Pope Presents Himself as “Pilgrim of Hope” in Portugal

Pope Presents Himself as “Pilgrim of Hope” in Portugal

Six years ago, in Fatima, the Supreme Pontiff presented himself as a pilgrim of light, hope and peace

Pope Francis has reaffirmed himself as a “pilgrim of hope”, as he did in Fatima in 2017, when he proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto new saints of the Catholic Church. In the message he wrote today in Portuguese in the Book of Honour of the Presidency of the Republic, the Pope said he prayed and wished “that this country with a young heart will continue to reach out towards the horizons of fraternity”.

“Lisbon, city of encounter, inspires ways of facing together the great issues of Europe and the world,” the message continues.

Already on 12 May 2017, upon his arrival at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, in the first prayer he said before the Image of Our Lady, Pope Francis presented himself as a “pilgrim of light, hope and peace”.

First part of Pope Francis' Prayer in the Chapel of Apparitions, 12 May 2017.

“Hail Holy Queen,
Blessed Virgin of Fatima,
Lady of Immaculate Heart,
our refuge and our way to God!

As a pilgrim of the Light that comes to us from your hands,
I give thanks to God the Father, who in every time and place
is at work in human history;
As a pilgrim of the Peace that, in this place, you proclaim,
I give praise to Christ, our peace, and I implore for the world
concord among all peoples;
As a pilgrim of the Hope that the Spirit awakens,
I come as a prophet and messenger to wash the feet of all,
at the same table that unites us.”

Video of the Pope's Prayer to Our Lady of Fatima on 12 May 2017

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PHOTOS: © Lusa | André Kosters