Pope Leo XIV leads Rosary and torchlight procession before 30,000 at Lourdes

Pope Leo XIV led the Rosary and the traditional torchlight procession at the Marian shrine of Lourdes, in southwestern France, on September 27, 2026, before about 30,000 pilgrims. In his address, the pope said the sick are privileged witnesses of the transformation brought about by God's love. He said it is moving to see how the faithful, from one generation to the next, respond with love and trust to the call of the Virgin Mary.

Praying at the Grotto of Massabielle, Leo XIV said that "the light of the candles guides us and draws us; it is the light of hope that never abandons us." He also recalled the words of Pope Pius XII, who wrote that "never in any place on earth has such a procession of suffering been seen, never such a radiance of peace, of serenity and of joy." The pope encouraged the faithful to look ahead with their hope placed in God, and said peace and joy can be reached even from within suffering. In the closing prayer he invoked the Immaculate Virgin, asking that her light not go out in our lives and that it illuminate the future, opening us to the promises of eternal life.

A pilgrim among pilgrims

Leo XIV said he was grateful to take part as one more pilgrim among pilgrims at a place where the faithful come in response to the invitation the Virgin Mary passed on through St. Bernadette: "Let them come here in procession." The event ended his visit to the French shrine.

The pope traveled through the shrine grounds in an Isuzu D-Max popemobile, a plainer vehicle than the one he used in Paris. He stopped several times to bless children and the sick. Members of the crowd waved the flags of France, the Basque Country and Spain.

Thousands of pilgrims in organized groups

Among those present were members of UNITALSI, a volunteer organization that had brought some 4,000 people on its national pilgrimage, including children undergoing cancer treatment. Federica Postiglione, a volunteer with the organization, spoke about what it means to make the pilgrimage alongside the pope in such a setting. Other pilgrims, among them Virginia Wildemann, who had come from Long Island, New York, described their experience of the event and spoke of their devotion to Mary.

From the grotto to the basilica

The procession set out from the Grotto of Massabielle and ended on the esplanade of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. The day closed with the papal blessing and the Salve Regina, after which Leo XIV retired to the bishop's house, where he spent the night on the shrine grounds.