VATICAN CITY.— Within the framework of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo
The small Marian sanctuary, nestled among the gardens of the Papal State, is a replica of the French place where in 1858 the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Since its construction in 1905, it has become a space for meditation and consolation, especially for those going through moments of pain or fragility.
The Pope sings the Ave Maria before the Virgin of Lourdes in the Paul VI Hall
Every February 11, the Church remembers the Virgin of Lourdes. The date commemorates the first appearance of the Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, in the Massabielle grotto, in the south of France. 🇫🇷… pic.twitter.com/ztifpkfYzQ
— ROME REPORTS (@romereportsesp) February 11, 2026
The day began in the Paul VI Hall, before the general audience. The Holy Father walked down the central aisle to greet the faithful and later lit a candle before the image of the Virgin of Lourdes as a visible sign of his prayer for the sick. Immediately, he stopped in silence and sang the Ave Maria.
Later, already in the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardensthe Pontiff lit a candle again and remained in prayer. He was accompanied by a small group of patients, hospital workers from Lourdes and some family members, whom he thanked for their presence and the effort made to participate in the meeting.
Message from Pope Leo XIV
In a brief improvised message, Leo
Addressing the sick directly, he expressed: “On this day dedicated to you, we want to unite in prayer with all those who suffer anywhere on the planet. We pray especially for you.” He also asked for divine blessing “for all the sick, today and always,” as well as for those who assist them: doctors, nurses, caregivers and family members who remain close in the most difficult moments.
that the #VirgenDeLourdeswhom we celebrate today, accompany you maternally, intercede for you before God and obtain for you the graces that will sustain you on your path. To her we entrust all the sick, who today, World Day of the Sick, we remember with special affection.… pic.twitter.com/yJvGkENeoj
— Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex_es) February 11, 2026
The meeting concluded with the joint recitation of the Hail Mary and a special blessing. Subsequently, the Pope dedicated a few minutes to speaking personally with each of the sick people present.
During the morning general audience, the Pontiff recalled that the World Day of the Sick is celebrated this year at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo, Peru, a place to which he said he feels spiritually united. He entrusted the sick and their families to the Virgin, and expressed his closeness to the victims of the floods in Colombia, encouraging the international community to support them with charity and prayer.
Day for the sick
In his greetings in different languages, he also evoked Saints Cyril and Methodius, patrons of Europe, whose liturgical memory is commemorated on February 14, and invited them to work for the unity of the continent, overcoming divisions and tensions, both religious and political.
Likewise, he reminded the English-speaking faithful that Lent will begin next Wednesday, and called on them to live this liturgical time as an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and love for Christ, strengthen their spiritual life through prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and examine their hearts with sincerity.
With this gesture before the Virgin of Lourdes, Pope Leo XIV reinforced the central message of the World Day of the Sick 2026, which invites the Church to practice active compassion, inspired by the Good Samaritan, and to accompany human pain with concrete closeness and hope.
Every February 11, the feast of the Virgin of Lourdes, the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of the Sick, the first under the pontificate of Leo
The World Day of the Sick… pic.twitter.com/ns9xq8oLot
— ACI Prensa (@aciprensa) February 11, 2026
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