Pope Leo XIV in Lourdes: appeal for conversion and condemnation of abuse

The apostolic journey of Pope Leo XIV to France continues. The third day of the visit, which began on Friday 25th and will end on Monday 28th, takes place today entirely in Lourdes, with various appointments scheduled for the Pontiff. If there is "a world that is going badly", it is man's fault. "How could our hearts not feel challenged in the face of increasingly widespread conflicts, which destroy so many innocent lives? Yet the evil that afflicts our era comes from the heart of man, God is not responsible for it", said Leone in the homily of the 11am mass, in front of 150 thousand faithful gathered for the occasion.

The Pope's day began at 9am, with a meeting with the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of France. "In recent years, you have faced with determination the painful scourge of child abuse committed by members of the clergy or within the ecclesial sphere", he recalled. "You have taken courageous measures to respond to you, through listening, the search for truth, justice, forgiveness, reparation and a firm commitment to a culture of prevention and protection against such crimes. I thank you for what you have done and I know that some moments have been very difficult for your Conference. It is appropriate to continue along the path undertaken, maintaining maximum vigilance", he underlined again during the meeting. The Pope is also expected to have a private meeting today with seven victims of sexual violence in the Church, as leaked in recent weeks.

Then at 11 am the Holy Mass. The need for "conversion" to which everyone is called "involves the Church itself". "It must have the courage to live this conversion in the first place. To heal from the deep wounds, from the infidelities and from the painful confusions committed within it, we must place ourselves humbly under the purifying gaze of the Lord. Recognizing our errors is indispensable", the Pope said in the homily. "It is today - not tomorrow - that we need to convert".

The Pope then returned to talk about the end of life in his meeting with the sick in Lourdes. "No human law must make you lose the certainty of your dignity. On the contrary, it is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that the temptation to take life under the pretext of false compassion must be firmly rejected. It is impossible to consider taking life normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral." The Pope then forcefully reiterated the Church's position on abortion and euthanasia: "No one has the right, ever, on the basis of laboratory algorithms, to decide on the life of a specific embryo or a specific elderly person. Medicine can never be the servant of programmed death".

After the meeting with the operators and patients of the Accueil Notre-Dame, a private meeting with the contemplative life nuns at the Carmel Monastery of Lourdes is scheduled at 4.45pm. Finally in the evening, at 9pm, the prayer of the Holy Rosary and flambeaux procession at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.