Pilgrim Image of Fatima Arrives in Lisbon

Pilgrim Image of Fatima Arrives in Lisbon

Six days after leaving the Shrine, the Image has been placed in the Church of St Thomas Aquinas, in Lisbon

The Pilgrim Statue of the Virgin of Fatima arrived this morning at Terreiro do Paço, where it was greeted by hundreds of people, at the end of a boat journey that began in Vila Franca de Xira, the last stage of the route between the Chapel of the Apparitions and Lisbon.

After arriving at Terreiro do Paço, the Image was taken to the Church of St Thomas Aquinas, in Laranjeiras, where various activities and celebrations will take place over the next few days. It will return to Fatima on Friday.

In the initiative promoted by the Corpo Nacional de Escutas (CNE), called #AndaComMaria, the image was carried on a pilgrimage on foot by about four hundred scouts, who left the Shrine of Fatima last Thursday.

The group included scouts from several countries, including Portugal, France, Rwanda, Haiti, and Madagascar.

The 135-kilometre overland route passed through Minde, Alcanena, Pernes, Verdelho, Santarém, Cartaxo, Azambuja, Carregado and Vila Franca de Xira.

Between Vila Franca de Xira and Lisbon, the boat carrying the image of the Pilgrim Virgin was followed by several others, and many people on the shores witnessed its passage.

On leaving Fatima, the Rector of the Shrine, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, emphasised the symbolism of this CNE initiative, the aim of which is to show “the face of the Church on the road to WYD Lisbon 2023” and to highlight that the Shrine, “which is a meeting place for so many people, is also a place of departure, of sending, and of mission”.