. >> reporter: the best selling author and tv host bruce feiler accompanied the veterans. >> they havence. and they still are longing for something. >> reporter: this story is part of an upcoming pbs series called "sacred journeys" with bruce feiler, which follows americans on six different pilgrimages. from saudi arabia to japan to africa. >> we pray, we dancing. >> reporter: even at a time when organized religion is under siege, pilgrimages are exploding in popularity. >> we live in a time where it's sort of a diy time for faith. you have to make your own decisions and decide for yourself what you believe and what gives your life meaning, so, a pilgrimage, which at its core is a gesture of action, is a response to that. >> reporter: so, what will happen in lourdes? where the catholic church even has a medical office on hand to document teaming. >> what we are looking for is to understand if a person was, indeed, really sick, if we have a true and real diagnosis for that disease. what was the prognosis of that disease? what was the treatment of that person receiving and was it lasting

i'm bruce feiler. in this epic series, i travel with american pilgrims

i'm bruce feiler.

fred de sam lazaro on fragile signs of peace in colombia, after 50 years of civil war.o >> also, bruce feilerllows some of the 200 million pilgrims who visit sacred sites each year.ç >> plus, the jewish holiday of hanukkah, beginning next tuesday night. >>> major funding for "religion and ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolis based private family foundation dedicated to its founders' interests in religion, community development, and education. additional funding also provideq by mutual of america. designing customized, individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. welcome. ç i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. this week many faith groups expressed outrage at the findings of a u.s. senate report that accused the cia of torturing terrorism suspects in the years following 9/11. the report was the result of a nearly six-year investigation. t the national religious campaign against torture urged a permanent end to such practices, saying the tactics damaged america's moral authority. the u.s. conference of catholi

saek red journeys with bruce feiler airs tuesday on tuesday. >>> finally, the pentagon didn't release any names of service members killed in iraq or afghan stanl. >>> thast all for us. we'll see you back here next week. have a great day. biggest hint yet. >> i'm going to make up my mind in short order >>> and the pilgrimage, wounded american vets go overseas, looking for a miracle. >> announcer: from abc news, "this week" with george stephanopoulos, begins now. >>> good morning. i'm martha raddatz, and we're tracking stories developing on several fronts, including nationwide protests against police brutality. saturday, tens of thousands hit the streets in new york and washington. the mother of michael brown taking part. events were mostly peaceful. although 23 people were arrested in boston. >>> but also, breaking this morning, alarms raised after a mid-air scare involving a russian military jet, a very close call putting a passenger plane at risk, the latest sign of that high-stakes tension growing between russia and the west. abc's terry moran on how it happened. >> reporter: russia

. >> reporter: the story is part of an upcoming pbs series called "sacred journeys with bruce feiler.n a time where it's dyi faith. you have to decide for yourself what you believe and what gives your life meaning. pilgrimage at its core, a gesture of action is a response to that. >> reporter: one by one, the wound warriors enter these small grottos where they're bathed in what is believed to be holy water. >> the shock of the water wasn't as bad as my emotions. that in and of itself was something to grasp. >> reporter: this sergeant blinded in iraq is on his third visit, after his first bath, he was disappointed not to be cured. but in the end, his wife said, he was healed in a different way. >> he wasn't cured visually butv he was cured in another way. our family was very broken. after we came last year, he started stepping up to the plate and being the man that he was before he went to iraq. >> reporter: these soldiers know the point of a pilgrimage is not to look for a specific outcome but instead step into the unknown and perhaps to learn something profound about yourself. >> you

saek red journeys with bruce feiler airs tuesday on tuesday. >>> finally, the pentagon didn't release any names of service members killed in iraq or afghan stanl. >>> thast all for us. we'll see you back here next week. have a great day. biggest hint yet. >> i'm going to make up my mind in short order >>> and the pilgrimage, wounded american vets go overseas, looking for a miracle. >> announcer: from abc news, "this week" with george stephanopoulos, begins now. >>> good morning. i'm martha raddatz, and we're tracking stories developing on

fred de sam lazaro on fragile signs of peace in colombia, after 50 years of civil war.o >> also, bruce feilerllows some of the 200 million pilgrims who visit sacred sites each year.ç >> plus, the jewish holiday of hanukkah, beginning next tuesday night. >>> major funding for "religion and ethics newsweekly" is provided by the lily endowment, an indianapolis based private familyfo

host bruce feiler travels to the ganges river in india, visits mecca as muslims make hajj, and sees howifferent religions value the holy city of jerusalem. tonight's opening episode is about american combat veterans visiting lourdes, a religious site that's famed for what some believe are the healing powers of its waters. here's a short excerpt about a retired army staff sergeant, juan roldan, who was wounded in iraq and lost both his legs. juan: last time i was here was three years ago. i was battling a lot of depression, stress and just fear of the unknown; what was going to happen with my daughter? i definitely prayed for my health. i was open to everything and anything they had us do. and the most beautiful experience i had while here was when we went to the grotto. they get you in the room; they take your clothes off, they wrap you up in a white sheet. >> narration: like the inner sanctum of many religious spots, the baths are modest, unadorned and private. cameras are not allowed when pilgrims are present. bathing here is a personal, sacred act each pilgrim alone with volunteers w