Scottish Catholic Observer

“On the occasion of the centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Cova da Iria, and welcoming the invitation of the Republic and of the Portuguese bishops, His Holiness Pope Francis will go on pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima,” a statement said.

The announcement confirmed statements made earlier by both the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and officials at the Fatima shrine itself.

Of all Marian apparitions, those relating to Our Lady of Fatima are among the most famous. On May 13, 1917, siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged nine and seven, and their cousin, 10-year-old Lucia dos Santos, took their sheep to graze near the town of Fatima when they saw a figure of a woman dressed in white and holding a rosary.

The Virgin Mary then appeared to the children on the 13th of every month until October. The message of the Fatima apparitions can be summarised primarily as a call to repentance and prayer.

In 1930, the Catholic Church proclaimed the supernatural character of the apparitions and a shrine was erected at Fatima. It was visited by Pope Paul VI on May 13, 1967, and later by popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The celebrations are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of

—This story ran in full in the December 23 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.