Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Nun cured of Parkinson's speaks to press

AP - Fri Mar 30, 8:12 AM ET

French nun Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre poses in the gardens of the Aix-en-Provence's Archdiocese, north of Marseille, southern France, after talking during a press conference, Friday, March 30, 2007. Smiling broadly, the nun said Friday that she was inexplicably and suddenly 'cured' of Parkinson's disease in 2005, a case that could prompt the Roman Catholic Church to beatify Pope John Paul II. Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre stopped short of declaring her recovery a miracle, saying that was for the church to decide. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
Enlarge photo...

From CNN comes this video of today's press conference.

And, from Catholic News Agency comes this article:

Sister Marie Simon-Pierre speaks of miraculous cure at press conference

Nun claims Pope John Paul II may have brought about a miraculous cure for her Parkinson's

Paris, Mar 30, 2007 / 12:13 pm (CNA).- “All I can tell you is that I was sick and now I am cured. It is for the church to say and to recognize whether it is a miracle,” so said the 46 year-old Religious Sister who many think may have been miraculously cured through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II. The French nun, the identity of whom was unknown to the world until this week, spoke to the press in today.

According to the Associated Press, Sister Marie Simon-Pierre stopped short of declaring her recovery a miracle, saying that was for the church to decide. But she said her life "totally changed" after her symptoms vanished in one night of prayer and mystery in 2005.

Smiling broadly, the French nun, whose claims could be accepted as the miracle that the Vatican needs to Beatify Pope John Paul II, said Friday that she was inexplicably and suddenly "cured" of Parkinson's disease - thanks to him.

"I am cured. It is the work of God, through the intercession of Pope John Paul II," told Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, smiling broadly before a barrage of television cameras.

"It's something very strong, very difficult to put into words," she told reporters in the southern French city of Aix en Provence.

Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre had been suffering from Parkinson's, a degenerative disease of the nervous system, since 2001, but has testified that she was cured in the night of June 2, 2005 after praying to John Paul II, whose final years were also marked by the disease.
more...

posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 2:00 PM