reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach...
The"Cross at Ground Zero", a steel beam in the shape of a cross from the World Trade Center site that is part of the permanent exhibition of the 9/11 Museum Memorial (ANSA)
Remembering 9/11, 25 years later: 'We are never alone'
Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks killed almost 3,000 people in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C., Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York recalls the faith that helped people through that day, highlights the memorials to mark the anniversary, and stresses that even in “our tragedies…we are never alone.”
By Kielce Gussie
“Everyone I've talked to remembers exactly where they were 25 years ago,” says Archbishop Ronald Hicks of New York, referring to the anniversary marking a quarter of a century since the attacks of September 11, 2001.
FILE PHOTO: Workmen beginning the task of dismantling the destroyed remains of the 7 World Trade Center building in New York, USA on 17 September 2001 (ANSA)
Whether you were working, in school, or not yet born, the events of that day changed aspects of the world.
For Archbishop Hicks, September 11, 2001, started in the classroom during his graduate studies as a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Illinois. He remembers how the entire class sat in disbelief after learning the news.
It was an event that affected not only the places where the planes crashed—New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania—but the thousands of people whose lives would never be the same.
Faith in the midst of terror
On a day filled with terror, sadness, and shock, faith, too, was found amid the rubble.
Not only did people find faith on 9/11, but Archbishop Hicks highlights how it became something to rely on. “At the core, when everything is falling apart, people go right back to God, to faith, to hope, to those core things that hold us together as a people,” he explains.
More than 2,900 people were killed on that day alone. Out of the thousands of first responders who charged into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania, hundreds died selflessly trying to save others.
Father Mychal Judge, the chaplain for the New York Fire Department, was one example of these core values in action. “I think what you saw in Father Judge is what happened to so many people,” Archbishop Hicks underlines. “When there's a need, you jump in, and you don't hesitate, and you help…he lost his life, but that is sacrificial love.”
Father Judge became the first certified fatality of the attacks. His name is among the other 2,976 persons forever immortalized in the memorial—made from the steel of the twin towers—in New York.
A community unites
In the city where the two World Trade Center towers once stood, acts of remembrance, services, Masses, and memorials will commemorate the anniversary—from walks of remembrance and wreath-laying ceremonies to dedications and light tributes.
Family members of victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center place flowers in one of two pools in the shapes of the footprints left by the two World Trade Center towers at Ground Zero (ANSA)
But exactly at 8:46 am—the moment 25 years ago when the first plane hit the North Tower—all the church bells in the city will ring as New York goes quiet.
It will be a moment “to stop, to listen, to pray, to not forget, and to do so as a community together with God,” Archbishop Hicks explains.
The archdiocese also held a vigil Mass on the evening of September 10 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the heart of New York City. In the packed church were family members of victims of 9/11, representatives of the New York Police and Fire departments, Port Authority, emergency service workers, civic leaders, humanitarian organizations, priests, and lay people.
The Tribute in Light installation is illuminated over the lower Manhattan skyline ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, in New York
Archbishop Hicks describes the support this unity brings, especially to those who are still grieving 25 years on. “It takes a long time with something of this magnitude. So, coming together in faith and at the Mass, that helps.”
Peace is fragile
Remembering the events of September 11, 2001, also reminds us that peace is fragile. It can only be accomplished if people join together to work for it, overcoming disagreements and challenges.
The attacks ushered in a period of tension. They fractured a sense of fraternity and shed doubts on the sense of stability and peace so painstakingly built after the end of the Cold War.
Just eight weeks after the attacks, St. Pope John Paul II highlighted dialogue as “essential for overcoming tragic conflicts inherited from the past, and for ensuring that ‘the name of the one God become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace.’”
Seven years later, standing at the site of the World Trade Center, Pope Benedict XVI prayed for peace in our violent world. “Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope, and give us the wisdom and courage to work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reign…”
In 2015, Pope Francis marveled at how such love was shown on that tragic day, remarking on how “here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw. In the depths of pain and suffering, you also witnessed the heights of generosity and service. Hands reached out, lives were given.”
The Mass at St. Patrick’s, 25 years after the attacks, was an example of the dialogue and fraternity the pontiffs called for to achieve peace in the world but also in our countries, cities, and families. Catholics, rabbis, imams, Protestant ministers, interreligious and ecumenical groups were all present in the Cathedral, praying and hoping together.
FILE PHOTO: St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, New York (2020 Getty Images)
“[Dialogue] begins with us. We might disagree on a number of issues. It could be about theology, ecclesiology, [or] politics. But we have to take the first step to at least stand together, and to really follow the example of peace,” the archbishop of New York points out.
His entire homily at St. Patrick's centered on the fact that healing and grieving take time. They cannot be swept away. They cannot be ignored. But hope, the archbishop says, is eternal.
“God is with us in the good, in the bad. He is with us in our tragedies, in our joys. We are never abandoned. We are never alone. God was with us 25 years ago. God has been with us during these 25 years. God is with us today. God will continue to be with us tomorrow.”
“We are never abandoned. We are never alone. God was with us 25 years ago. God has been with us during these 25 years. God is with us today. God will continue to be with us tomorrow.”
A New York City firefighter attends a Mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn, N.Y., marking the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2022. U.S. Catholic bishops are offering Masses, prayers and reflections as the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks Sept. 11, 2026. (OSV News photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
(OSV News) — As the nation marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. Catholic bishops are offering Masses, prayers and reflections — while also stressing the need to seek peace amid a fractured global landscape.
“Twenty-five years have elapsed since that day and yet the chilling images remain etched in our minds,” said the Ukrainian Catholic bishops of the U.S., led by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of Philadelphia, in a pastoral letter for the occasion issued Sept. 4.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a Sept. 9 statement that “faith lifted us up and sustained us” during the attack and its aftermath.
“As conflicts intensify around the world, let us renew our commitment to be Christ’s instruments of peace in an increasingly fractured and divided world,” he said.
Catholic bishops mark 25th anniversary of 9/11 with prayer
The coordinated attacks began when four commercial aircraft were hijacked by members of the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda and crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Passengers on United Flight 93 overpowered their captors, with the plane crashing near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, rather than reaching a likely target in Washington.
In total, the attacks immediately killed 2,977, including 441 first responders. As of June 30, more than 9,000 tracked by the federal World Trade Center Health Program have died since.
So far, over 57,000 first responders and survivors had been certified to have cancers related to the attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Sept. 8, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released 170,000 pages of documentation — part of a settlement with the independent 911 Health Watch organization — indicating that city officials had knew toxins from the attacks remained long after the air was declared safe.
Ukrainian Catholic bishops call for 9/11 prayer and remembrance
In their pastoral letter, the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops called on their priests to celebrate a “panakhyda,” a prayer service for the souls of the deceased, for 9/11 victims on either Sept. 11 or 13.
On Sept. 11, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services will be the principal celebrant and homilist for the scheduled 5:15 p.m. Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
In its online announcement of the liturgy, which will be livestreamed at www.nationalshrine.org/mass, the shrine observed that the nation had “gathered in prayer at the Basilica” on the day of the attacks “in shock, in tears, and in prayer.”
Now, said the shrine, “we gather once again to remember those who died, honor the brave first responders and members of our Armed Forces who answered the nation’s call in its aftermath, and entrust to the mercy of God all affected by that tragic day.”
Catholic dioceses across the country plan 9/11 memorial Masses
Bishop Mark L. Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown, Pennsylvania, will participate along with other faith leaders in a Sept. 11 commemoration at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville. That evening, he will also offer an opening prayer for the city of Altoona’s official marking of the tragedy.
Multiple Masses marking the somber milestone will be offered throughout New York and its surrounding counties, according to The Good Newsroom, the official news outlet of the Archdiocese of New York.
Archbishop Ronald A. Hicks of New York will celebrate a vigil Memorial Mass Sept. 10 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The invitation-only liturgy, which begins at 5 p.m., will be livestreamed.
Masses will also take place at two cemeteries managed by St. Patrick’s Cathedral trustees, Resurrection Cemetery on Staten Island and Calvary Cemetery in Queens. The two are the final resting places, respectively, for 61 and 16 victims of the attacks.
New York parishes remember Catholic first responders killed on 9/11
A family member of retired NYPD detective Luis Alvarez clutches a crucifix following his funeral Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, N.Y., July 3, 2019. Alvarez, a 9/11 first responder and an advocate for 9/11 victims, died June 29 from cancer linked to his work at the New York World Trade Center site. Shortly before his death, Alvarez, 53, pleaded with Congress to extend health benefits for first responders involved in the rescue and recovery efforts following the 2001 terrorist attacks. (OSV News photo/Shannon Stapleton, Reuters)
St. Philip Neri Church in the Bronx will honor three New York firefighters — Lt. Mickey Conboy, Lt. Michael K. Healey and firefighter Donald J. Regan — who responded to the 9/11 attacks. Conboy — who survived the attacks, which claimed the lives of his two colleagues — will be on hand as the church dedicates a plaque honoring all three.
The Good Newsroom noted that during a “terrible fire” at the parish in June 1967, Conboy, Healey and Regan had “risked their lives” to save the Blessed Sacrament. More than three decades later, Healey and Regan died at the World Trade Center on 9/11 while “saving other members of the Body of Christ,” said the news outlet.
Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut — a state that lost 161 associated individuals to the attacks — will celebrate an evening Mass at St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, Connecticut, to honor 9/11 victims.
U.S. bishops reflect on lessons of 9/11
In their pastoral letter, the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops said that Christians “must do more than remember” the horrors of 9/11, and reflect on its profound lessons about evil, goodness and the faith-filled choices that lie between the two.
“September 11 confronts us with the terrible reality of the capacity of fallen humanity for evil,” said the bishops. “When hatred is allowed to take possession of the human heart, when another person is no longer seen as a child of God but as an enemy to be destroyed, the consequences can be horrifying.”
Yet 9/11 also revealed humanity’s “even greater capacity for goodness, courage, compassion, sacrifice and love,” they said. “We saw strangers helping strangers. We saw firefighters climbing stairways toward almost certain death. We saw ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of courage.”
They added that “one of the most important lessons of September 11” is to refuse to despair when “evil seems relentless.”
“Despair is not the language of the Gospel. Hope is,” said the U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops.
And, they said, “in the face of death, we proclaim with confidence the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the promise of eternal life.”
At one of Catholicism's most iconic places of worship, Pope Leo XIV will be met with plainly decorated aluminum panels hiding a sinister secret: scores of artwork designed by a disgraced priest accused of abusing more than two dozen women, mostly religious sisters.
The specter of Fr. Marko Rupnik, the once-celebrated Jesuit priest whose artwork adorns Catholic churches, cathedrals, seminaries and shrines the world over, has loomed over Leo's coming visit to Lourdes Sept. 26-27, where his mosaics decorate the facade of the basilica at the sanctuary's center.
Allegations of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse committed by Rupnik went public in 2022 and set off a churchwide reckoning over what to do with his artwork, which decorates churches from the world's farthest-flung corners to inside the Vatican.
Ahead of Leo's visit, Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes said that all the mosaics will be entirely covered indefinitely, expanding a 2024 decision to cover them in part.
But two weeks before Leo's France visit and an ocean away, the largest installation of Rupnik's art will be inaugurated on the western facade of the Basilica of Our Lady of Aparecida in southern Brazil, the world's second largest Catholic church after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Pilgrims arrive at the Cathedral Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida, Brazil's patron saint, in the city of Aparecida, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, Oct.12, 2024. (OSV News/Reuters/Carla Carniel, Reuters)
The two cases highlight the contrast in how local churches are dealing with Rupnik's artistic legacy following revelations of his abuse, particularly after Leo's own position on the Rupnik case has begun to emerge.
Accusers criticize Aparecida's silence
Although the decision in Lourdes to cover the mosaics followed a consultation that included listening to accusers of clerical sexual abuse, legal professionals, safeguarding experts and local chaplains, no such process has taken place in Brazil, much to the disdain of accusers and their advocates.
"When an institution must choose between preserving an image and protecting the dignity of those who have been harmed, [abuse] survivors must be at the center of that decision," Valdea Caratchuk, organizer of the Survivor's Network of Ecclesiastical Abuse in Brazil, told National Catholic Reporter about the Aparecida mosaics.
"Before they put up the works of someone who was an abuser, [the church] should listen to the opinion of victims, but that's not what has happened," she said.
Allegations against Rupnik became public in 2022, and he was expelled from the Jesuits in 2023 for refusing to comply with restrictions imposed on him by the religious order. A five-judge panel was assembled in 2025 to hear his case before the Vatican's doctrinal office in an ongoing trial.
The shrine at Aparecida, which is run by the Redemptorist Fathers, said in a 2023 statement to the BBC that it is "closely monitoring the case and awaits guidance from the Church for its decisions."
Yet since the initial allegations surfaced publicly, three more monumental mosaic patterns have been installed to cover the basilica's three other facades. The mosaics on the western facade, which alone covers more than 43,000 square feet, will be inaugurated Sept. 12.
Marketing materials soliciting donations for the mosaics make no mention of the controversy surrounding their creator. Though the shrine's original 2019 announcement of the project said that Rupnik would execute the project, its current webpage attributes the work to 39 mosaic artists "linked to the Aletti Center in Rome, Italy," which he founded. Meanwhile, the Brazilian bishops continue to hold their annual assemblies at the shrine.
Caratchuk, who says she was abused, said that not all accusers are asking that the mosaics be removed, but rather that the full story behind them, including their controversy, be acknowledged and shared.
"The victims who are pushing back against the installation of the mosaics at Aparecida do not want to erase history, on the contrary, they want it to be told in its entirety," she told NCR. "The story behind a work of art does not end with the image we see. When there is such a large controversy around its author, that also becomes part of its history."
Guilherme Dudus, an attorney who co-founded Scars of Faith, a volunteer network of lawyers, psychologists and doctors assisting clergy abuse survivors in Brazil, called Lourdes' approach an "important first step" toward making the shrine welcoming to abuse victims, but he said the mosaics should ultimately be removed in both France and Brazil.
"All art that involves someone who is abusive should be removed, because what they produce is not an art that imitates life, but an art that imitates death," he told NCR. "That is how our victims feel, but we also know this will never be achieved in Brazil."
Though some have argued that removing the art would be an unfair punishment to the other artists involved in the project, Dudus said that among victims, "everyone knows this was a project of Rupnik."
"Unfortunately, we see the whole project as contaminated," he said. "We feel deeply shaken, outraged and saddened to see that, unfortunately, a place that should be a place of welcome, of faith and, above all, of simplicity, is the stage for this monumental project which alludes to a man who destroyed the lives of so many women."
Leo distances the papacy from Rupnik
With the pope on the verge of visiting a shrine covered in Rupnik's art, Leo's own view on the situation has increasingly come into focus.
Already, Leo had demonstrated a certain degree of intentionality in distancing himself from the distinctive mosaics.
When he brought the Lenten Curial retreat back to the Vatican in his first year as pope, he chose not to use the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, where previous popes hosted the retreat and which is plastered floor-to-ceiling in Rupnik mosaics.
Micas, the Lourdes bishop, later revealed that Leo had requested that Rupnik's art no longer be used by the communications office and that the pope supported Lourdes' decision to cover the controversial mosaics.
The nunciature in Paris, which has a chapel decorated with Rupnik's art, will not host any celebrations during the pope's visit to France, OSV News reported.
Seven years since the construction on the Aparecida mosaics got underway, Leo now has his own man in Aparecida — Archbishop Mário Antônio da Silva, who was appointed by the pope in March and took over for Archbishop Orlando Brandes, who had led the archdiocese since 2017.
Da Silva, who was installed in May, visited the shrine's facade for the first time last month and praised their evangelical value, saying that they "impress everyone who looks at them closely." The archbishop declined to be interviewed for this article.
The emergence of Leo's opposition to the continued display of Rupnik's work has not altered plans for Aparecida's Sept. 12 inauguration.
For now, the two shrines remain on opposite tracks: Aparecida will unveil another facade of Rupnik mosaics, and two weeks later, Lourdes will welcome the pope with its own hidden behind aluminum panels.
Any public reference Leo makes to the artwork around him during his visit could reverberate far beyond France.
French Bishops: There is a spiritual thirst in the country as it awaits the Pope
The President of the French Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, along with other bishops, present details of Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming apostolic journey to France from September 25 to 28 at a press conference. They speak about the budget, the organizational efforts, the Journey’s motto, the Pope’s meeting with survivors of abuse and more.
By Salvatore Cernuzio
He does not want to take credit and repeatedly speaks of teamwork, but if Pope Leo XIV is going to France from September 25 to 28, a country where there is “a great spiritual thirst,” it is certainly thanks in part to Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline’s persistence and ability to seize the opportunity.
“I proposed the idea of a visit to France to the Holy Father very early on,” said the Cardinal, who is Archbishop of Marseille and President of the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF). He was speaking at a press conference on the Apostolic Journey, held along with other bishops on the morning of September 8, at the CEF headquarters.
Cardinal Aveline explained he believed the Pope was interested in coming to France but the problem was finding a date. He was initially told that 2026 was too soon and that the Pope’s schedule was already full, but he insisted on trying to organize the journey this year.
“It was an enormous challenge: only four months to prepare everything. I went to speak with the person who manages the Pope’s schedule, and at a certain point a week became available because a planned trip to Peru had been cancelled. I said: ‘Then forget Peru, let’s do France. I’ll take care of the rest’,” the Cardinal underlined.
That is how Pope Leo XIV’s fifth international Apostolic Journey – and the third to a European country – came about.
A tight timeline and a major organizational effort
The bishops explained that this is why the timeline was so tight as there were only four months to organize everything. This included securing key locations in Paris, arranging a prayer vigil at the Stade de France stadium, preparing public and restricted areas in Lourdes, and managing the small squares and churches of the city of Metz.
Above all, the organizers wanted to ensure the best possible welcome in all three locations.
The motto of the journey: a message for life
During the press conference, Cardinal Aveline also explained the origins of the motto of the Journey: “That the world may have life.”
The expression is inspired by the Gospel of John, and some have interpreted it as a reference to the debate surrounding the assisted-suicide bill approved by the French Parliament in July.
Cardinal Aveline ruled out any political interpretation, but did not deny that the motto is a message for the “defense of the dignity of human life.”
Initially the bishops thought about a motto regarding peace, but then they realized that their idea was similar to the motto for the Pope’s November/December 2025 Journey to Lebanon.
Then, during a visit to Rome, inspiration struck: “We let the idea mature, and that evening I wrote the Pope a short email: ‘Here is an idea that came to us.’ The next morning the Pope replied: ‘Yes, this is a good one’,” Cardinal Aveline explained.
When one reads the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he noted, “you can see that it is about defending the dignity of human life in all situations in which that dignity may be threatened. And there are many such situations today. The defense of the dignity of human life is at the heart of Pope Leo’s message.”
Large numbers, both in budget and attendance
Pope Leo’s journey across France is therefore expected to be intense in terms of organization, content, and also the large numbers of participants and costs. The total estimated budget for the visit to France is approximately €27 million.
At the press conference, Sylvain Guillebaud, Deputy Secretary General in charge of resources at the CEF, explained that €5.5 million have been raised so far and the fundraising continues and donations can also be made through the official website.
The initial estimate had been lower, but now expectations were adjusted, also because of the large number of faithful expected.
Indeed, reservations and registrations already point to around one million people who will participate, not only from France but also from neighboring European countries—particularly in Metz. There is also interest from people of all ages, backgrounds and, in some cases, religions.
“There is enormous enthusiasm, but there is also a tremendous organizational and logistical challenge: welcoming every faithful person and everyone who wants to see or meet the Pope in the best possible way,” emphasized Guillebaud.
The most emblematic areas of Paris
Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, of Paris, also described the undertaking as an “incredible challenge.”
The Archbishop said he was “passionate” and “absolutely confident” with regards to how preparations are going, thanks also to a team of volunteers and collaborators and the support of the Gel Evans agency, which was specifically brought in for the occasion.
It is certainly not easy, but every effort will be made “to welcome every person who comes so that they can see the Pope not on a giant screen, but in person,” he continued.
In Paris, the Archbishop said, “the most emblematic places” have been chosen, including two symbols of the city: Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées Avenue.
This has prompted some objections from the strongest supporters of the lay state, both politicians and others. “It is important to remember that we are in a lay Republic. The state does not recognize any religion, but it guarantees that different faith communities can publicly express their faith,” Cardinal Aveline explained.
“When a religious event is organized in a public space, authorization must be requested from the competent authorities. We have followed the established procedure and are not crossing any boundaries.”
The meeting with survivors of sexual abuse
Above all, the bishops emphasized the dimension of encounter that will characterize the papal journey.
There will be large public meetings, such as in stadiums or Cathedrals, but also more private encounters with smaller groups, such as a meeting with those who are sick in Lourdes or also with a group of survivors of sexual abuse.
“From the beginning, it seemed that the Pope wanted to meet survivors of sexual abuse,” Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo, spokesperson for the CEF and coadjutor bishop of La Rochelle noted.
“It is necessary to care for these victims while at the same time remaining extremely vigilant about prevention, so that the Church may be the safe home we want it to be.”
Given the context within both the Church and society, such a meeting was “obvious,” according to the bishop. The question was rather “what form it should take.”
“What determined the choice,” he explained, “was the Holy Father’s own desire that this be a truly interpersonal encounter. That required a limited number of participants, so a group of seven people was chosen.”
They were chosen by the French Bishops’ Conference and the Conference of Religious Men and Women in France after consultations with around forty groups and individuals.
Everyone offered suggestions about how the meeting could be conducted.
It “will last about an hour” and “will be of considerable importance,” Bishop Bozo said.
“The people,” he emphasized, “were selected in a balanced way. There are men and women who experienced abuse both as minors and as adults, in school and parish settings.”
The organizers sought to ensure “the fairest possible representation,” he said, but this inevitably “generated some frustration among those who were not selected.”
What they ultimately wanted to prioritize, however, “was the quality of the encounter with the Holy Father, so that a genuine exchange could take place,” which with larger numbers, would have been difficult.
In any case, anyone among the groups or individuals contacted by the bishops who wishes to communicate something to the Pope will be able to do so by sending “a written statement that will be delivered to the Holy Father.”
A pilgrim in Lourdes
Although the bishops would like everyone to have the opportunity to come into contact with the Pope during those four days, there are certain limits.
Lourdes, for example, “is a place constrained by the limited space of a mountain town and by a river flowing at the foot of the grotto,” explained Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Lourdes.
“All these constraints impose limits on capacity, permits and authorizations. We are doing everything possible to enable those who wish to come to do so in the best possible conditions.”
He however also pointed out the “great excitement” surrounding this stop, following the visits of John Paul II in 1983 and 2004 and Benedict XVI in 2008.
As many as 50,000 people will arrive in Lourdes over the weekend alone, with many more expected for the Pope’s visit.
The municipality, prefecture, law-enforcement agencies and Shrine volunteers are all “rolling up their sleeves to welcome all these people in excellent conditions, so that they can experience a pilgrimage with a special pilgrim: the Pope,” the Bishop said.
Indeed, Pope Leo will present himself precisely as a pilgrim at the famous Marian shrine, and he will go to the Grotto of the Apparitions: “He will touch the rock, drink the water, light a candle, kneel down and pray in silence, as pilgrims do in Lourdes.”
Then, as “shepherd,” he will preside over the Marian candlelight procession and celebrate Mass.
The interreligious dimension
The interreligious aspect is also an significant theme of this Apostolic Journey.
“Beyond the circles of believers, the journey is already something magnificent simply because of its preparation and the enthusiasm it has generated among so many people,” said Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise, the French Bishops’ Conference coordinator for the journey.
Meanwhile, Étienne Guillet, Bishop of Saint-Denis—the diocese on the northern outskirts of Paris where the Stade de France stadium is located, and where the youth vigil will take place—reported that almost 80,000 young people from across the country have registered to attend the evening event.
These same young people have invited Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu friends. “They live together throughout the year and felt the desire to share this great moment,” the Bishop highlighted.
“We are very attentive to ensuring that no young person is excluded from this gathering.”
Among those in the stands will also be sick people and young people living in socially difficult circumstances, as well as young people from Catholic schools and from less religious environments. Around thirty artists from a traveling circus—“Christians and non-Christians”—will also be present to greet the Pope.
From Metz, a message to Europe
The interreligious dimension will also be important in the city Metz, the last leg of the Pope’s Journey and where he will meet representatives of different faiths.
“Religions that engage in dialogue can contribute to building peace,” emphasized the Bishop of Metz, Philippe Ballot.
“For this reason, we feel that the day in Metz, while emerging from a local and national context, takes on a European and international dimension.”
Metz is truly the “heart” of Europe, not only geographically but also because of its history, which is intertwined with that of one of the founding fathers of the European Union: Robert Schuman, who was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2021.
Schuman experienced “the complexity of belonging to different nationalities and the tragedy of seeing those nationalities fight one another,” the Bishop explained.
“For this reason, reconciliation was always at the center of his life,” he continued.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Pope Leo will pay tribute to Schuman by delivering a message to all of Europe.
“When a Pope visits a country, his visit does not concern only that country but can offer something to the universal Church,” Aveline said.
“For this reason, we must be attentive and listen to what the Pope will have to say and understand what we are called to change. We can receive from his words a roadmap.”
