Pope Francis once again came to the pilgrimage site of Fatima to recite the Rosary with the faithful in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary. The Pope urged the Church to have “no doors” and to “accommodate everyone”.
(Vatican News) “Let us pray for peace. The Virgin Mary said in Fatima: ‘I want people to say the Rosary for peace.’ May the Virgin Mary carry our prayers to May the world enjoy lasting peace, before the Lord,” Pope Francis said at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima on the morning of August 5.
The pope took a helicopter from Lisbon to Fatima that morning, arriving half an hour earlier than scheduled. During the 4.5-kilometer journey from the helipad to the shrine, enthusiastic people lined the road to welcome them, and the Pope greeted them from an open-top car. Some excitedly waved their hands, flags and white handkerchiefs, some threw white papers of congratulations towards the Pope, some presented flowers and pictures to the Pope, and some wept with joy. From time to time the Pope stopped to talk to children and to say a few witty words to young people.
Arriving at the pilgrimage site of Our Lady of Fatima, in the “Song of Our Lady of Fatima”, the Pope’s car slowly drove to the chapel. About 200,000 believers have been waiting for the Pope since the early morning or even the night before. After getting off the car, the Pope sat in a wheelchair, holding a bouquet of flowers to be given to Our Lady. He came to the statue of the Virgin and was silent for a moment, bowed his head and closed his eyes, and the audience was silent. Then, the Pope placed a string of golden rosary beads at the feet of the Virgin as a gift to the shrine.
This is Pope Francis’ second pilgrimage to Our Lady of Fatima, the previous one in 2017 commemorating the apparitions to three little shepherd boys. Before the public reading of the Rosary this time, a priest quoted what the Holy Mother told the three little shepherd boys: “Brothers and sisters, pray a lot!”
In addition to the sick young people present, there were six inmates who recited the Rosary together with the Pope, praying for peace. Bible leaders include different types of disabled youth. After the prayer, Bishop José Ornelas Carvalho, bishop of Fatima and president of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference, paid tribute to the Pope, saying: “We pray with you for peace, … with particular regard to the war in Ukraine and the Conflicts that have erupted in many other parts of the world. All this places an extremely heavy burden on the lives and futures of children and young people in particular.”
The Pope was also concerned with the needs of the world, especially with regard to joy. The Pope calls on the Church to be a “house of joy”, urging it to embrace everyone. “The church has no doors, so that everyone can enter.” In the pilgrimage site, this “House of Our Lady” is also accessible to everyone, because the Virgin always accepts every one of her children.
Furthermore, Our Lady keeps going and never stops. “When a problem arises, she sets off without delay, sets out in a hurry. Our Lady hastened to be with us. She hastened because she is a Mother.” Furthermore, Our Lady “always accompanied, Never rush to be the protagonist.” The Pope explained the two gestures of the Virgin Mary: one is to embrace, so as to “receive”, and the other is to “point to Jesus” with her finger.
For this reason, the Pope invites us to look at Our Lady and ask: “Mother Mary, where are you pointing me? What worries you, moves you in my life? Is there anything in my life that concerns you?” , what do you want to point out?”
Our Lady is there, the Pope said, “pointing us to the heart, because Jesus wants to enter it”. In other words, “Our Lady points to Jesus for us, and for Jesus to the hearts of each of us. Let us feel the presence of Our Lady today. May the Hasting Mother pray for us all.”
The Pope finally blessed everyone present, and several children received white crosses as gifts. Amidst the singing and cheers, the Pope returned to the helipad and took a helicopter back to Lisbon to continue the activities of the World Youth Day.
Link URL: www.vaticannews.cn
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2023-08-05 13:00:32
