On Sept. 27, 2026, Pope Leo XIV visited the Carmel of Lourdes for prayer at the grotto and a private audience with the Discalced Carmelite nuns who live across the river Gave de Pau.
Pope Leo XIV visited the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes and then walked to the Carmelite monastery for a private meeting on Sept. 27, 2026.
The contemplative Discalced Carmelite monastery faces the Lourdes grotto across the river Gave de Pau and was founded in 1876.
Photographs of the visit were credited to Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool.
# What happened Pope Leo XIV visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sept. 27, 2026. After praying at the famous grotto, he crossed to the Carmelite monastery that faces the grotto across the river Gave de Pau and held a private audience with the Discalced Carmelite nuns who live there.
# Where this took place The meeting happened in Lourdes, France. The Carmelite monastery sits opposite the grotto of the Marian apparitions and was established in 1876, eighteen years after St. Bernadette's apparitions.
# Who was involved The participants named in the coverage are Pope Leo XIV and the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Lourdes. The photographs of the pope's visit and the private gathering are credited to Daniel Ibáñez for EWTN News and the Vatican Pool.
# Why it matters to readers This visit connects the papacy with a long-established contemplative community directly linked to the Lourdes shrine. The private meeting reinforces the link between public pastoral visits to major shrines and quieter encounters with local religious communities that serve in prayerful support of the wider Church.
# What the coverage shows The published photos show Pope Leo XIV praying with the nuns and walking to the monastery after the grotto visit. The visual record emphasizes the pope's short, focused program in Lourdes: public prayer at the shrine followed by private time with a contemplative community that has existed since the late 19th century.
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# What to look for in related coverage
# Bottom line Pope Leo XIV combined a public act of prayer at Lourdes with a private audience for the Discalced Carmelite nuns who live directly opposite the grotto. The encounter highlights the continuing presence of contemplative communities at major Catholic shrines and the pope's practice of meeting both publicly and privately with those who serve in prayerful ministry.
M. Elhabbal, EWTN A community of Discalced Carmelite sisters is using centuries-old methods to build a monastery in hopes that it will serve as "a beacon of light" for generations to come in...
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