More than 100,000 pilgrims have registered for Pope Leo XIV's visit to Lourdes
More than 100,000 people have signed up for the pope's September 26 and 27 visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France, more than half the 150,000 limit set for the event
Pope Leo XIV will visit Lourdes on September 26 and 27, 2026. With large numbers expected, the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes has made registration compulsory for anyone taking part in the celebrations. So far, more than 100,000 people have confirmed they will attend, more than half the maximum capacity of 150,000 set for the event.
Registration has entered its final phase and is due to close in the coming days. Signing up remains free, and it will tell the shrine where pilgrims are coming from, when they will arrive and whether any have reduced mobility. Those who register will receive information on transport, routes, entry to the shrine and where they will be placed on the Prairie or the Rosary Esplanade.
The Mass on Sunday, September 27 at 11 a.m. will be open to everyone, but only "within the limits of the places available." Large screens and a sound system will be set up for those who cannot get onto the Prairie, so they can follow the Mass from other parts of the shrine.
Security and logistics
Organizers have advised pilgrims to arrive at least three hours before the Mass, since everyone will have to pass through a security check. Parking in the center of Lourdes is expected to be very limited and could even be banned. Parking lots on the edge of the town and a bus service are being prepared with the municipality.
For the first time, picnics will be allowed on the Prairie on Sunday so that pilgrims who arrive early can stay there. Organizers have also advised people to travel light and to avoid bringing anything that could slow down the security checks.
The pope's schedule
Leo XIV will land at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees airport on Saturday, September 26 at 7:05 p.m., and will pray at the Grotto of the Apparitions at 7:40 p.m. The next morning he will meet the bishops of France at 9 a.m. and celebrate Mass on the Prairie at 11 a.m.
At 3:30 p.m. he will meet members of the Hospitality and sick people at the Accueil Notre-Dame, followed by a private meeting with contemplative religious sisters. The day will end at 9 p.m. with the rosary and a Marian torchlight procession.
This will be the fourth papal visit to Lourdes, after John Paul II in 1983 and 2004 and Benedict XVI in 2008. For Leo XIV it will be his third personal pilgrimage to the Marian town; he went there at 19 and again at 29, as a young priest.
