ACCORDING to the Catholic Mirror, one of the most famous Catholic shrines in the world — the Grotto of Lourdes — is to be closed up. The French government, which is not on good terms with the papacy, has laid its hand on this Catholic Mecca with a view of putting an end to the numerous pilgrimages of which it is the goal, whether on the ground of its fraudulent character or because of the disorder and hostile demonstrations to which such gatherings might lead, is not stated. The Mirror says:— It is announced that Lourdes will be closed, and the grotto that has been the scene of such miraculous cures in the past will be erased from the map, to remain but in the memory of man. It seems more and more probable also that the abolition of the Concordat, the century-old agreement between France and the papacy, is about to follow. The Mirror says that Pope Pius X has already “repudiated” this agreement, to the surprise of the church. He is willing that it should be annulled. The recent visit of President Loubet to the Italian king, against which Pope Pius protested, has further widened the breach between church and state in France.