Every February 11, the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The date marks the first apparition of Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 at the grotto of Massabielle in southern France. Since then, Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage for millions of Catholics from all over the world.
During the audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Leo greeted the more than 7,000 faithful present. Then in a moment of prayer and recollection that filled the hall, he lit a candle and sang the Ave Maria together with everyone before a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.
