Pope calls for “Penance” and “Conversion”
Lourdes, France, Sep 27 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV called Sunday for “penance” and “conversion” in response to what he described as “a world that is going astray,” as he celebrated Mass before about 150,000 pilgrims at the famed French sanctuary of Lourdes.
The pope said increasingly widespread conflicts were destroying “innocent lives” and urged the faithful to respond to the suffering around them.
“How can our hearts not be moved by the conflicts that are spreading and destroying so many innocent lives?” Leo asked during his homily.
Speaking to pilgrims gathered on the sanctuary’s meadow, the pope also criticized what he called “current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age.”
“Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty,” Leo said. “At Lourdes, he added, crutches, wheelchairs and “hidden tears” are not obstacles but places where people can encounter God’s love.
The pope recalled the words attributed to the Virgin Mary during her apparitions to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes in 1858: “Penance! Penance! Penance!”
He called on the Catholic Church to “have the courage” to undergo conversion to heal what he called “the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors” committed within its own ranks.
“The Virgin asks us to do penance not only for ourselves, because we too need it, but also ‘for sinners,’ for a world that is going astray,” he said.
Leo also addressed sick pilgrims directly, telling them their suffering could be offered in a spirit of sacrifice and contribute to the redemptive process that the world so desperately needs.
“In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable,” he said.
The pope was scheduled to meet later Sunday with sick pilgrims, caregivers and volunteers before praying the rosary and joining Lourdes’ traditional candlelight procession. EFE ccg/bks
