Rwandans pray where Virgin Mary 'appeared' to schoolgirls
Catholic pilgrims gather for celebrations in Kibeho in southern Rwanda on November 28, 2016 to mark the anniversary of the reported apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1981 in the hope of receiving miracles and being healed from illnesses and disabilities. Kibeho has become a little Lourdes with pilgrims flocking to southern Rwanda in hopes of a miracle, 35 years after three Rwandan women had a vision, a vision that was later recognised by the Catholic Church and is now regarded by some as a premonition of the Rwandan Genocide. PHOTO|AFP
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A service held Monday in the small, isolated town marked the 35th anniversary of the first reported appearance of the mother of Christ, which was authenticated by the Vatican in 2001.
People crowded together in front of the brick church, some seated on the grass, facing a platform surrounded by blue and white flags, to hear the mass said in Kinyarwanda, French and English.
