Pope Leo XIV to pray for French families at the Lourdes grotto on Saturday

Pope Leo XIV will pray before Our Lady of Lourdes on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the grotto of Massabielle in southwestern France. The service is set for the early evening, and its main intention is to pray for France and its families, at a time when the country is seeking peace and harmony.

The ceremony will open with a short period of silence. The pope will then pray at the site of the Marian apparitions and touch the rock of Massabielle. He will be offered a glass of water from the miraculous spring and a candle, which he will place in a candle stand. ZENIT has translated into Spanish the prayer Leo XIV will say.

The content of the papal prayer

The text opens by addressing the Virgin Mary as the "Immaculate Conception" and recalls her presence before St. Bernadette at the grotto. The pope turns to her with confidence and asks her to protect France, whose patroness he calls her. He prays that violence and hatred be driven out and that the country's people may live in harmony, form families and enjoy peaceful lives.

Leo XIV also asks the Virgin to intercede for wise and generous leaders, ready to sacrifice themselves for the common good and to promote human rights and peace in the world, rejecting war. He presents to her the people of God, who walk through a land marked by her presence. He asks her to renew the faith and fervor of Christian families, to open them to life and to raise up vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.

The pope ends by entrusting to the Virgin the personal intentions of the faithful, with particular attention to the sick and to those who suffer, and to their loved ones and their dead. He also asks that the obstacles keeping the faithful away from Christ be removed. The prayer closes with an "Amen."