FATIMA AWAITS PAPAL PILGRIMAGE

VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- When Pope John Paul II travels to Fatima this weekend for the beatification of Francesco and Jacinta Marto, his visit will also take the form of a personal pilgrimage.

Pope John Paul has frequently proclaimed his special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, and said that he believes she is responsible for his survival after the assassination attempt of May 13, 1981. That date coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. As he approaches his 80th birthday, with his health visibly deteriorating, the Holy Father will pay his thanks to his beloved intercessor.

The Pope will arrive in Lisbon in the late afternoon on May 12, and meet briefly with Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio. Then he will continue by helicopter to the Fatima shrine, located at the site where three young children encountered the Virgin Mary in a series of apparitions in 1917.

There, the Pontiff will pray before the famous statute of Our Lady of Fatima. That statue, unveiled in 1920, has left the Fatima shrine only once: to be brought to Rome in 1984, when Pope John Paul consecrated the world to the Virgin. The Pope has indicated his desire to renew that consecration now, at the dawn of the 21st century. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims participate in a candlelight procession to the Fatima shrine on the eve of the feast day. This year organizers expect at least 1 million participants in that ceremony. While the Pope is not expected to participate, he may make an appearance from the window of the residence where he will be staying.

On the morning of May 13, the pilgrims will join in the recitation of the Rosary before the beginning of the beatification ceremonies at 9:30. The Pope, for his part, will make a private visit to the interior of the basilica, to pray at the graves of Francesco and Jacinta Marto. He will also meet there with Sister Lucia, the third Fatima seer, who is now a 93-year-old Carmelite nun.

Nephews and nieces of the Fatima seers will also be on hand for the beatification ceremonies. Francesco and Jacinta were among ten children in the Marto family; the last survivor among their siblings, a brother, died recently in Lisbon at the age of 94.

After the ceremonies, Pope John Paul will retrace his steps, traveling by helicopter to Lisbon and then by plane to Rome, arriving at the Vatican late in the evening of May 13. He is expected to preside at the ordination of 26 priests for the diocese of Rome on the following morning.

Click here to share this news story with a friend.

Terms of Use    Privacy Policy