Two little shepherds - heroes of 20th century

Beatification Ceremony of Francisco and Jacinta

VATICAN CITY, MAY 15 (ZENIT.org).- Jacinta and Francisco Marto, the two little shepherds of Fatima, are now Blessed. On May 13, at 10:50 a.m. local time in Portugal, John Paul II pronounced the liturgical formula of beatification during the Mass he celebrated in the field in front of the Basilica of Cova de Iria. There were over 500,000 people present.

This was the best way to celebrate this May 13, the anniversary of the first apparitions of the Virgin and of the attempt on the Pope's life, which occurred in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican in 1981. Lucia dos Santos, 93, attended the ceremony. She is now a cloistered nun, but she also saw the visions in 1917 along with her cousins, who are the first beatified children who are not martyrs. The honor is bestowed not for their being visionaries, but because they practiced virtue to a heroic degree.

On this, his third visit to Fatima, the Pope wished to thank the Virgin for her protection during the close to 22 years of his pontificate.

Among those attending the religious ceremony were President Jorge Sampaio of Portugal and the highest State representatives. Many spent the night before in prayer, attending Masses, Rosaries, and torchlight processions. There was not a minute's rest, once the Pope arrived the night before to pray in the Chapel of the Apparitions, where he gave the Virgin the ring that Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski gave him at the beginning of his pontificate.

Meeting with Sister Lucia When he arrived in the Basilica the following morning, the Holy Father met Sister Lucia, the elderly visionary, who received him with a big smile. This was her fourth trip back to Fatima, as it is the fourth time a Pope visits Fatima: Paul VI was the first to visit, and John Paul II has been there three times.

This is Fatima's first message: God's privileged attention for the little and humble. "According to the divine plan a 'woman dressed like the sun' came from heaven to earth to the Father's chosen little ones. She spoke to them with the voice and heart of a mother. She invited them to offer themselves as victims of reparation, saying she was prepared to take them safely to God."

Francisco and Jacinta The Holy Father spoke about Francisco, who constantly thought of Jesus, saddened because of sins, for which he wanted to console him. He also spoke about Jacinta, who gladly offered her young life for sinners. With the authority of innocence, these children have much to teach to a humanity that is altogether ignorant of the gravity of sin, the Bishop of Rome said.

20th Century and Apparitions But the Pope's meditation went beyond, to encompass the horizons of the history of this century, which is so linked to the Fatima apparitions. The children received a message that revealed the terrible battle between good and evil, which the history of the world is experiencing. In this connection, the Pope exclaimed: "How many victims in the course of the last century of the second millennium! I am thinking of the horrors of the two great wars and other conflicts in so many parts of the word: the concentration and extermination camps, the gulags, ethnic cleansing and persecutions, terrorism, kidnapping of persons, drugs, attacks against the unborn and against the family."

The Holy Father then linked the Commemoration of the 20th Century Witnesses of the Faith, which was held in the Roman Coliseum on May 7, with the Portuguese pilgrimage. "Here in Fatima, where these times of tribulation were foretold and the Virgin requested prayer and penance to shorten them, I want to thank Heaven for the strength of testimony that has been given by all these lives."

The Holy Father's address took on a moving tone when he thanked the Lord for the protection granted him because of the attack he suffered 19 years ago. "I wished to celebrate once more the goodness of the Lord to me; when gravely wounded on that May 13, 1981, he saved my life. I also express my appreciation to Blessed Jacinta for the sacrifices and prayers offered for the Holy Father, whom she saw suffer so much.

Finally, the Pope dedicated special words to the children who were present at the beatification. In fact, they were very numerous and very noisy. They came from all over Portugal. "The Virgin needs all of you to console Jesus, who is sad because of the evils committed against him. She needs your prayers and your sacrifices for sinners," he told them.

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