Fatima is an invitation to the resilience capacity of the christians, said Cardinal Mauro Piacenza

Fatima is an invitation to the resilience capacity of the christians, said Cardinal Mauro Piacenza

The President of the International Anniversary Pilgrimage of September challenges christians to don’t give up facing adversities

The Major Penitentiary of the Holy See, who presided over the International Anniversary of September, challenged the christians to resist to the mundane temptations and to have a backwash and prophetic voice in an Europe “tired and old”.

During the the homily of the International Mass in the Prayer Area, concelebrated by two cardinals, 28 bishops and 570 priests, the Cardinal Mauro Piacenza pointed out that Our Lady left in Fatima a “mandate” for the christians, which all the pilgrims who came here ended up by accepting it, through their consecration to Her Immaculate Heart.

“To follow the will of God, to understand the signs of times, means to us, today in Fatima, to resist! To resist with the strength of faith and charity!” He said.

“Mary invites us to be prophets”, words emphasised by the Cardinal, pointing out some of the problems of today’s world, among which, the “attack” to the Family. This violent attack to the family is unprecedented in history, in a cultural and legal view and we can see it, according to the Cardinal Genoese, in the “destruction of man, submerged in the culture of death” and in “the place where live shines, where we communicate and educate: in the family”.

“We are convinced that there is nothing more prophetic, more modern, more non-conformist than to support life, to support education and to recognise that they form today a real emergency” adds the Major Penitentiary of the Holy See.

“One day, the world will show appreciation to the church for protecting without fears or restrains, the life, the family and the civilization!”

The Cardinal finished the homily by challenging the pilgrims - around 160 groups registered, from 35 countries - to consecrate themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, hoping that the world can be “saved from corruption, calamities, violence and wars! “Here, in this place, (Our Lady) wanted not just to invite mankind to prayer, to penitence, to conversion but also to prepare mankind for the future, prophesying and indicating the fights and the efforts, the crosses and battles which are called to fulfill the souls, and with them the own Church that lives in the souls”, he concluded.

The celebration of September had as a subject “Mother of Church, pray for us”, and had the participation of two large pilgrimages: the national pilgrimage of Czech Republic, followed by the Cardinal Dominik Duka, president of the local Bishop’s Conference, who in the end of the celebration of the 13th of September will solemnly receive a Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. The other large pilgrimage is the Foundation Aid To Church in Need (AIS), which, in is Centennial year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its consecration to Our Lady of Fatima.