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At a press conference on August 12, Fr. Carlos Cabecinhas, rector of the Shrine of Fatima, Portugal, announced that the Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be brought to the city of Damascus, in Syria, during the month of September to implore the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary for peace in the country and for the well-being of Christian communities, which have suffered intensely from the horrors of war.
According to the Shrine, this initiative is an answer to a request from the Melkite and Greek-Catholic patriarch, His Beatitude Gregory III, at a time when the Christian presence in the country has declined significantly as a result of emigration caused by the situation of violence.
Recently, the prelate renewed the Church’s commitment to do everything possible to allow believers to remain in their place of origin, and despite the generalized exodus, highlighted the return of 450 Christian families (more than 2,250 people) to the city of Maaloula, currently under the control of national authorities after being retaken from the jihadists.
The Fatima Shrine dedicated the editorial of the August edition of its bulletin “Fatima, Light and Peace” to Fatima with the title, “Praying for peace is something we can all do.” The article encourages all devout people to offer up prayers for suffering Christians.
Fr. Cabecinhas mentioned the warnings of the Message of Fatima regarding the martyrdom of believers and, recalling the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI regarding the disturbing events in the prophecies, emphasized that “no suffering is in vain” and that “the secret, while initially distressing, ends with an image of hope.”
The rector of the Shrine encouraged Catholics to spiritually accompany the venerated statue “so that the Lord may grant peace to Syria and strengthen the Christians who live their” and stated that “the message of Fatima is a message of peace.”
Article originally published by Gaudium Press.
Translated by Donald Puhlman.
And today we celebrate...