Poland’s Holy Hill of Grabarka draws Orthodox Christian Pilgrims

(An elderly pilgrim stands by Orthodox crosses at the Holy Hill of Grabarka August 18, 2011/Peter Andrews) (Pilgrims move on their knees at the Holy Hill of Grabarka August 18, 2011/Peter Andrews) By Gabriela Baczynska in Grabarka, Poland 20/8/2011 Some 15,000 Orthodox Christian pilgrims carried crosses, drank holy water and prayed on Friday at a hill in eastern Poland they believe to be sacred in a colourful celebration of their faith and identity in the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country. The pilgrims, who spoke a mixture of Polish, Ukrainian, Belarussian and Russian as well as local dialects, were joined on the Holy Hill of Grabarka by Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, who called for closer ties between denominations.