Pope visits France
South-west France is to receive the Pope in a week or so, revolving around a visit to Lourdes, the town in the northern Pyrenees.
Lourdes, as we all know, is best known because 150 years ago a local girl, Bernadette Soubirous, spoke several times to an apparition of the Virgin Mary.
Since then Lourdes has attracted millions of believers looking for a miracle cure, and if memory serves, there have so far been 67 confirmed miraculous healings.
The town is now celebrating 150 years of unexpected fame.
As part of the commemoration of the year for the Pyreneean town, the Pope has decreed that indulgences will be granted to Catholics visiting the town during the year. Catholic indulgences, if you weren’t aware, entitle people to spend less time in purgatory in the afterlife.
If you are visiting an interesting bit of trivia - there are more hotels in Lourdes than in any other French city except Paris.
Anyway, a warm welcome to the Pope and best wishes to all that are travelling to Lourdes this week.
For the indulgences to apply you need to visit before December 8th.
