8. Visit to Fátima for the 100 years of the apparitions of the Virgin
In 2017 the Holy Father traveled to Fátima (Portugal) to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the shepherd children Francisco, Jacinta and Lucía.
On May 13, exactly 100 years after the first of the apparitions, the Pope declared Francisco and Jacinta, the shepherd children who witnessed the apparitions, saints.
9. World Meeting of Families in Ireland, 2018
In August 2018, Pope Francis traveled to Dublin (Ireland) to preside over the World Meeting of Families. In this he highlighted that the family is “a privileged place and an important means” to spread the Gospel, and encouraged parents to baptize children from a young age.
Also, he recognized “the serious scandal” of sexual abuse that occurred in Ireland and the “failure of the ecclesiastical authorities” to “adequately address these crimes.” For this reason he asked for forgiveness before the image of the Virgin Mary inside the Knock Sanctuary.
10. Canonization of Paul VI, Bishop Romero and five other new saints
On Sunday, October 14, 2018, Pope Francis presided over the historic canonization Mass of Paul VI, Bishop Oscar Romero, the nuns Nazaria Ignacia de Santa Teresa de Jesús March Mesa and María Caterina Kasper, the priests Francesco Spinelli and Vincenzo Romano, and the layman Nunzio Sulprizio.
11. Historic trip to the Arab Emirates
Pope Francis visited the United Arab Emirates between February 3 and 5, 2019, a meeting considered historic due to the Pontiff’s involvement in the different peace and reconciliation processes in the world. During the visit he signed, together with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni Islamic religious authority, a ‘Common Declaration on Human Fraternity’.
12. Blessing The city and the world extraordinary in the face of the coronavirus pandemic
On Friday, March 27, 2020, the Pope presided over an extraordinary moment of prayer for the coronavirus pandemic in which he gave the blessing The city and the worldto Rome and the world, with the possibility of the faithful to obtain plenary indulgence.
The extraordinary moment of prayer took place from the atrium of St. Peter’s Basilica, in the middle of the rain and in front of an empty square due to the security measures that the Italian authorities had established to overcome the health emergency.
13. Beatification of Carlo Acutis and encyclical Brothers all
The young Italian who died in 2006 of leukemia when he was only 15 years old and known as the “cyberapostle of the Eucharist”, was proclaimed blessed on Saturday, October 10, 2020 by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Pontifical Legate for the basilicas of San Francisco and Santa Mary of the Angels, in a ceremony held in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.
A few days before, on October 3, he had signed his encyclical at the Convent of San Francisco de Asís. Brothers all (All Brothers, in Spanish), about fraternity and social friendship.
14. Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq
Pope Francis was on an apostolic visit to Iraq from March 5 to 8, 2021, being the first Pontiff to travel to this country, where Christians suffered years of violence and persecution.
During his stay, he visited churches that were destroyed by the Islamic State; he participated in an interfaith meeting on the plain of Ur, the land of Abraham; he was the first Pope to celebrate a Mass in the Chaldean rite; and he prayed and brought comfort, hope and joy to Christian communities affected by terrorism.
15. Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
A month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, Pope Francis consecrated both nations to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with a prayer for peace.
This note was originally published on March 13, 2023. It has been updated for republication.