Pope Francis prays in front of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima during a Marian vigil in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this October 12, 2013, file photo. Photo: CNS photo/Paul Haring. Almudena Martínez-Bordiú – CNA
On the occasion of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, scheduled for October 11–12, the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be taken to Rome.
The famous image of Our Lady, known to the faithful throughout the world and a symbol of “hope that does not disappoint,” will be present among the pilgrims who participate in the Mass in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, October 12, at 10:30am local time to “further enrich this moment of prayer and reflection.”
This will be the fourth time the statue has left the shrine at Fatima to be taken to Rome, as it only happens at the express request of the Pope. The first time was in 1984, on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of the Redemption, when on March 25 Pope John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The second was during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 and the third was in October 2013 on the occasion of the Year of Faith with Pope Francis.
The Dicastery for Evangelisation said in a statement that access to St Peter’s Square for the Eucharistic celebration will be free and no ticket will be required. Registration to participate in the jubilee event is already open on the jubilee website and will end on August 10.
“The presence of the beloved original statue of Our Lady of Fátima will allow everyone to experience the closeness of the Virgin Mary,” said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation.
“It is one of the most significant Marian images for Christians throughout the world, who, as the Holy Father points out in the bull of indiction of the jubilee Spes Non Confundit, venerate her as ‘the most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children.’ At Fatima, Our Lady told the three little shepherds the same thing that she continues to assure each of us: ‘I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that will lead you to God,’” the prelate said.
“This statue leaves the shrine at Cova da Iria in a totally exceptional manner and only at the request of the popes,” said Fr Carlos Cabecinhas, the rector of Fátima shrine.
“In this time of the jubilee, Our Lady of Fatima is the woman of Easter joy, even in the painful times that the world is experiencing. Once again, the ‘lady dressed in white’ will be a pilgrim of hope and, in Rome, she will be with the ‘bishop dressed in white,’ as the little shepherds of Fátima affectionately called the Holy Father,” he said.