French nun cured of decades-old back ailment named 70th Lourdes miracle | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

French nun cured of decades-old back ailment named 70th Lourdes miracle

Agence France-Presse, Lille | ByAgence France-Presse
Feb 12, 2018 02:21 PM IST

The medical committee in Lourdes confirmed that Sister Bernadette Moriau’s recovery could not be explained scientifically.

The case of a French nun who recovered from a decades-old back problem that prevented her from walking normally has been recognised as the 70th miracle at France’s fabled shrine of Lourdes, her church said Sunday.

Pilgrims queue up to visit the grotto at Lourdes in southwestern France.(AP File Photo)
Pilgrims queue up to visit the grotto at Lourdes in southwestern France.(AP File Photo)

Sister Bernadette Moriau from northern France visited the holy spring in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains in July 2008, then aged 69, seeking a cure to her ailment like millions of other pilgrims each year.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Shortly after returning home, her chronic sciatica or pinched spinal nerve disappeared for the first time since her condition was diagnosed at the age of 27.

Sister Bernadette had undergone four unsuccessful operations.

“She experienced an unusual feeling of relaxation and heat in the whole of her body (and) heard a voice telling her to take off her equipment, the corset and the leg brace,” said a statement from her Catholic parish in Beauvais in the north of France.

After further examinations by doctors and three meetings of church figures in Lourdes, the medical committee in the town confirmed that Moriau’s recovery could not be explained scientifically, the statement said.

“Sister Bernadette Moriau now has a perfectly normal life,” the committee’s president Alessandro de Franciscis told AFP. “She is in very good health and herself visits the sick on a regular basis.”

Lourdes is one of the most revered sites for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics because the town is said to be where the Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant girl in a grotto.

A press conference will be held Tuesday in Beauvais featuring Sister Bernadette, De Franciscis and the bishop of the local diocese, Jacques Benoit-Gonnin.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On