Pope Leo XIV prays with the sick at the Vatican Gardens’ Lourdes Grotto, honoring World Day of the Sick and Our Lady of Lourdes.
Newsroom (12/02/2026 Gaudium Press ) Under the gentle Roman sky, the air of the Vatican Gardens filled with quiet reverence as Pope Leo XIV stood before the Lourdes Grotto, surrounded by the sick and their caregivers. Marking both the World Day of the Sick and the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Holy Father’s presence among those who suffer brought a moment of profound solidarity, compassion, and prayer.
“It is a very beautiful day that reminds us of Mary’s closeness, our mother, who always accompanies us and teaches us so much: what suffering means, what love means, and what it means to entrust our life into the hands of the Lord,” Pope Leo said with gentle conviction. His words echoed softly across the grotto, a faithful reproduction of the one in Lourdes, France—built more than a century ago at the wish of Pope Leo XIII and inaugurated by Pope Pius X in 1905.
The Pope had come to join those enduring illness and infirmity, welcoming them personally after his Wednesday General Audience. Many of them, in wheelchairs or supported by family members, had waited patiently near the Lourdes Grotto—one of the most serene and sacred corners of the Vatican Gardens. Their pilgrimage, short in distance but great in devotion, culminated in a shared moment of prayer before the Blessed Mother.
A Day of Faith, Healing, and Solidarity
The Catholic Church observes the World Day of the Sick every year on February 11, coinciding with the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The day, established by Pope John Paul II in 1992, serves as both a spiritual reminder and a pastoral outreach—encouraging the faithful to stand with those who suffer and to recognize the dignity found in vulnerability. The choice of date is deeply symbolic: it marks the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to the young St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
In Lourdes, France, Bernadette described seeing the Virgin Mary appear in a modest grotto, a moment that unfolded into eighteen apparitions witnessed by thousands. The miraculous spring that emerged at Mary’s instruction soon became a place of countless healings, and to this day, millions of pilgrims visit the site seeking both physical recovery and spiritual renewal. The Vatican’s own Lourdes Grotto, created in homage to this sacred place, serves as a continuing sign of Marian devotion and intercession.
A Message of the “Samaritan Spirit”
In his message for the 2026 World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to embrace what he called a “Samaritan spirit,” a call to compassion modeled after the parable of the Good Samaritan. He invited everyone—especially those in healthcare ministries—to serve selflessly for the good of all who suffer, “particularly our brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or afflicted.”
Before imparting his Apostolic Blessing, he offered a heartfelt prayer for all who are ill, as well as for doctors, nurses, pastoral caregivers, and families who accompany them with unwavering love. “May the Lord bless all who are sick, today and always,” he said, lifting his eyes toward the statue of Mary, Health of the Sick.
The encounter closed with a tender prayer from Pope Leo to the Blessed Virgin: “Sweet Mother, do not part from me. Turn not your eyes away from me. Walk with me at every moment and never leave me alone. You who always protect me as a true Mother, obtain for me the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
In that quiet garden, where the memory of Lourdes lives anew, the Pope’s words resonated not only as pastoral comfort but as an invitation—to see suffering not as a burden to be feared but as a sacred place where love and faith dwell together.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News and OSV
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