Live: Pope Leo XIV to hold open-air mass in Lourdes pilgrimage site

27/09/2026 - 10:00

🔍 What to know about one of Catholicism’s most famous pilgrimage sites

The site near the Spanish border draws millions of pilgrims annually, including sick and disabled believers hoping for a cure from the famed spring water in the Lourdes grotto. Here is what to know about Lourdes, one of Catholicism’s most important pilgrimage sites.

Lourdes’ popularity is intrinsically linked to Bernadette Soubirous. A young girl who came from a modest background, she was uneducated, with no knowledge of religion, and suffered from asthma when she reported 18 visions of a lady dressed in white in the Grotto of Massabielle near Lourdes, between February and July 1858. The Catholic Church later accepted that the visions were of the Virgin Mary.

Bernadette’s visions, and the subsequent discovery of allegedly healing spring waters, led the church to build a sanctuary there.

27/09/2026 - 09:57

🎥 Pope visit expected to boost Lourdes economy

The town of Lourdes in southern France is the second stop on Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the country, following his time in Paris. Around 150,000 people are expected to attend a mass led by the pontiff at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday.

Local businesses are hoping the influx of visitors will also boost the economy, as pilgrims spend money on souvenirs, food and other goods.

27/09/2026 - 09:42

The Pope's program in Lourdes today

9:00am – Meeting with the bishops of the French Bishops’ Conference

11:00am – Sunday mass at the Lourdes Sanctuary

3:30pm – Meeting with pilgrims

4:45pm – Meeting with nuns of the Carmelite Monastery in Lourdes

Time to be determined – Private meeting with seven victims of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church

9:00pm – Torchlight procession

27/09/2026 - 09:35

🎥 France's baptism boom as more young people seek catholic community

The number of adult baptisms in France each year has tripled since 2016, hitting 13,000 this year. The numbers suggest a newfound interest in the church from young people who either left the faith and came back or were never raised in it to begin with.

FRANCE 24's Charlotte Lam has more:

27/09/2026 - 09:18

🔍 A look back at the pope's giant open-air mass in Paris

27/09/2026 - 09:17

🔍 A look back at the Pope's second day in France and his arrival in Lourdes

27/09/2026 - 09:17

Good morning!

Welcome to our liveblog on Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France.

Today the pope is visiting the pilgrimage southwestern town of Lourdes. For a look back on his second day in Paris and his arrival in Lourdes, read our coverage below:

(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)