Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lourdes Saturday evening to continue his four-day France visit, opening with prayer at the Grotto of the Apparitions. The Vatican estimated attendance at his Paris Mass at roughly 800,000, versus 600,000 advance registrations.
On Sunday, Leo is due to meet French bishops, celebrate an outdoor Mass at the sanctuary, meet staff and sick people at Accueil Notre-Dame, and hold a private meeting with contemplative sisters. He will also meet privately with seven survivors of sexual abuse by priests and other Catholic personnel. Some survivors’ groups criticized the Vatican for choosing individuals rather than representatives of established advocacy organizations. The visit is set to end with a Rosary and torchlight procession.
At the Catholic Institute of Paris on Saturday, Leo said he was struck by the growing number of adults converting to Catholicism. Adult baptisms have nearly tripled since 2016 to about 13,000 this year, but the increase has not reversed the broader decline: France recorded 513,000 baptisms in 1980 and 186,000 in 2024.
