Some 30,000 pilgrims gathered to mark the feast of the
Assumption of the Virgin Mary had to be evacuated from the shrine after police
receiving an anonymous call that said four bombs would explode on the site at 3
p.m.
“An inspection of the area showed that the threat was
unfounded,” a Lourdes spokesman said.
Lourdes, in southwestern France, is where the Virgin Mary is
said to have appeared more than a dozen times to a young shepherdess,
Bernadette Soubirous, 152 years ago.
The town’s Sanctuary, covering 51 hectares and including
more than 20 places of worship, hosts millions of pilgrims each year.
The shrine’s website says 67 confirmed “miracle” healings
have taken place at Lourdes.