The Popes at Lourdes: from John Paul II to Leo XIV’s visit in 2026

Lourdes welcomed two serving popes before 2026: John Paul II, in 1983 and then in 2004, and Benedict XVI in 2008. In September 2026, Pope Leo XIV is due to visit Lourdes as part of his apostolic journey to France. Several future popes, including Pius XII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, had also made a pilgrimage to Lourdes prior to their election.

Since the apparitions of 1858, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has held a special place in Marian devotion, the welcoming of pilgrims and the care of the sick and vulnerable. Papal visits to Lourdes bear witness to this deep bond between the popes, the Virgin Mary and the Marian city.

Which popes have actually visited Lourdes?

To answer the question ‘Which popes have visited Lourdes?’ precisely, a distinction must be made between those pontiffs who visited the Sanctuary during their pontificate and those who had already visited Lourdes before being elected pope.

Before September 2026, only John Paul II and Benedict XVI had made a pilgrimage to Lourdes as popes. If Pope Leo XIV’s planned visit does indeed take place, he will become the third reigning pope to visit the Sanctuary.

Among the future popes who visited Lourdes before their pontificates were Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII; Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI; Albino Luciani, the future John Paul I; Karol Wojtyła, the future John Paul II; and Joseph Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI.

Leo XIV in Lourdes in 2026: when is the Pope coming?

Pope Leo XIV is due to arrive in Lourdes on Saturday 26 September 2026 and leave the town on the morning of Monday 28 September. His stay in Lourdes is part of an apostolic journey to France scheduled for 25–28 September 2026.

This visit is one of the major religious events of the year for the Marian town. It is expected to bring together many pilgrims at the Grotto of Massabielle, for Mass, the Rosary and the planned meetings with the bishops and those welcomed at the Sanctuary.

What is Pope Leo XIV’s programme in Lourdes in September 2026?

The announced programme sets out a particularly packed schedule between Saturday 26 and Monday 28 September. Until the visit takes place, these timings should be regarded as the provisional programme and may be subject to change.

Saturday 26 September: arrival in Lourdes and prayer at the Grotto

On Saturday 26 September, Leo XIV is due to depart from Paris-Orly at 5.45 pm and arrive at Tarbes -Lourdes-Pyrénées at 19:05. A prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions at Massabielle is then scheduled for 19:40.

This first stop at the Grotto is of particular significance. It was here that Bernadette Soubirous reported the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858, and it remains to this day the spiritual heart of the pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Sunday 27 September: the Pope’s main day at the Sanctuary

Sunday 27 September is set to be the highlight of the Pope’s visit to Lourdes. Several key events are scheduled at the Sanctuary.

The Mass at La Prairie is expected to be one of the most significant gatherings of this visit. In the evening, the Pope’s participation in the Rosary and torchlight procession is also set to be a highly symbolic moment at a Sanctuary where this prayer shapes the daily lives of pilgrims.

Monday 28 September: departure from Lourdes

The departure from Lourdes is scheduled for the morning of Monday 28 September, at around 7.40 am, heading for Metz. The visit to the Sanctuary will then have lasted just over a full day.

John Paul II: the first Pope to make a pilgrimage to Lourdes

John Paul II occupies a unique place in the history of the popes at Lourdes. He was the first reigning pontiff to make a genuine pilgrimage to the Marian town, before returning twenty-one years later for a second, deeply memorable visit.

The first papal pilgrimage in 1983

John Paul II visited Lourdes on 14 and 15 August 1983, during the feast of the Assumption. This visit marked a historic milestone: for the first time, a reigning Pope had come on a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Marian dimension of this visit was deeply in keeping with the Polish Pope’s spirituality. The Virgin Mary occupied a central place in his pontificate, and Lourdes naturally emerged as a special place of prayer, trust and encounter with the pilgrims.

Why was John Paul II so attached to Lourdes?

John Paul II had a deeply Marian spirituality. Throughout his pontificate, Mary’s role was central to his prayer and pastoral mission. Lourdes thus offered him a setting that was particularly in keeping with this devotion.

But the Sanctuary is also characterised by its welcome to the sick, the vulnerable and those who accompany them. This aspect ties in with another major feature of John Paul II’s pontificate: his constant concern for human suffering and the dignity of the sick.

In Lourdes, Marian prayer and closeness to the most vulnerable go hand in hand. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why his two pilgrimages to the Sanctuary left such a significant mark.

John Paul II’s return to Lourdes in 2004

John Paul II returned to Lourdes in 2004. By then, his health had become much more fragile. This second pilgrimage therefore takes on a special significance.

The image of the Pope himself, physically frail, coming to pray amongst the sick and their families, lends this journey a very unique power. Without turning this pilgrimage into a dramatic narrative, it is difficult not to see a profound connection between John Paul II’s personal frailty and Lourdes’s vocation to welcome those facing trials, illness or suffering.

According to the Sanctuary, this trip was also his last pilgrimage outside Italy. It therefore remains one of the defining moments in Lourdes’ recent history.

Benedict XVI in Lourdes in 2008

Four years after John Paul II’s last pilgrimage, Lourdes once again welcomed a reigning Pope. In September 2008, Benedict XVI visited the Sanctuary as part of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions.

A pilgrimage to mark the 150th anniversary of the apparitions

Benedict XVI visited France from 12 to 15 September 2008. His visit to Lourdes was organised to mark the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette Soubirous.

This jubilee pilgrimage naturally places the Grotto of Massabielle and the message of Lourdes at the centre of the papal visit. Mary, prayer, hope and support for those who are suffering are key themes of this journey.

Benedict XVI was already familiar with Lourdes before his pontificate

Joseph Ratzinger already had a connection with Lourdes before his election to the See of Peter. In 2008, he explained that he had, in particular, taken part in the International Eucharistic Congress in Lourdes in 1981.

This detail is important for understanding the bond that unites several popes to Lourdes: some discovered the Sanctuary well before their pontificates, whilst they were still bishops or cardinals.

The key themes of Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage

Benedict XVI’s visit particularly highlights the importance of Mary, prayer, hope, trust and care for the sick.

These themes are inseparable from the identity of Lourdes. The Sanctuary is not merely a place of remembrance linked to the apparitions: it is also a place where millions of pilgrims come every year to offer up their intentions, entrust their loved ones and seek comfort and hope.

Which future popes had already visited Lourdes?

Long before John Paul II, several men who would later become popes had already made a pilgrimage or a visit to Lourdes. They should not be presented as popes who officially visited the Sanctuary during their pontificates, but their presence demonstrates the long-standing importance of Lourdes in the life of the Church.

The future Pius XII in Lourdes

Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, visited Lourdes in 1935 as a legate of Pope Pius XI. He did not, therefore, visit as Supreme Pontiff at that time.

The future Paul VI

Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI, also visited Lourdes before his pontificate, notably in 1958 and 1962.

The future John Paul I

Albino Luciani, the future John Paul I, made a pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1975, three years before his very brief pontificate in 1978.

John Paul II and Benedict XVI before their election

Karol Wojtyła and Joseph Ratzinger had also visited Lourdes before becoming popes. Their subsequent return to the Sanctuary as sovereign pontiffs shows that the Marian city already held a place in their personal and ecclesiastical journeys.

Why is Leo XIV’s visit to Lourdes historic?

If the trip goes ahead as planned, Leo XIV will become the third serving pope to visit Lourdes, following John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

His visit is therefore part of a relatively recent papal tradition, as the first pilgrimage by a sitting pope to the Sanctuary dates back only to 1983.

The event is also significant for its spiritual dimension. The visit will include a prayer at the Grotto of Massabielle, a Mass, a meeting with those staying at the Accueil Notre-Dame, and participation in the Rosary and the torchlight procession.

These various elements reflect the key aspects that have characterised Lourdes for over a century: devotion to Mary, prayer, care for the sick, and the gathering of pilgrims from all over the world.

Why do popes have a particular attachment to Lourdes?

To understand the significance of papal visits to Lourdes, we must look to the spiritual identity of the Sanctuary. Three aspects regularly emerge: the role of Mary, the welcoming of the sick and the recitation of the Rosary.

Lourdes, a world-renowned Marian shrine

The history of Lourdes is inextricably linked to the apparitions of 1858 reported by Bernadette Soubirous at the Grotto of Massabielle.

Since then, Our Lady of Lourdes has held a special place in Catholic Marian devotion. The Grotto has become a place of prayer known throughout the world, which naturally explains its importance to the Popes.

A special place reserved for the sick

One of the defining features of the pilgrimage to Lourdes is the place reserved for the sick, the disabled and the frail. They are not relegated to the background: on the contrary, they play an essential role in the life of the Sanctuary.

John Paul II made this one of the highlights of his pilgrimages. Benedict XVI, too, paid particular attention to this aspect. Pope Leo XIV’s programme, in turn, includes a meeting with those being cared for and the teams from the Accueil Notre-Dame.

Lourdes and the Rosary

The Rosary lies at the heart of Lourdes’ spirituality. Every day, many pilgrims recite the Rosary and take part in the processions that punctuate life at the Sanctuary.

The evening of Sunday 27 September is set to be marked by the recitation of the Holy Rosary and a torchlight procession in the presence of Leo XIV. This moment should cement his visit as part of one of Lourdes’ most iconic traditions.

What does Pope Leo XIV’s visit in 2026 mean for Lourdes?

For Lourdes, the visit of a Pope is always an exceptional occasion. Since the pilgrimages of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, these visits have remained deeply rooted in the memory of the Sanctuary, the pilgrims and the inhabitants of the Marian town.

The presence of Pope Leo XIV is expected to attract the faithful to Lourdes from France as well as from many other countries. It also contributes to the Sanctuary’s international reputation and serves as a reminder of the enduring link between Lourdes and the universal Church.

For pilgrims present at the site, this visit will offer a special time of prayer and communion. For those following the event from afar, it will also provide an opportunity to rediscover the spiritual richness of the Grotto of Massabielle, the Rosary and the message of Lourdes.

The Léon XIV Selection from the Palais du Rosaire

To mark the visit of Pope Léon XIV to Lourdes, the Palais du Rosaire is offering a selection of religious items dedicated to the Holy Father and this historic event.

Pilgrims wishing to take home a memento of this visit can, in particular, discover the rosary of Pope Leo XIV also allows you to combine the memory of this visit with the prayer of the Rosary, which is so important in Lourdes.

Other items available include a wooden cross of Pope Leo XIV or the book ‘Let’s Walk Together!’.

Discover our full selection dedicated to Pope Leo XIV and his visit to Lourdes.

John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Leo XIV: three pilgrimages, one Marian devotion

From 1983 to 2026, these various papal visits took place in very different contexts, but they are united by several common elements: the Grotto of Massabielle, Marian prayer, care for the sick and encounters with pilgrims.

Prayer for the visit of Pope Leo XIV to Lourdes

FAQ on the popes at Lourdes

To mark this historic visit, discover the Léon XIV collection at the Palais du Rosaire and take home a memento of the Holy Father’s visit to Lourdes.

Discover the collection dedicated to Pope Leo XIV