We must repent today, not tomorrow, Pope preaches at Lourdes

September 28, 2026

Pope Leo XIV issued a call for repentance as he celebrated an outdoor Mass on September 27 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes (video 1, video 2).

“The call to repentance runs through Sacred Scripture and the preaching of the Gospel down the centuries,” Pope Leo preached, as he reflected on the Scripture readings of the day. “Its gravity reminds us of the urgency and necessity of conversion. It is today, not tomorrow, that we must repent.”

The Pope continued:

To repent is to leave the paths on which we lost our way, and to follow the way of life, opening our hearts to the sole joy that never passes away. Jesus himself is quite direct in calling us to repentance. As Saint Luke tells us, “Unless you repent, you will all perish” (Lk 13:5).

But he also extends our horizon beyond this earthly life to the horizon of eternal life. For while happiness in this world is fleeting and relative, and sadly sometimes out of reach for some, true happiness is promised to everyone in hope, and this is what we should seek above all else, in all our efforts and choices. Did not the Virgin Mary say to Saint Bernadette, “I do not promise to make you happy in this world but in the next”?

The Pontiff then reflected on the practice of penance.

“We hear the same urgent call to conversion in the words which Mary spoke right here, ‘Penance! Penance! Penance!’“, Pope Leo said “She repeats the word three times. And she asks Bernadette to perform certain acts of penance.”

The Pope commented:

Why? Are we slow to understand? Do we too easily think of ourselves without sin? Do we not practice penance enough? 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. How can our hearts not be moved by the conflicts that are spreading and destroying so many innocent lives? Yet the evil of our time comes from the human heart. God is not responsible for it. As he says to the Israelites, “Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?” (Ez 18:25). It is therefore human hearts that must change, beginning with our own.

Penance is an act of love, carried out in solidarity with the human family. It is an act of love for God, because we want to make amends for the wounds our sins have dealt to his heart. It is also an act of love for those brothers and sisters of ours who do not heed this call to conversion, and whose sins lead them towards death. This call to conversion also concerns the Church herself as she makes her earthly journey. She must have the courage to begin with herself. In order to heal the deep wounds, infidelities and painful errors that have occurred within her, we must humbly place ourselves under the Lord’s purifying gaze.

“Our Mother’s reminder of our duty to pray and repent fills us with great hope, because she shows us that the way to change the course of things is by uniting ourselves to the passion of Christ,” Pope Leo added. “Dear friends who are sick, so many of you here in Lourdes are familiar with suffering. You can live your trials and pains in this spirit of offering, and so take part in the redemptive work that the world so greatly needs. In this way, you are truly at the heart of the Church, and your role is irreplaceable.”

 

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Further information:

• Apostolic Journey to France: Holy Mass (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 9/27/26)
• Pope to pilgrims in Lourdes: ‘You will leave as missionaries of hope' (Vatican News, 9/27/26)