Pope Leo prays for the sick and suffering in the Lourdes grotto in France

Pope Leo XIV prayed for the sick and suffering at the Grotto of Apparitions in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, on September 26, 2026. During his first visit to the shrine during his pontificate, the Pope knelt in the grotto and drank from the healing spring water.

In his prayer, the Pope addressed the Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception and noted her gentle message of prayer, conversion, and hope shared with St. Bernadette. He arrived at the grotto at sunset to the singing of the Ave Maria hymn and waved to pilgrims from the Popemobile.

The Lourdes shrine is a major pilgrimage site known for reported miracles. Since 1858, the International Medical Committee of Lourdes has officially recognized 72 miracles, including the 2009 healing of Italian woman Antonietta Raco from primary lateral sclerosis.