Pope Benedict XVI will have a chance to show his compassionate side during a visit to France centred on a pilgrimage next weekend to Lourdes, a beacon of hope for the sick and the poor.Lourdes, the most important Marian sanctuary in the world, is where a young shepherdess, Bernadette Soubirous, reported seeing visions of the Virgin several times in 1858.
The Pyrenees town in southwest France logs some five million visitors a year, many drawn by compelling accounts of miraculous healing, notably from the area's water.
For many, the visit by the intellectual Benedict -- whose trip to France begins on Friday -- will recall that of his predecessor John Paul II, much more closely associated with the popular cult of Mary, in 2004 just eight months before he died.
That visit saw the Polish pope weak and faltering, embodying the message of healing for the sick and invalid.
"Contrary to what you might imagine, Benedict XVI has a very positive judgement of demonstrations of popular faith like those that you can see at Lourdes," said Sandro Magister, a respected Vatican expert who writes for the Italian weekly L'Espresso.
The 81-year-old Benedict will visit the shrine "as a simple pilgrim," French Cardinal Paul Poupard said, adding: "Like his predecessor John Paul II, Benedict XVI has great piety towards Mary."
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(Source: AFP)