Pope Leo XIV prays at Vatican’s Lourdes grotto for the sick on World Day of the Sick

Pope Leo XIV prayed with the sick at the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens on Feb. 11, asking Our Lady of Lourdes to accompany all those who suffer in the world.

Shortly after his Wednesday audience, the pope lit a candle in the Marian grotto and knelt in prayer before the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes on the World Day of the Sick. He was joined by about a dozen people in wheelchairs accompanied by their caregivers who sang “Immaculate Mary,” the popular Lourdes hymn.

The pope thanked those present for joining him in prayer and reflected on Mary’s role in accompanying people through suffering.

“It is a very beautiful day that reminds us of the closeness of Mary, our mother, who always accompanies us and teaches us so much: what suffering means, what love means, what it means to entrust our lives into the hands of the Lord,” Pope Leo said.

He prayed for God’s blessing on the sick and all those who care for them, including doctors, nurses and others who provide support in difficult moments.

The Catholic Church marks the World Day of the Sick each year on Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The world day was instituted by Pope John Paul II in 1992, a year after he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The feast day marks the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 in Lourdes, France. The 14-year-old girl saw the Blessed Virgin Mary standing in a small grotto. During a total of 18 apparitions over the course of six months, thousands of people gathered around Bernadette to witness these events. A new spring surged where Bernadette had been instructed to drink, and many miraculous healings occurred. Today, Lourdes is a Marian shrine visited by millions.

The Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens dates back to Pope Leo XIII, who decided near the end of his life to install a reproduction of the Lourdes grotto in France. It was solemnly inaugurated in 1905 by his successor Pope Pius X.

In his message for the 2026 World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo urged Catholics to embrace a “Samaritan spirit” and to give of themselves “for the good of all who suffer, especially our brothers and sisters who are sick, elderly or afflicted.” The pope also imparted an apostolic blessing to all who are sick, to their families and to those who care for them, including pastoral and health care workers.

Pope Leo’s message concluded with the following prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, “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.”

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