Two recent decisions by French Bishop Jean-Marc Micas have positioned the Marian shrine at Lourdes as a microcosm for church issues ahead of the pope's visit there at the end of September.
Pope Leo XIV will meet with survivors of clergy abuse during a four-day trip to France next month that will include a visit to UNESCO headquarters, a meeting with French bishops in Lourdes and an interreligious meeting in the border city of Metz.
Ahead of the first anniversary of his election to the chair of St. Peter, it was announced that Pope Leo XIV is officially expected to visit France in late September, the French bishops' conference confirmed May 6.
