Pope John Paul, calling himself a sick man among the sick, arrived in the world's premier Roman Catholic "miracle shrine" on Saturday
Published:
16 August 2004 y., Monday
Pope John Paul, calling himself a sick man among the sick, arrived in the world's premier Roman Catholic "miracle shrine" on Saturday and urged society not to cast aside the old and the suffering.
The 84-year-old Pope, racked by Parkinson's disease and arthritis, began a 32-hour trip to the southwestern French city where the Madonna is said to have appeared to the peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
His frailty was evident in his airport arrival address to President Jacques Chirac, which he read slowly, and later at the famous grotto where the visions are said to have taken place.
Aides had rested him on a kneeler to pray but he lost his balance and they had to rush up to prevent him from falling and seated him back on his wheeled throne.
After several minutes of intense prayer, he designated a cardinal to read his address for him, even though it was only four paragraphs long.
"With you I share a time marked by physical suffering, yet not for that reason any less fruitful in God's wondrous plan," he said.
The Pope was then wheeled away for some rest before a planned return to the grotto in the evening for a candlelight procession around the shrine which some six million people visit each year, many of them sufferers who pray for miracle cures as they drink holy waters.
Šaltinis:
slovakiapost.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Ensuring that women are protected from physical, sexual or psychological abuse if they flee abroad is what lies behind the proposed European Protection Order.
more »
Remnants of Tropical Storm Agatha dumped more rain across Central America, killing at least 73 people in the region, and forcing scores of others to flee their homes.
more »
Ninety-three-year old Lim Guan Siew looks back, with regret, on her experience of the long-dispelled Chinese custom of foot-binding.
more »
Ahead of the 2010 No Tobacco Day (Monday 31st May), the European Commission unveils the results of a Eurobarometer survey which shows that a strong majority of EU citizens support stronger tobacco control measures.
more »
Enviromentalist and endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh puts his body to the test in thin air and cold water to highlight shrinking glaciers in high mountain ranges.
more »
It’s a dog’s life for the 1,500 unwanted strays who spend their days in a slum-like shelters in Brazil’s southern city of Caxias do Sul.
more »
Three resolutions on the situation in Thailand, the pre-election climate in Burma and religious freedom in Pakistan were adopted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday.
more »
Growing numbers of children enroll in kung-fu schools to learn self-defense techniques after a series of school attacks in recent weeks spark wide-spread concern in China.
more »
Homosexuality in the military can be a thorny issue around the world, with gay and lesbian soldiers often hiding their sexual preference out of fear.
more »
European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding will urge EU Member States to swiftly ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during a May 19 Ministers’ meeting in Zaragoza, Spain.
more »