Pope Leo XIV visits Lourdes Grotto

Pope Leo XIV visited the Grotto of Massabielle as a pilgrim on Sept. 27. His presence at the Lourdes shrine served as a reminder of why the Church recognizes apparitions while maintaining that public revelation is complete.

According to reports from Catholic News Agency and Catholic World Report, the visit highlighted the distinction between the finished deposit of public revelation and the subordinate role of private revelations. The Church teaches that God's communication reached its fullness in Jesus Christ, as stated in the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, further notes that the faithful do not accept new public revelations as part of the divine deposit of faith.