Picture: L'Osservatore Romano
The statue of Our Lady of Fatima arrived at the Vatican early afternoon, Saturday 12 October. The venerated image will take its place in St Peter's Square for the celebrations of the Marian Day presided over by Pope Francis as part of the Year of Faith. A time of prayer and catechesis is scheduled for later this afternoon. Thousands of the faithful are expected to attend. The gathering will be followed by tomorrow's Sunday celebration of the Holy Mass at the end of which the Holy Father will entrust the world to Our Lady.
The statue was transported from Cova da Iria to the Roman airport of Fiumicino by the Lisbon-based Portuguese airline Tap. After landing, the statue was entrusted to the Italian Air Force which transported it by helicopter to the Vatican. Upon arrival, a small procession with the statue was held, with stops in the chapel of the Monastery of Mater Ecclesiae where Benedict XVI now resides, and at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where it was received by Pope Francis.
Full Story: Our Lady of Fatima in St Peter's Square
Source:L'Osservatore Romano