The night in Lourdes began like this: With Leo XIV taking part in the Immaculate Conception procession by candlelight, surrounded by thousands of faithful.
Once at the foot of the sanctuary, the Pope delivered a moving speech about the Virgin Mary.
LEO XIV
How moving it is to see the faithful, from one generation to the next, respond with love and trust to the tender invitation of the Virgin Mary. How consoling it is to hear Christians sing hymns filled with fervor and faith, and to see them walk, with a light in their hands, towards their Mother in Heaven, the Mother whom Jesus gave us from the Cross.
The Pope encouraged the French people to entrust themselves to the Virgin Mary, paraphrasing his predecessor Benedict XVI, who stood at this same site 18 years ago.
LEO XIV
“This evening, let us turn our gaze towards Mary, so glorious and so human, allowing her to lead us towards God who is the victor”
It is worth remembering that the connection between the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and Lourdes is a close one. Pius IX proclaimed in 1854 that Mary had been preserved from original sin from the moment of her conception, four years before the Virgin Mary told Bernadette that she was “the Immaculate Conception.” And the Pope interpreted this as divine confirmation of the dogma.
LEO XIV
“Clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet and crowned with stars, she is glorious and powerful; yet she is also humble and very close to us. She is the Mother of Jesus, and she is our Mother.”
The Pope wished that the light carried by the French faithful would not be extinguished in their lives, but would continue to illuminate their path all the way to eternal life.
And so Leo XIV’s final event in Lourdes came to an end with the Salve Regina.
And the entire sanctuary erupted in loud applause. This was the grand finale of the Pope’s visit to Lourdes.
