FRANCE: AT THE HOLY SHRINE OF LOURDES THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS GATHER TO PRAY FOR POPE JOHN PAUL II FOLLOWING HIS DEATH
Record ID:
648486
FRANCE: AT THE HOLY SHRINE OF LOURDES THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS GATHER TO PRAY FOR POPE JOHN PAUL II FOLLOWING HIS DEATH
- Title: FRANCE: AT THE HOLY SHRINE OF LOURDES THOUSANDS OF PILGRIMS GATHER TO PRAY FOR POPE JOHN PAUL II FOLLOWING HIS DEATH
- Date: 4th April 2005
- Summary: (EU) LOURDES, FRANCE (APRIL 3, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. GV PYRENEES 0.03 2. SLV STREETS OF LOURDES WITH FLAGS; WOMAN IN MEDITATION; SCU FLOWERS OFFERED IN MEMORY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II; PILGRIMS IN CONTEMPLATION; SLV PILGRIMS GOING TO THE CAVE (7 SHOTS) 0.35 3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: "I am pleased that the Holy Father did not last too long, his suffering. He's got to heaven a long time before any of us." 0.43 4. MV MORE PILGRIMS 0.47 5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) RECTOR LOURDES SANCTUARY RAYMOND ZAMBELLI SAYING: "I feel a great peace, the Christian death is the peace, the fight is over, the pain is over, it's peace. So if the Pope is in peace I am in unison with what he is feeling: my spirit is in peace because I know that the Pope is in peace." 1.16 6. WIDE SHOT OF THE CAVE; PILGRIMS PRAYING IN FRONT OF CAVE 1.25 7. MV PRIEST CELEBRATING THE MASS; STATUE OF MARY, WHOM CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IS THE MOTHER OF JESUS; PILGRIMS DRINKING HOLY WATER; TOP SHOT OF PILGRIMS (7 SHOTS) 1.55 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th April 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOURDES, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA8W5RUIRL00QVOETD1FYEZ348N
- Story Text: At the holy shrine of Lourdes, thousands of pilgrims
have gathered to pray for the Pope.
Pilgrims from around the world gathered in Lourdes,
one of the holiest shrines of Christendom, on Sunday (April
3, 2005) to pray for John Pope II following his death at the
Vatican City on Saturday (April 2) night.
Crowds of devoted visitors converged at the Grotte where
they recited prayers and lit candles throughout the day to
honor the Polish Pope who led the world's 1.1 billion
Catholics for more than a quarter of a century. Many said
they were sad to hear the news but few were in tears. They
said they were relieved that the Pontiff's suffering was
now over.
The rector of the Lourdes Sanctuary Raymond Zambelli
told Reuters TV the Pope was now in a better place and his
agony over.
Many Pilgrims said they felt privileged to be in Lourdes
at the moment because it was the last place the Pontiff
made an official overseas visit.
John Paul II went to Lourdes for August 14 and 15 in
2004, to pray in front of the grotto where the Virgin Mary
is said to have appeared in an apparition in 1858.
In fact the Pontiff visited Lourdes twice, and pilgrims
said he came like many others, suffering from ill health
and looking for comfort.
Hundreds of Italian pilgrims planning to come to Lourdes
reportedly cancelled their trip on hearing of the Pope's
death choosing instead to head to Rome. The Lourdes cave is
highly symbolic because of the miracle said to have
occurred in 1858, when the Virgin Mary appeared several
times in front of a young peasant girl named Bernadette.
Since then, 66 miracles have officially occured in Lourdes.
John Paul II was a fervent admirer of the Virgin Mary,
and his visits to Lourdes were extremely emotional
occasions for him.
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