Calay News
Pope Francis, 86, landed in a Portuguese air force helicopter in Fatima and toured the esplanade surrounding the small chapel where, according to Catholic tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to three children in 1917. During the journey in the “popemobile”, the pontiff stopped to bless babies and children presented to him by the faithful and greeted the thousands of people who were waiting for him behind security fences. Later, he prayed the rosary with young people who were sick, disabled, and six prisoners.
In a brief speech in Spanish, the Pope affirmed that “the Church has no doors, so that everyone can enter” and stressed that the mother’s house always has an open heart for all her children, without exclusion.
The pope improvised much of his speech, as he has struggled with reading due to vision problems. Upon his arrival, he was applauded by some 200,000 faithful at Fatima, one of the most visited Marian shrines in the world, where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared six times to little shepherds.
During his visit to Portugal, the Pope addressed issues such as ecology, the war in Ukraine, and the pain of victims of sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church. The visit is part of World Youth Day (WYD) in Lisbon, which has attracted thousands of young Catholics from all over the world to participate in festive, cultural, and spiritual gatherings. At the vigil to be held on Saturday night, the number of pilgrims is expected to reach one million in Lisbon.
