Lourdes: (Vatican News by Isabella H. de Carvalho) “Mesdames et messieurs, le Pape est à Lourdes!” (“Ladies and gentlemen, the Pope is in Lourdes”). As the speaker pronounces these words the crowd erupts in cheers and starts chanting Pope Leo XIV’s name.

The announcement echoes across the famous Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, where young St. Bernadette Soubirous received apparitions of the Virgin Mary, who then identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, in 1858.

People gathered on the banks of the river Gave de Pau, which flows alongside the Sanctuary, to welcome his arrival. Children waved flags and held a sign with colorful letters saying “Welcome Pope Leo”.

This excitement, however, turned to solemn silence, as Pope Leo XIV knelt for several minutes and prayed at the Grotto of the Apparitions. He walked slowly around the Grotto, touching the walls, and then lit a candle.

Above him stood the Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, with its spire reaching toward the sky.

Pilgrims from across the world come to Lourdes to look for healing and peace. Tonight, the Successor of Peter placed before Our Lady, the “Mother full of love,” France, a nation that, like the rest of the world, is touched by tensions and divisions, as well as its people and its Church. He prayed for fraternal harmony amongst people, for the poorest and those most in need, for those who are suffering, for peace.

The Pope then placed a golden rose on the table of the Grotto, a gift that Popes have traditionally given symbolize their devotion to Mary. He prayed the Our Father and gave his blessing, as the crowd cheered. Excitement and applause once again filled the air.