Pope Leo XIV arrived in Lourdes from Paris on Saturday evening for his first-ever visit to the renowned place of miracle cures.Back in 1858, a 14-year-old peasant girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported having 18 visions of the Virgin Mary at the Lourdes Massabielle Grotto.This ultimately led to her being named a saint.The pope prayed at the Grotto Saturday night before leading an open-air Mass on the Prairie on Sunday, with hundreds of thousands expected to be in attendance. POPE LEO DRAWS STAGGERING 800,000 FAITHFUL TO HEART OF PARIS FOR MASSIVE OUTDOOR MASSHe also planned to meet with bishops, the sick and the support staff.I spoke with Dr.
Alessandro de Franciscis, who recently retired as president of the Lourdes Office of Medical Observation after 17 years of reviewing treatments and possible miracle cures.Pope Leo XIV presides over Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sunday, Sept.27, 2026, in Lourdes, France. (AP Images)He discussed his upcoming meeting with the pope, who he said was visiting Lourdes in the name of purification and healing, including healing from the Church's recent sexual abuse scandals.JUST 5 MINUTES OF PRAYER COULD HAVE SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS, STUDY FINDS"I think I love him," he told me.
"I think he's doing very well (as pope).He's talking of the challenges that we have.
You must have heard about his first encyclical letter on artificial intelligence ...all the good that this technology can bring to today's world.
He's a guy from Chicago.I love him.
We all love him!"Priests sit before a Mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, France, on Sunday, Sept.27, 2026.
(AP Images)Dr.de Franciscis said the pope would meet with people whose miracle healings were investigated and later recognized by the Church. Those include Sister Bernadette Moriau, who was cured of a spinal condition and was able to walk again, and Antonietta Raco, who in 2009 was cured of the severe neurodegenerative disease ...