Pope Francis Arrived in Portugal

Pope Francis Arrived in Portugal

The longest visit by a Pope to Portugal and the shortest ever to Fatima.

Pope Francis arrived in Lisbon this morning to participate in the 16th edition of World Youth Day (WYD), which includes a trip to Fatima on Saturday 5 August, where he will pray for youth and peace in the world, in the Little Chapel of the Apparitions, in the company of young people with disabilities and young prisoners.

In Cova da Iria, on Saturday morning, the Holy Father will preside at the recitation of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary, a prayer in which he will pray for young people taking part in World Youth Day, for sick and disabled young people and for young prisoners. He will also pray for peace in the world, for the conversion of sinners and for the Chair of Peter, as is customary in Cova da Iria.

This first day in Portugal was filled with official contacts, from the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to the Prime Minister, António Costa, as well as a meeting with the diplomatic corps.

As the last official act of this first day, the Pope celebrated Vespers with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women, seminarians, and pastoral workers in the Jerónimos Monastery.

On 12 and 13 May 2017, the Pope was in Fatima for the centenary of the apparitions and presided at the canonisation of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the seers of Cova da Iria. In an interview in September 2022, the Holy Father recalled the “silence” he experienced at Cova da Iria. “Fatima left me speechless. For me, Fatima is the Virgin of silence,” he said.

PHOTOS: © Lusa | António Cotrim