LOURDES, France, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Pope John Paul II celebrated an open air Mass Sunday in Lourdes, France, with more than 250,000 pilgrims, many who were very ill, in attendance.
The BBC reported the pope prayed before a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Grotto of Bernadette, making a rare reference to his declining health.
A Vatican spokesman said the 84-year-old pontiff wanted to show he was close to the 6 million pilgrims, who seek healing and worship at the shrine each year.
A 14-year-old French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, said she saw visions of the Virgin Mary in a cave in the mid-19th century. Every day thousands of pilgrims visit the grotto of Bernadette to pray, light candles and bathe in spring water, which many believe has curative powers.
The visit was the Pope's second pilgrimage to Lourdes.
