Vatican City, Jun 23, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, director of the Holy See Press Office, announced this morning that "the Holy Father John Paul II will go on pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Lourdes, France, on August 14 and 15, 2004 for the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary."
The press office added that the Holy Father is scheduled to leave Ciampino Airport in Rome at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 14 for the two-hour trip to Tarbes, from where he will depart by car for Lourdes, a trip of about 45 minutes. For the return trip to Rome, the Pope is scheduled to leave Tarbes Airport at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, August 15.