The Catholic faithful gathered at the Shrine of Fatima, Portugal, on Sunday and yesterday, to celebrate the 96th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima.

Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Orani João Tempesta, of St Sebastian of Rio de Janeiro, to preside over the International Pilgrimage commemorating the apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherds – Jacinta, 7, Francisco, 9, and their cousin Lucia, 10 – on May 13, 1917.

On the timeliness of the Message of Fatima, Archbishop Tempesta said: “The invitation to pray and convert is always timely. Times and customs change, but, if there is something permanent in the human being, it is his need of and eternal longing for God. Today, in a world of so much technological progress and so many social changes, the voice echoing in Fatima continues reminding all of us, with the same strength and courage, that “it is necessary to pray more and more; it is necessary to convert every day”.

The theme of the pilgrimage was “To God nothing is impossible” (Lk 1, 37).

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