Lourdes: Everything you need to know about Pope Leo XIV’s visit

Pope Leo XIV prepares for landmark pilgrimage to Lourdes

Usagevpn.com – Pope Leo XIV will travel to Lourdes on Saturday, placing one of France’s most important Catholic destinations at the centre of his official visit to the country. His arrival is expected to bring exceptionally large crowds to the Pyrenean town, where faith, history and the Church’s contemporary challenges will all shape the programme.

The visit will make Leo XIV the first pope to come to Lourdes since Benedict XVI, who travelled there in September 2008 for the 150th anniversary of the apparitions associated with Bernadette Soubirous. For pilgrims, the return of a pontiff after nearly two decades gives added significance to a place already visited by millions each year.

A town built around pilgrimage

Lourdes lies close to the Spanish border in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It has only about 13,000 permanent residents, yet its infrastructure reflects the scale of its religious tourism: the town offers almost 10,000 hotel rooms and roughly 21,200 beds.

Each year, around three million people make the journey to Lourdes. Town hall figures place it fourth among the world’s most visited Catholic pilgrimage locations, behind the Vatican, Mexico City’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Brazil’s Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida.

That capacity will be tested during the papal trip. Nearly 200,000 people are expected in Lourdes across two days, including approximately 150,000 registered participants in shrine celebrations. Accommodation has become difficult to secure, with some rooms reportedly offered for more than €2,000 a night as visitors converge on the town.

The story behind the shrine

Lourdes became a global centre of devotion because of the experiences described by Bernadette Soubirous, a young girl from a poor family. Between February and July 1858, she said she saw a woman in white on 18 occasions at the Massabielle grotto near the town.

For believers, one of those encounters remains especially important. During the ninth apparition, Bernadette said she heard an instruction linked to the spring at the site:

“Go and drink at the spring and wash yourself there.”

In 1862, the Catholic Church formally recognised the apparitions as appearances of the Virgin Mary. A shrine was later established at the grotto, and the location became the focal point for visitors seeking prayer, reflection and participation in the traditions associated with Lourdes.

The Massabielle grotto will also be the first major setting for Pope Leo XIV’s visit. After two days in Paris, he is scheduled to arrive at Tarbes Lourdes Pyrénées airport on Saturday evening before celebrating Mass at the grotto itself. The choice of venue directly connects the papal journey with the origin story that made Lourdes an international pilgrimage destination.

A visit during a moment of renewed interest in baptism

The journey comes as baptisms have risen markedly in France. Over the last five years, adult baptisms have increased by 28%, while baptisms among teenagers have grown by 10%.

France recorded 21,386 baptisms in 2026, a total more than three times higher than the number registered a decade earlier. The figures provide a notable backdrop to the pope’s visit, suggesting renewed engagement with Catholic rites even as the Church continues to confront difficult questions about trust, accountability and its relationship with French society.

For many people attending the celebrations, Lourdes will be more than a ceremonial stop on a papal itinerary. The shrine’s identity has long been tied to personal journeys of belief and hope, while its international visitor base gives the town a rare role as a meeting point for Catholics from many countries and cultures.

Meetings with abuse survivors

Leo XIV’s schedule also includes private meetings with seven survivors of sexual abuse. The conversations take place during a particularly sensitive period for the Catholic Church in France, where the consequences of abuse have remained a central issue for victims, parishes and church leaders.

In 2021, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church estimated that 216,000 minors were abused by priests or members of religious orders between 1950 and 2020. When people working in Church-related institutions were included, the estimate rose to about 330,000.

The planned private discussions place the visit in a broader context than public worship alone. They underscore that a papal presence in Lourdes will carry both symbolic religious weight and the expectation of attention to the harm suffered by victims.

What the weekend means for Lourdes

For residents and visitors, the papal trip will transform a town accustomed to major pilgrimages into the venue for an event on an even larger scale. Security, travel and lodging pressures are likely to be significant, particularly for people arriving without advance arrangements.

At the same time, the visit returns the world’s attention to the Massabielle grotto and to the story of Bernadette Soubirous, whose account in 1858 reshaped the future of a small French town. Pope Leo XIV’s Mass there will combine that long-established tradition with the realities facing the Church in France today: growing baptism numbers, a vast international pilgrimage community and the continuing need to address sexual abuse openly and seriously.