Luther's pilgrimage restarts Nine thousand followers pray for friendship

Agence France-Presse reported that August 15 is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption), and despite the severity of the epidemic, nearly 9,000 people attended The Mass in Lourdes, France's largest Catholic pilgrimage site. In addition, about 300 patients who hoped to achieve miraculous healing through pilgrimage attended the Assumption Day Mass, but it was still much less than in previous years.

Michel de Verneuil, head of the HospitalitéNotre-Dame du Salut, who organizes pilgrimages throughout France, said he did not expect that there would be so many pilgrims during the pandemic and international travel restrictions, "they waited for two years, two years of solitude." You see, joy is written on the face."

In 2020, lutheran holy land was closed for the first time ever due to the outbreak, closed for several weeks, and 85% of pilgrimages were cancelled.

According to the Catholic Church, in 1858 the maiden Bernadette Soubirous saw the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Luther's cave. Pilgrims usually touch the stone walls of caves and kiss the stones under the statue of our Lady, but this year to avoid contagion, the caves are closed and forbidden to enter.

Hélène Thurnreiter, an 80-year-old woman, said: "I was surprised that so many people came, after all, it is different from previous years. I'm glad they came on a pilgrimage. She is from Mulhouse and prays for those who have died from covid-19.

Pilgrims line up at the Gave River in front of the Cave of the Virgin Spirit Stone, waiting to receive local water from bottles and kettles in the fountain. The local water is said to have miraculous healing properties. Marie-Bernadette Zombré, 44, is Bordeaux but has lived in Luther for 5 years. "We feel protected and no longer afraid," she said. Here, we feel that there is hope for a cure for the disease. I came here because of the pain in my crotch. There have been many miracles here, and maybe miracles will come to us as well. ”

Organizers said that by 10 a.m. on the 15th, there were nearly 9,000 people at the scene. The Assumption Day Mass is held in the Cathedral of Saint-Pie X, in multiple languages, and is presided over by Michel Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris.

Everyone, both inside and outside the church, wears a mask, but does not have to show a health pass. The law stipulates that visitors are required to present a health pass to visit religious sites, but believers are not required to show a health pass to participate in religious activities at religious sites.

In the front row of the church are about 300 patients, most of them in wheelchairs. When Archbishop Obertina preached, they all prayed in silence. Archbishop Obertina spoke of "fraternity", which was the theme of this year's pilgrimage; he welcomed the faithful back to the Holy Land.

Archbishop Olivier Ribadeau Dumas of Lutheran Holy Land said: "The theme of fraternity is particularly important for a declining, divided French society, for a French society rife with physical and verbal violence. Fraternity, which is a need, is not always available. ”

On the evening of the 14th, about 9,300 people marched on candles in the square in front of the Cave of the Apparition of the Virgin. They held up candles and prayed incessantly, "I salute you, Mary."

Although many believers have returned and there is no limit to the number of people who can move, foreign believers have not come. Usually foreign pilgrims account for 65% of the total number of pilgrims. The city of Lutheran is very dependent on tourism, has many hotels, and is the second most inn city in France, after Paris. However, more than forty hotels are still closed.

Hervé Jeanson, president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants, said: "Most hotels were open at the beginning of July, but there were very few guests, and the occupancy rate was only 10%. He hoped that there would be more and more pilgrims going on.

In August, Luther City receives more than 1 million tourists or pilgrims, but in a normal year it should have received 3.5 million people. Luther City receives 30,000 patients a year and is expected to receive only one-tenth this year.

(Editor: Summer Rain)