Vatican City – February 11, 2026
On the World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo XIV gathered in prayer with the sick at the Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens, entrusting all those who suffer to the care of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Shortly after his Wednesday general audience, the Holy Father lit a candle and knelt in silent prayer before the statue of the Virgin Mary at the grotto. He was joined by about a dozen people in wheelchairs, accompanied by caregivers, who sang “Immaculate Mary,” the beloved Lourdes hymn.
“It is a very beautiful day that reminds us of the closeness of Mary, our mother,” the Pope said. “She always accompanies us and teaches us so much: what suffering means, what love means, and what it means to entrust our lives into the hands of the Lord.”
A Day Dedicated to the Sick
The Catholic Church observes the World Day of the Sick each year on February 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The annual observance was instituted in 1992 by Pope John Paul II, one year after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The date commemorates the first Marian apparition to Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 in Lourdes, France. Over six months, the young Bernadette reported 18 apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a small grotto. A spring later emerged at the site, and numerous miraculous healings were reported. Today, Lourdes remains one of the world’s most visited Marian shrines.
The Vatican’s Lourdes Grotto
The Lourdes grotto in the Vatican Gardens is a reproduction commissioned by Pope Leo XIII near the end of his life. It was solemnly inaugurated in 1905 by his successor, Pope Pius X, and has since served as a quiet place of prayer for popes and pilgrims alike.
A “Samaritan Spirit”
In his 2026 message for the World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo XIV encouraged Catholics to embrace a “Samaritan spirit,” calling on the faithful to give generously of themselves for those who are ill, elderly, or afflicted.
He prayed for God’s blessing upon the sick and those who care for them — including doctors, nurses, pastoral workers, and family members — acknowledging their service in moments of vulnerability and pain.
The Pope concluded his message with a heartfelt prayer to Mary, invoking her as 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.”
As candles flickered beside the grotto and hymns echoed through the gardens, the Pope’s gesture underscored the Church’s call to compassion — a reminder that, even in suffering, no one walks alone.