Schism with rebel Catholic sect casts a pall over Pope Leo’s visit to France

Nestled in the foothills of the Pyrénées, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes is one of Catholicism’s most important pilgrimage sites, drawing millions of visitors each year, including sick and disabled believers hoping for a cure from its famed spring waters. The hallowed site is also a flashpoint in a decades-long dispute dividing the Catholic world, which threatens to put a damper on Pope Leo’s visit to the shrine on Sunday – a highlight of the first papal state visit to France in almost 20 years. Read morePope Leo XIV to trace back French ancestry, spiritual roots on visit to France The dispute involving the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) escalated sharply in July when the Vatican excommunicated followers of the splinter sect who defied Pope Leo by ordaining four bishops – including two Frenchmen – without his consent. Following the schism, the bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes declared that SSPX members would be barred from organising events at the sanctuary in October for their annual Pilgrimage of Christ the King, which draws thousands of pilgrims from across Europe to the vast underground halls of the Basilica of Saint Pius X in Lourdes. Challenge to the Vati...