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Pope Leo Heads to Lourdes: What to Know About One of Catholicism’s Most Famous Pilgrimage Sites

He will meet seven survivors of clerical sexual abuse and lead Mass and a torchlight procession at the sanctuary, officials said.

  • On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV arrives at Tarbes airport for a four-day apostolic journey to France, marking the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years.
  • Leo will meet seven sexual abuse survivors during the visit, addressing a crisis highlighted by a 2021 report estimating 330,000 children were abused by French church personnel over 70 years.
  • Church officials are covering mosaics by former Jesuit artist Marko Ivan Rupnik at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, who faces an ongoing Vatican trial for alleged abuse.
  • Surging demand for accommodation has triggered extreme prices, with some hoteliers charging more than $2,300 per night during Leo's visit to the pilgrimage site.
  • Renowned as the fourth most visited Catholic pilgrimage site globally, Lourdes remains central to believers since the Catholic Church officially validated 72 miraculous healings following Bernadette Soubirous's visions in 1862.
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Pope Leo heads to Lourdes: What to know about one of Catholicism’s most famous pilgrimage sites

Pope Leo XIV plans to visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in southern France on Sunday. His trip is the first official papal state visit to France in 18 years. Lourdes is a major pilgrimage site, attracting around…

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www.cnews.fr broke the news in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on Thursday, September 24, 2026.
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