The third day of the Pope's visit to France takes place entirely in Lourdes. Various appointments for Prevost, from the meeting with the bishops of the Episcopal Conference to the mass in the Prairie of the Sanctuary. In the evening, the prayer of the Holy Rosary and the flambeaux procession were held
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, took place today entirely in Lourdes, with various appointments 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.
Pope: "Abuse is a plague, maximum vigilance"
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 them, 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", Prevost 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.
The Mass in Lourdes: "Let the Church recognize its errors"
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".
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The Pope on end of life and abortion: "No law can cause death"
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".
The Pope to victims of abuse: "My commitment so that it doesn't happen again"
The Pope then met seven people, four men and three women, victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church of France. He met them first one by one, then all together, in the Episcopal House of Lourdes. He thanked them "for their painful testimony, reiterating his commitment to ensure that the evil experienced is not repeated for others. Pope Leo expressed his closeness to them, and, through them, to those who have suffered and still suffer from the wounds of the abuse they received". Finally, he hoped to "be able to work together so that the community of the faithful is increasingly a place where men and women of all ages can find comfort and healing", reports the Vatican press office.
The victims from the Pope: "We have hope that something can change"
"We have hope that something can change", "there was something sincere about him, every word he said made sense and he appeared very emotional". This is what some of the seven victims of abuse who met the Pope in Lourdes this afternoon say about the face-to-face meeting with the Pontiff, in a press conference in Lourdes called this evening.
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The program
After the meeting with the operators and patients of the Accueil Notre-Dame, there was a private face-to-face meeting with the nuns of contemplative life at the Carmel Monastery of Lourdes. Finally, in the evening, Pope Leo Thousands of faithful were present. At the end the Pontiff recites a prayer to the Madonna, the last appointment in this city. Tomorrow Leone, before returning to Italy, will go to Metz.
What happened yesterday
On Saturday, Pope Leo In the afternoon there was the long-awaited mass in Place de la Concorde. The Pope then moved from the French capital to Lourdes, where in the evening there was prayer at the grotto of the apparitions in Massabielle.
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Pope Leo XIV in Lourdes, the invitation to politicians: "Promote peace"
