Pope meets abuse survivors, addresses accountability in Lourdes
Pope meets abuse survivors in Lourdes, addresses bishops on institutional accountability.
Event / Society
Pope Leo XIV France Visit
Pope's visit to France including meetings with abuse victims and statements on sexual violence in the Catholic Church
4 reported locations
Daily activity
60 articles0 articles
2026-09-21 to 2026-11-01 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 21 Sept, 11:56 UTC
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What happened
Pope Leon XIV arrives at Lourdes sanctuary on Saturday evening
Pope Leon XIV arrived at the Lourdes sanctuary on Saturday evening, September 26, 2026, following completion of a large mass at Concorde in Paris. He then celebrated another mass on the sanctuary prairie that evening. Lourdes is noted as the most important pilgrimage site for Catholics worldwide for welcoming the sick and disabled.
Pope Leon XIV celebrates mass at Lourdes sanctuary on Sunday morning
Pope Leon XIV celebrated a mass on the prairie of the Lourdes sanctuary in the Hautes-Pyrénées region on Sunday morning, September 28, 2026. The mass was attended by a large crowd of pilgrims including the sick, disabled individuals, young people, and families. The pope addressed the assembly during his homily, with particular attention to those affected by recent French legislation on end-of-life issues.
Two hundred pilgrims from Marseille diocese attend papal ceremonies at Lourdes
Two hundred pilgrims from the Marseille diocese traveled to Lourdes between September 24-26, 2026, departing in three buses to attend papal ceremonies over the weekend. They attended the Sunday mass and various other events as part of their diocesan pilgrimage.
Pope Leon XIV makes torchlight procession at Lourdes
Pope Leon XIV participated in the emblematic torchlight procession at Lourdes, which featured crowds of pilgrims including the sick, disabled individuals, children, and adults. The pope participated as a pilgrim among pilgrims during this significant ceremonial event at the sanctuary.
Pope Leon XIV discusses end-of-life legislation in homily
Pope Leon XIV specifically addressed recently passed French end-of-life legislation during his Sunday homily at Lourdes, directing his message toward people with illnesses and disabilities. He stated that the Grotto of Massabielle serves as a sanctuary of Christian hope in the face of currents seeking to redefine the value of human life in the context of illness, suffering, and old age.
Pope Leon XIV addresses sexual abuse crisis in Catholic Church
During his Sunday homily at Lourdes, Pope Leon XIV addressed the longstanding issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and thanked French bishops for their efforts in addressing this problem. This continued his pattern of publicly confronting institutional failures within the Church.
Pope Leon XIV continues France apostolic visit with Metz stop planned
Pope Leon XIV's apostolic visit to France included stops in Paris, Lourdes, and continued with a planned visit to Metz on Monday, September 28, 2026. The multi-city tour represents a significant papal journey through France.
French Parliament adopts end-of-life assistance law
The French Parliament adopted a law on July 15, 2026, establishing a right to end-of-life assistance (aide à mourir). This major societal reform during Emmanuel Macron's presidency was enacted after years of debate. The French Catholic Church views this measure as an 'anthropological rupture'.
Pope meets with sick and disabled pilgrims at Lourdes
Pope Leon XIV met with sick and disabled pilgrims at the Accueil Notre-Dame facility at the Lourdes sanctuary. He told them 'You are not a burden, you are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church.' He emphasized that human dignity cannot be measured or debated, and affirmed that palliative care and medical research should be developed relentlessly while accompanying the sick with tenderness.
Pope advocates for palliative care over end-of-life assistance
During his visit to France, Pope Leon XIV stated that medicine must never become 'the servant of programmed death.' He called for relentless development of palliative care services and medical research as alternatives to end-of-life assistance, and advocated for compassionate care to accompany the sick.
Pope celebrates mass at Lourdes pilgrimage site with 150,000 attendees
Pope Leon XIV celebrated an open-air mass at the Lourdes pilgrimage site with approximately 150,000 attendees. During the mass, he criticized 'current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in the face of illness, suffering or old age' and designated the Grotto at Lourdes as 'a sanctuary of Christian hope.'
Pope Leon XIV condemns end-of-life assistance law during France visit
Pope Leon XIV, during his visit to France, publicly condemned the end-of-life assistance law on multiple occasions. On Sunday at Lourdes, he stated 'It is impossible to consider as normal to give death' and emphasized that 'what is legal is not necessarily moral.' He previously condemned the practice during a speech at the Élysée Palace on Friday. The Pope argued that no human law should make people lose their dignity and warned against the temptation to give death under the guise of false compassion.
French Church establishes listening and compensation mechanisms
Following the 2021 report on sexual abuse, the French Episcopal Conference established two instances for listening and reparation. The INIRR mechanism, which handled cases of violence in dioceses, received approximately 2,000 claims before being replaced by a new mechanism created by the episcopate, which has raised concerns among victims.
Pope Leon XIV meets with seven victims of sexual abuse
Pope Leon XIV held a private meeting with seven victims of sexual abuse within the Church on September 27, 2026, in Lourdes. This meeting took place following his address to French bishops on the Church's response to sexual violence.
Pope Leon XIV addresses French bishops on sexual abuse in the Church
Pope Leon XIV met with bishops of the French Episcopal Conference at the Lourdes sanctuary on September 27, 2026, to discuss the Church's response to sexual abuse of minors. The Pope thanked the bishops for their actions against sexual violence on minors and encouraged them to continue their efforts, emphasizing measures including listening, truth-seeking, justice, forgiveness, reparation, and developing a culture of prevention.
French Church report documented 330,000 sexual abuse victims since 1950
A report commissioned by the French Episcopal Conference five years prior to September 2026 estimated that approximately 330,000 minors had been victims of sexual abuse within the Church since 1950. This report was published in November 2021 and revealed the scale of sexual abuse within the French Church.
Pope Leon XIV visits Lourdes Sanctuary
Pope Leon XIV visited the Lourdes Sanctuary in France as part of a four-day visit to the country that began on Friday, September 25, 2026. During his visit, he participated in a large mass and addressed various issues facing the Church.
Pope Leo XIV meets with French bishops during France visit
Pope Leo XIV held a meeting with the bishops of France on the third day of his papal visit to France, as part of his scheduled activities in the country.
Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris
Pope Leo XIV celebrated a large Mass at Place de la Concorde in Paris on the second day of his visit to France, prior to his activities in Lourdes.
Pope Leo XIV meets with victims of clergy sexual abuse
Pope Leo XIV held meetings with victims of sexual violence within the Church during the afternoon of his visit to Lourdes. He also met with sick people and members of religious orders during this time.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Pope concludes France visit with Lourdes spiritual pilgrimage and prayer
Pope Leo XIV concludes France visit with Lourdes spiritual pilgrimage, masses, and meetings with bishops and abuse survivors.
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Macron absent from papal mass as French officials attend
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Record Paris masses draw 600,000 faithful to papal ceremonies
Pope Leo XIV's Paris masses drew record 600,000 attendees at Place de la Concorde and 80,000 youth at Stade de France vigil.
Pope calls for refugee dignity at Paris migrant support center
Pope advocates refugee dignity at Paris migrant support center during France visit.
Pope Leo XIV criticizes genetic manipulation, end-of-life practices in France
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