Pope To Visit Lourdes Shrine in France
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VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI will visit the Lourdes shrine in southern France this week, following the same path many have taken hoping for miracles.
Pope Benedict will be a pilgrim and what he calls a “messenger” of peace in his first trip to France as pontiff, a four-day sojourn that begins Friday in Paris.
His stay in the French capital will coincide with the second anniversary of his speech about Islam that strained Vatican relations with much of the Muslim world.
The rector of the Paris Mosque, Dalil Boubakeur, who is among the Muslim leaders invited to hear the pope speak Friday evening, said Pope Benedict’s 2006 Regensburg lecture to theologians in Germany surprised him, coming from a man who is so “deep and discreet.”
In that speech, Pope Benedict quoted a 14-century Byzantine emperor who was explaining why spreading faith through violence is unreasonable.
The pope has said he is sorry for any offense his Regensburg remarks caused and Boubakeur said that was “ancient history.”
“Through his speeches we know that he is a man of peace and dialogue,” Boubakeur said.
