although the Pope’s evening arrival to the Marian sanctuary was billed as “private”, the hordes of people present were never going to allow the word to align with its dictionary definition. After touring in front of the basilica – with all Rupnik mosaics on the facade now fully covered – Leo arrived at the Grotto.
He spent a short time in private prayer, while the crowds watched in silence. Following that, Leo gifted the statue the golden rose which only a Pope can bestow, before leading the crowd in a specially composed prayer.
The Pontiff will spend the full day of Sunday in Lourdes starting first by meeting the French Catholic bishops in the Saint Bernadette auditorium at the Shrine. He will then celebrate an open air Mass and meet privately with abuse victims. In the evening he will participate in the torchlight Rosary procession.
Michael Haynes is an English journalist in the Holy See Press Corps. He serves as Vatican Correspondent for the Catholic Herald, while readers can follow him at Per Mariam and on X @MLJHaynes.
