Pope Benedict XVI – Pastoral Visit to Lourdes (September 12-15, 2008): 150th Anniversary of the Apparitions

## Itinerary of the Trip

### 12 September 2008 – Paris
– Arrival at Orly Airport
– Meeting with President Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace
– Address to the cultural world at the Collège des Bernardins
– Vespers with clergy and religious at Notre-Dame de Paris

### 13 September 2008 – Paris to Lourdes
– Meeting with the Jewish community of Paris
– Sole Mass on the Esplanade des Invalides (Champ-de-Mars) with 250,000 faithful
– Flight to Lourdes
– Torch procession at the sanctuary

### 14 September 2008 (Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross) – Lourdes
– Penitential act near Massabielle Grotto
– Sole Mass on the Esplanade of the Sanctuary: “Per crucem ad lucem” (Through the cross to light)
– Address to the bishops of France in the “Hemiciclo Santa Bernadette”

### 15 September 2008 (Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows) – Lourdes
– Mass for the sick: homily focusing on “Mary, Mother of the Sick”
– Visit to Notre-Dame Hospital
– Meeting with hospital religious
– Celebration of the Sacrament of the Unction of the Sick
– Departure and return to Rome

## Address to the Bishops of France (Nos. 1491-1495)

**French:** C’est la première fois depuis le début de mon Pontificat que j’ai la joie de vous rencontrer tous ensemble. Je salue cordialement votre Président, le Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, et je le remercie des paroles aimables et profondes qu’il m’a adressées en votre nom… Je me réjouis d’être parmi vous ce soir dans cet hémicycle «Sainte Bernadette», qui est le lieu ordinaire de vos prières et de vos rencontres, lieu où vous exposez vos soucis et vos espérances…

**Portuguese:** É a primeira vez desde o início do meu Pontificado que tenho a alegria de vos encontrar todos juntos. Saúdo cordialmente o vosso Presidente, o Cardeal André Vingt-Três, e agradeço-lhe as palavras amáveis e profundas que me dirigiu em vosso nome… Alegro-me em estar entre vós esta noite neste hemiciclo «Santa Bernadette», que é o lugar ordinário das vossas orações e dos vossos encontros, lugar onde expondes os vossos cuidados e as vossas esperanças…

## Excerpt from Homily at the Sanctuary Esplanade (14 September 2008)

> **”The Message of Lourdes is not fundamentally different from what all Marian shrines proclaim. It is essentially a call to conversion to Christ. Mary points us only to Christ. Her words to Bernadette, ‘Penance, penance, penance!’ are not a punishment but an invitation to the joy of a renewed encounter with the Lord. The Immaculate One who appears in Lourdes is the Mother who leads us to Christ. Every pilgrim to Lourdes is first and foremost a pilgrim to Christ through Mary.”**

## Homily for the Sick (September 15, 2008), Maria iuxta crucem

> **”Today we contemplate Mary standing at the Cross (Stabat Mater), an image deeply liturgical and existential. The spouse of the Holy Spirit thus becomes the Mother of the sick throughout the world. Suffering, when united to Christ’s, becomes redemptive, and Mary, who suffered most profoundly alongside the Cross of her Son, is close to every sick person, every one carrying a heavy cross. Lourdes is the privileged place where the Mother of the Sick awaits us to console and heal us, spiritually always, physically when Providence allows.”**

## Message to the Universal Church

Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Lourdes in 2008 confirmed for the universal Church:

– **Continuity of the Council:** Lourdes embodies Marian theology from Vatican II, Mary as Mother of the Church, a model of faith.
– **Pastoral Care of the Sick:** The Church must always be present where human suffering intensifies.
– **Conversion:** The apparitions are not a magical spectacle but an existential call to conversion.
– **Mercy:** Mary, Mother of Mercy, is manifested in Lourdes through healings and heart conversions.

## Comparison of Papal Visits to Lourdes

| Pope | Visits | Occasion |
|—|—|—|
| Pius XII | No visit (only issued Le Pelerinage de Lourdes 1957 encyclical) | Centennial of apparitions |
| John XXIII | No visit | |
| Paul VI | No visit | |
| John Paul II | 1983, 2004 | Pastoral of faith / Preceded his death (last visit) |
| Benedict XVI | 2008 | 150th anniversary of apparitions |
| Francis | No visit | |

## Spiritual Legacy

The 2008 visit of Benedict XVI to Lourdes was the high point of celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of the apparitions. The speeches and homilies delivered integrated into the rich tradition of Marian teaching on Lourdes, initiated by Pius XII’s encyclical Le Pelerinage de Lourdes (1957) and continued by John Paul II during his two visits (1983, 2004).

## Further Reading

– Pius XII – Le Pelerinage de Lourdes 1957
– Apostolic Penance – Indulgence 150 Years Lourdes
– Marian Apparitions: Magisterium of Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Aparecida
– Salvifici Doloris (John Paul II)
– Spe Salvi (Benedict XVI)

View the complete list of recognized Marian apparitions by the Church.