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Some 4,000 pilgrims visited the Massabielle Grotto at the centre of the Marian sanctuary of Lourdes on 11 February as the famous site reopened after two years of Covid-imposed closure.
Touching the grotto’s rock wall and viewing the source of Lourdes water are part of the rituals the faithful perform at the sanctuary. The Virgin Mary was said to have made the first of 18 apparitions to Bernadette Soubirous here on 11 February 1858.
Pope Saint John Paul II declared 11 February the World Day of the Sick in 1992.
“Pilgrims can once again complete their pilgrimage in complete serenity,” said Fr Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, rector of the sanctuary, during the Mass celebrating the reopening. “This shows the health crisis is almost completely behind us.”
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