A nun whose recovery from decades of spinal problems was declared a miracle has insisted she is “not a star” but just a “little sister” glad to be able to walk freely again.

A French bishop declared on Sunday that Bernadette Moriau’s recovery after she visited the Catholic shrine in Lourdes was a miracle.

Alessandro de Franciscis of the Lourdes Office of Medical Observations said on Tuesday he led the investigation into her cure and is “totally convinced” there is no medical explanation.

Bernadette Moriau answers reporters in Beauvai (AP/Thibault Camus)
Bernadette Moriau answers reporters in Beauvais (AP/Thibault Camus)

Ms Moriau described to reporters how she gave up morphine and her leg brace after visiting the shrine, saying: “I am here to bear witness, but I am not here to make you believe me.”

It was the 70th event formally recognised as an act of divine intervention at Lourdes, a pilgrimage site in southern France.