In front of the taps which serve, without counting, water from the so-called miraculous source, Marie-Chantal, 46, a geriatric assistant in Seine-et-Marne, drinks until thirsty. Usually, this fan of the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, has to wait forever or almost before being able to fill her bottle and cans with the drink to which we attribute healing powers.
“But this year, there are no long lines,” says the believer. The 147th national pilgrimage, the culmination of which takes place this Saturday, Assumption Day, is lived in exceptional conditions, far from huge crowds, due to the abolition of organized group trips and the absence of the sick . For this 2020 vintage, due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the mass to the glory of the mother of Jesus will not take place in front of 20,000 faithful piled up on the meadow, in front of the cave where the "Blessed Virgin" would have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Chaired by Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, right-hand man of Pope Francis, it will be celebrated in the underground basilica of Saint Pius X, facing a maximum of 5,000 Catholics, while the building can accommodate five times as many. A limit of 5,000 other visitors gathered on the esplanade was also authorized. Welcome to the so-called "static" processions: the statue of the Virgin circulates in the midst of stopped pilgrims, who no longer have the right to wander, clustered behind it.
"I miss the sick, I think of them"
This Thursday, August 13, in the aisles, we meet migrants from Sri Lanka exiled in Paris, Indian nuns based in Pisa in Italy, scouts from France or Europe, tourists from France happy to breathe the fresh air of the Pyrenees. Lots of strollers, but very few wheelchairs. No stretcher. "I miss the sick, I think of them", assures Valérie, 52, ex-driver from Bordeaux (Gironde), who "gave up everything" to be able to pray all year round in Lourdes.
The pilgrims willingly lend themselves to the obligation to wear the mask. "They are very respectful of the instructions, they understand", incenses Bishop Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector of the sanctuary. Those who, in the past, knew the Marian city at that time of the year no longer recognize it. “Usually, it's crowded, you really have to have faith to come,” says Pascal, 65, a holidaymaker in transit, before heading back to Bayonne.
“Devotion is less,” observes Grégory, 40, father of seven angels, who “thank God” “all have faith”. In front of the cave, the tribe kneels and recites, among other things, a “Hail Mary…” Impossible, until further notice, to touch the wall while making a wish.
"Outside, it sings less"
Next to the traditional candelabra burns an XXL candle “for canceled pilgrimages”. “The Covid, we think about it, of course, but it does not block us. I feel a lot of serenity ”, praises Father Jean-Christophe, after a session of meditation.
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At the swimming pools, the rite of immersing oneself in marble baths fed by the spring displaying a freezing 12 ° C has been reviewed and corrected, replaced by "the gesture of water". “With the pitcher, which is passed through the disinfectant wipe, you wash your face, not your entire body. But this is not a cheap move. We continue to reproduce the request of the Virgin Mary to Bernadette: Come and drink this water and wash yourself in it! Bernadette must have scratched to find the source. There, no need to scratch, ”smiles Antoine, a hospitable blue jacket in charge of the swimming pools.
The chapel of confessions is temporarily closed. It is henceforth in the basilica of Saint Pius X that one can quickly free oneself from his sins, without having to brave the usual traffic jams of flocks eager to repent. The confessors are not on short-time work, but they are less numerous than in 2019. At the entrance, Father Jean-Jacques, 77 years old, including fifty of priesthood, blessed rosaries, medals and other objects of piety. In his eyes, or rather his ears, the fervor has subsided. “Outside, they sing less, they play the guitar less,” he emphasizes.
An announced loss of eight million euros
Even though she walks painfully with a cane, Carmen, 75, accompanied by her husband Luis, 76, insisted on making the trip from San Sebastian in Spain. “I am here with the help of God. I am not afraid of the Covid. In life, we must not stand idly by ”, she argues. Towards the exit, the distributors of two-euro medals bearing the effigy of Pope Francis are frankly not taken by storm.
We do not jostle more to make a donation in the trunks. The year 2020 could end with a hole of eight million euros for the sanctuary, whose economy depends on offerings. Outside, the vendors of snow globes or Lourdes-stamped backpacks are living a commercial hell: "80% fewer loyalists, that's as much drop in turnover", calculates a seller ... who does not no longer believes in miracles.
The Assumption, the feast of the Virgin Mary
Great feast of Christian life which is accompanied by religious processions, the Assumption celebrates, on August 15, both death, resurrection, entry into paradise and the coronation of the Virgin Mary, "mother of Christ, God's Son ". From the Latin "assumere" which means to take, remove, assume, the etymology underlines, according to the website of the Catholic Church in France "divine initiative", because "Mary does not rise all alone towards the heaven, it is God who chooses to assume it, body and soul, by uniting her to his Son without waiting for the final resurrection, so much has she known how to unite with him from her earthly life ”.
Having committed no sin, she was thus directly welcomed into paradise, enjoying eternal life. The layman often confuses “Assumption” and “Ascension”. In both cases, it is a question of a mysterious departure up there. From the Latin "ascendere" (to ascend), the feast of the Ascension, which takes place 40 days after Easter, on a Thursday, designates the elevation of Jesus to heaven and thus marks the end of the - visible - presence of Christ, on Earth.