THE PILGRIMS WITH BANNERS; ARRIVING AT SHRINE; PRIEST AT ALTAR; PRINCESSES IRENE OF HOLLAND AND MARIA NIEVES, SISTER OF PRINCE HUGO CARLOS; MASS CELEBRATED. (NATURAL SOUND)




Initials RM/VS/BOB/EEH



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Background: UP TO 30,000 OF SPAIN'S ROYALISTS -- SO-CALLED CARLISTS SUPPORTING THE IDEA OF THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SPANISH MONARCHY -- STAGED THEIR ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE ON MONTEJURRA, A MOUNTAIN NEAR ESTELLA IN NORTHERN SPAIN, YESTERDAY (SUNDAY). THE SHRINE IS DEDICATED TO THE ROYALISTS WHO WERE KILLED IN TWO BATTLES NEAR ESTELLA DURING CARLIST CIVIL WARS ENDING IN THE 1870's.

THE MODERN CARLISTS SUPPORT THE PRESENT PRETENDER TO THE SPANISH THRONE, PRINCE HUGO CARLOS, THE HEAD OF THE BOURBON PARMA LINE, WHO IS MARRIED TO PRINCESS IRENE OF HOLLAND. HOWEVER, THE SPANISH DICTATOR, GENERALISSIMO FRANCO, SUPPORTS ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE FAMILY, PRINCE JUAN CARLOS, TO BE KING IF AND WHEN HE ALLOWS A RETURN TO THE MONARCHY.

SPAIN HAS BEEN A REPUBLIC SINCE 1932. THE CARLISTS FOUGHT WITH FRANCO'S FORCES AT THE TIME OF THE MOST RECENT CIVIL WAR WHICH BROUGHT HIM TO POWER JUST BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR, IN THE HOPE OF OBTAINING HIS SUPPORT FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MONARCHY, ALTHOUGH HE HASN'T YET AGREED TO THIS, HE DOES NOT OBJECT TO THE YEARLY PILGRIMAGES TO MONTEJURRA.

OF THE PILGRIMS WHO WENT TO MONTEJURRA YESTERDAY FROM ALL OVER SPAIN, ABOUT 5,000 CLIMBED THE 3,000 FOOT (ABOUT 900 METRE) MOUNTAIN TO ATTEND MASS AT THE SHRINE.