Pope Leo XIV in Lourdes: The joy of hope amid suffering and a call to conversion

On a sunny morning, the faithful from France and abroad gathered under the Pyrenees. Visible were, among others: flags of Poland, Brazil, Spain, Czech Republic, Lebanon and USA. The Pope was greeted enthusiastically as the Popemobile slowly passed between sectors while he blessed the children.

The joy of hope in the midst of suffering

In his homily, Leo XIV said that Lourdes gives the joy of hope despite the experiences of suffering. According to Catholic tradition, the apparitions of Our Lady occurred there in 1858. Looking at you this morning, gathered in our Mother's house, I see the universal face of the Church. Some of you have traveled across entire continents, overcome the hardships of travel and brought your joys and burdens to this Holy Grotto, he said.

What a great joy it is to be together, with one heart, one family - he added.

Addressing the French, he said: May this pilgrimage rekindle the flame of faith in your families and your parishes. Bring the consolation of Lourdes to your neighbors, loved ones and the entire French nation.

The Pope emphasized the need for conversion, especially "at this moment in history, in a society striving for progress and material well-being, and sometimes succumbing to the temptation to forget about the perspective of eternity."

"No weakness is rejected"

In the face of contemporary trends that try to redefine the value of human life in the face of illness, suffering or old age, the Grotto of Massabielle appears as a sanctuary of Christian hope, noted the Holy Father.

He recalled that in Lourdes "no weakness is rejected."

Your crutches, wheelchairs and hidden tears are not an obstacle: they become, par excellence, a place where you are fully respected and welcomed, and God's infinite love lifts you beyond your own limitations, he said.

He described Lourdes as "a blessed place of faith in the beauty and sanctity of life." He also pointed out the need for penance.

Mary asks us to repent not only for ourselves, who need it, but also for sinners, for the world in which things are going badly. How could our hearts remain indifferent to the increasingly widespread conflicts that are destroying the lives of so many innocent people? - he declared.

He added that "the evil that our era experiences, however, is born in the human heart" and "repentance is a work born of love and lived in solidarity with the entire human race."

Conversion also for the Church

The requirement of conversion also applies to the Church itself in its earthly pilgrimage. He is the first to have the courage to live it. In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful mistakes committed in his womb, we must humbly submit to the cleansing gaze of the Lord, the pope admitted.

On Sunday afternoon, Leo XIV is to meet seven victims of pedophilia in Lourdes. He assessed that recognizing faults is a condition for spiritual development.

You will not leave Lourdes the same as you arrived; you will set out from here as missionaries of hope. This is the miracle of this place: it awakens the joy of hope precisely in the midst of trials and suffering, he said.