Soldiers pilgrimage

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A soldiers' pilgrimage is a pilgrimage as part of military pastoral care .

The history of the international military pilgrimage ( French : Pélerinage militaire international ) goes back to 1944, when French soldiers first made a pilgrimage to Lourdes . First other soldiers from the region and then from all over France took part in the pilgrimage to Lourdes. In 1953, at a meeting of war veterans, the idea of ​​expanding this national pilgrimage to an international level developed. The aim was for Lourdes to become a meeting place and a place for reconciliation between the nations that fought each other in World War II .

The first international soldiers' pilgrimage took place in 1958, when the apparitions of the Virgin Mary celebrated the 100th anniversary. In 2008 about 25,000 soldiers from 40 nations took part in the 50th International Soldiers' Pilgrimage.

In 2012, director Tarek Ehlail addressed the pilgrimage in a documentary entitled Warrior of Faith .

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