“We want the Shrine to be able to welcome Pope Francis well, with many pilgrims. That is why I invite you to come and pray with him”

“We want the Shrine to be able to welcome Pope Francis well, with many pilgrims. That is why I invite you to come and pray with him”

The Rector of the Shrine invites pilgrims to pray with Pope Francis in Fatima on 5 August

One month before Pope Francis' visit to Fatima for World Youth Day (WYD), the Rector of the Shrine of Fatima invites all pilgrims to come to Fatima on Saturday morning, 5 August, to pray with the Holy Father.

“We are one month away from the Holy Father’s visit to the Shrine of Fatima. We had great pleasure and joy in receiving Pope Francis on the occasion of the Centenary of the Apparitions, and we will receive him again soon with equal satisfaction in the context of World Youth Day. We are preparing everything to welcome him well, and we want the Shrine to be full to receive him,” said Father Carlos Cabecinhas in a message to the pilgrims this Wednesday morning.

“We want the Shrine to receive him well, with many pilgrims. Therefore, I invite you to come and pray with him. Closer to him, praying in the Little Chapel, there will be young sick people and young prisoners. They will pray with the Pope, but we are also invited to pray with him here in the Shrine. We are counting on you,” said the Rector.

Pope Francis will arrive at the Shrine of Fatima on Saturday, 5 August, at 9 a.m. and will pray in the Chapel of the Apparitions. The Pontiff will cross the Prayer Area in the popemobile and go to the Chapel of the Apparitions where young sick people, who will not be able to attend WYD in Lisbon and some young prisoners will be waiting for him. After praying the Rosary, the Pope will address the pilgrims and then leave for Lisbon.

Although the programme will be short, it will be intense and full of meaning, since Pope Francis will be coming to Cova da Iria as he has wanted to do since the announcement of the WYD in Lisbon. The Argentinean Pope, who canonised the first two saints of Fatima - Francisco and Jacinta Marto - in 2017, has always said in statements to the Portuguese bishops and to journalists that he would go to the Portuguese capital and would not fail to stop in Fatima.

To welcome the Holy Father and all the young people who will travel to Lisbon, and who will pass through Fatima, either as a prelude to WYD or in the days following the event, the Shrine of Fatima is organising a series of initiatives to offer them a great experience of the place and of the event that gave birth to it.

In addition to the “Youth Village”, which will welcome the young people and provide them with accommodation (in the form of a cantonment and a camping site) and food, the Shrine has defined six Pilgrimage Routes to reach Fatima on foot, based on the existing pilgrimage itineraries, duly signposted. Each route has a theme linked to the message of Fatima and has a church as its starting point. There is also a Young Pilgrim's Itinerary, for a prayerful, spiritual and cultural experience in the space of the Shrine of Fatima, which will lead them to know better the apparitions of Fatima, the spirituality of the seers and the architectural and artistic heritage of the Shrine. The maps of these itineraries, which are valid individually or as complementary parts of a complete route, are available in the seven official languages of the Shrine, in printed form from dispensers at the entrances to the Shrine and in digital format, accessible through the official website of the Shrine of Fatima and through a QR code.

Thematic workshops will also be proposed to the groups visiting the Shrine, focusing on fundamental themes of the Christian faith that are central to the message of Fatima: Adoration, the Immaculate Heart, the Rosary and the Sacrifice. There will be 4 daily sessions at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, 4:30 pm and 5:30 pm, each lasting 25 minutes.

Some of the celebrations will also be adapted according to the needs of each day, between 24 July and 10 August.

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