Lourdes makes the Wall Street Journal

I was surprised to see an article on Lourdes, where miracles have supposedly occurred, on page 1 of yesterday's WSJ. It seems that a Dutch insurance company takes 600 disabled people to Lourdes every year. They've been doing this since 1990 not because they necessarily believe in miracles but they have found that these trips "lead people to compassion and friendship". Of course, the company also feels that it is good for business.

Lourdes has had a fascination for me ever since I saw Jennifer Jones as St. Bernadette in a film shown in a church basement many moons ago. A few years ago I did some research on Lourdes and came to the conclusion that:

Yes, man is gullible and easily deceived by others or his own wishful thinking. Mass hallucinations have occurred. Pious frauds have existed. Closer, more comprehensive and independent examinations have explained away a number of claims of the miraculous. And yet, there remains a doubt in my mind that questions the certitude of those who assert the impossibility of miracles.