The bishop responsible for the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes has prohibited the Society of St. Pius X from celebrating Mass, administering the sacraments, or conducting public prayers at one of the Catholic Church’s most important Marian pilgrimage sites.
Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes announced the restriction in an Aug. 13 letter, according to LifeSiteNews, following the Holy See’s action against SSPX bishops involved in episcopal consecrations carried out without a papal mandate.
“Following the decree of schism and excommunication issued by the Holy See, I cannot authorize the celebration of Mass or other sacraments, nor even public prayers, by the Society of Saint Pius X within the Sanctuary,” Bishop Micas wrote, according to the letter cited by LifeSiteNews.
The bishop made clear, however, that individual faithful associated with the SSPX are not barred from entering Lourdes or praying privately at the shrine.
“However, it is of course possible for anyone who wishes to freely go to the Grotto or any other place within the Sanctuary to pray privately,” he wrote.
The decision comes in the aftermath of a renewed and serious canonical rupture between the SSPX and the Holy See. According to the source material cited by LifeSiteNews, six SSPX bishops were excommunicated following the consecration of four new bishops without the required papal mandate.
The prohibition is particularly significant because Lourdes holds a unique place in Catholic devotional life. The Sanctuary marks the site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 and draws pilgrims from around the world for prayer, the sacraments, and devotion to Our Lady.
The timing also places the controversy shortly before Pope Leo XIV’s September apostolic journey to France.
According to the official Vatican schedule, Pope Leo will arrive in Lourdes on the evening of September 26 and pray at the Grotto of the Apparitions at Massabielle. On September 27, he is scheduled to meet with the bishops of the French Episcopal Conference and celebrate Sunday Mass at the shrine before meeting with the sick and later participating in the traditional Rosary and torchlight procession.
LifeSiteNews also drew attention to the sanctuary’s outreach to people of other religions, reporting that Lourdes welcomes Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist visitors. The outlet noted that a joint Muslim-Catholic pilgrimage was organized last year by the group “Together with Mary.”
The contrast is likely to intensify discussion among Catholics about the bishop’s decision: members of other religions may visit the sanctuary, while SSPX clergy are specifically prohibited from celebrating Mass, administering sacraments, or leading public prayer there.
At the same time, Bishop Micas’ letter frames the restriction not as a prohibition against individual Catholics entering Lourdes, but as a consequence of the SSPX’s current canonical situation following the Holy See’s decree.
For Catholics devoted to the traditional liturgy or connected to the SSPX, the development underscores the gravity of the continuing division between the Society and Church authorities. It also places that dispute prominently before the faithful at Lourdes, a shrine whose identity has long centered on prayer, penance, conversion, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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