www.lourdes2004.com: that’s the address of the official site of the pilgrimage of John Paul II to Lourdes, due to take place on 14/15 August 2004 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The French Episcopal Conference has issued a statement to confirm the creation of the website, which is bilingual (French and English) and intended for all those who wish to follow the event. Visitors to the site will find all the necessary information, ranging from the programme for the two-day visit to the procedures for participating in it, from accommodation facilities in the little town in the Pyrenees to the route to reach it by car. Closer to the Pope’s arrival, the website will also publish interviews, news and reportages together with audio and video files. Naturally the site will also contain the texts of the discourses and messages of the Pope during the days of the pilgrimage together with those of the liturgical celebrations. The Pope’s journey to Lourdes is his seventh to France. John Paul II already visited the Marian sanctuary back in 1983. His last visit to France was in 1997, on the occasion of World Youth Day in Paris.
