SW News:

Pope Francis told 200,000 pilgrims assembled in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal on August 5 that a mother always has an open house for all her children. He was addressing believers after the recitation of the rosary in the presence of more than 100 young sick people and prisoners. 

The pontiff said that everyone meditated on the Joyful Mysteries and it is a reminder that the “Church can only be the house of joy”. He added that the little chapel where the rosary was recited is a “beautiful image of the Church: Welcoming and without doors—the Church has no doors so that everyone can enter”. 

He reminded everyone that the Blessed Mother always accompanies believers and She is never the main protagonist. He added that the Holy Virgin always points to Jesus. The pontiff said Our Lady always says “do what Jesus says”. 

At the Chapel of the Apparitions, Bishop Jose Ornelas Carvalho of Leiria-Fatima addressed the Holy Father soon after the rosary. He said that everyone was praying with the pope to rise from complacency and indifference imitating Our Lady who went in haste to St Elizabeth. “We are celebrating the joy of being a Church that dreams, particularly with its young people,” said the prelate. 

Bishop Ornelas also remembered the children and young men and women who are victims of illness, poverty, hunger and all types of conflict. He also said the pilgrims were joining the pontiff in praying for peace with which the shrine is deeply associated. The bishop of Leiria-Fatima also recalled the war in Ukraine. 

“Our prayer is also inspired by the maternal care of the Mother of Jesus, here revealed for three children, simple and poor shepherd children, during a bloody war and a pandemic that killed two of them,” the bishop said. He also implored the Blessed Virgin to inspire and accompany the Holy Father’s mission in the Church and in the world. 

Pope Francis arrived in Fatima in the morning by chopper and he was taken to the shrine in the popemobile. On the way, he made several stops to kiss and bless children and interact with pilgrims who thronged both sides of the main avenue. At the chapel, he was welcomed by two children with flowers. He placed the white roses at the feet of Our Lady of Fatima before the recitation of the rosary. The pope also gifted the statue a rosary made of gold. 

The first decade of the rosary was in Portuguese and it was recited by Daniela Sa, a young woman with a disability accompanied by Joana Cardoso. It was dedicated to the young prisoners. The second decade was for young people taking part in WYD and it was said in Spanish by Jesus Sanchez Cossio. It was followed by a decade in Italian by Samantha Numerato, a young woman with a disability. 

The fourth decade was dedicated to world peace and it was prayed in both English and German by Sister Brittany Culver and Ana Reis respectively. The last decade was recited in Polish and French. The rosary was followed by three Ave Marias for peace, conversion of hearts and the intentions of the Holy Father.