Grandfather claims Lourdes holy water cured his cancer

A GRANDFATHER’S belief that his inoperable cancer was miraculously cured by holy water at Lourdes will be tested by doctors on Songs Of Praise.

Kazik Stepan, 71, visited the Roman Catholic sacred site in France as a teenager after he was diagnosed with a tumour on his spinal cord that left him unable to walk.

Doctors feared he would not even survive the pilgrimage but Mr Stepan, from Kent, claims that after bathing in holy water there he was able to walk for the first time in months.

He will revisit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, in the foothills of the Pyrenees in south-western France, where his claim of a miracle will be assessed by the International Medical Committee of Lourdes, comprising 30 doctors. They must be certain that Mr Stepan was incurable before they can decide that he was ‘blessed with a permanent recovery’.

Mr Stepan visited Lourdes in 1965 and believes he was granted the ‘present of life’. Water at the site flows from the Grotto of Massabielle and is claimed to have healing properties. Speculation about its qualities began in 1858 when the spring’s location is said to have been revealed by Our Lady of Lourdes – a title for the Virgin Mary of the Catholic faith – to Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

Around 100 people claim to be miraculously healed by the water of Lourdes every year, although the Catholic Church has only certified 70 miracles linked to the site.

If doctors confirm Mr Stepan’s claim, he will be the first Briton to have his cure verified. They will announce their decision next month. The Songs Of Praise episode covering his return will air on September 15 on BBC1.