During the Mass for the anniversary of the “miracle of the sun” in the Sanctuary of Fátima, the Bishop of Beira (Mozambique), Mons. Claudio Dalla Zuanna, urged the faithful this Monday to follow the path of personal conversion as a source of peace for a world wounded by war, and invited them to unite prayer, forgiveness and solidarity in the face of conflicts in Ukraine, the Holy Land, Mozambique and other regions.
“As in the times of the apparitions, today too, in our current world, we need this peace that is only possible when the heart of each person undertakes the path of conversion and opens to good, forgiveness, solidarity and care for life,” said the bishop during the Mass celebrated today in the Portuguese sanctuary.
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The celebration took place on the anniversary of the last appearance of Our Lady of Fatima to the three little shepherds, on October 13, 1917, the day on which the so-called “miracle of the sun” occurred.
The pilgrimage was attended by the image of Our Lady of Fatima, which had been taken to Rome on October 10 for the celebrations of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality: the prayer vigil for peace on Saturday the 11th and the Mass presided over by Pope Leo XIV on the morning of Sunday the 12th. October.
In his homily this Monday, Mons. Claudio Dalla Zuanna affirmed that, in Fatima, Mary “showed us the steps, the means and the necessary attitudes so that our pilgrimage is fruitful and forms part of the construction of the admirable abode of God.”
“Our Lady showed us the path to peace and the salvation of the world: personal conversion. That peace that we long for so much these days, especially in places like Ukraine and the land of Jesus, which we feel closer, but also in many other corners of the world,” he expressed, also mentioning the conflicts in Myanmar, Cabo Delgado (Mozambique), Sudan “and so many other places in our land.”
The bishop stated that in Fátima María “invited us to prayer united with the devotion of the Rosary, through which we contemplate the mysteries of the life of Jesus and the fulfillment of salvation, walking alongside the Virgin, with Jesus and the Church, asking for forgiveness for sins, the conversion of hearts and peace in the world.”
“Our Lady calls us to Eucharistic adoration, to worship God with an attitude that expresses our deepest respect and summarizes the essential orientation of our life,” he stated.
Likewise, he highlighted that in her appearance at Fatima, Mary showed “the value of offering our sacrifices for the coming of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of justice and peace.” He stressed that it is not just about “physical pain, sometimes self-imposed,” but about concrete acts of charity, such as “giving up personal interests, even legitimate ones, so that others can have what they need to live.”
“The sacrifice of forgiveness offered for offenses received, honesty in the management of what has been entrusted to us, dedication in work, the search for the common good in politics—without falling into abuses against human dignity—transforming the unjust structures that morally oppress and marginalize the weak and the poor,” he expressed.
According to the bishop, “Our Lady teaches us that the experience of faith must lead us to live charity.” And he added that “charity becomes the criterion of authenticity of our Christian life, our faith and our religiosity.”
For the bishop, “when lived like this, this pilgrimage—motivated by a living faith—leads us to self-giving in charity and moves the world forward along the path of hope.”
Mary leads us to Jesus
On the night of October 12, Bishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna presided over the celebration of the Word and the recitation of the Holy Rosary in Cova da Iria. In his homily, he also spoke about how Mary shows us the path to peace.
“On this night that brings us together in prayer, She reminds us of the darkness of hatred, greed and suffering that engulf many people in these times, when the world seems to have lost the direction that Jesus showed us: ‘Love one another, as I have loved you,’” he stated.
The bishop noted that “as in 1917, when Europe was involved in conflicts and the children of this land died in war, today we also witness the image presented in the text of the Apocalypse: a great dragon, with multiple heads, horns and diadems, that drags death and destruction over so many places in the world, as if it wanted to devour the life that God makes spring forth and that Jesus—who came so that we might have life—entrusted to “The one who was going to be a Mother.”
Monsignor Claudio quoted the words of Jesus on the cross to the beloved disciple, when he said: “Behold your mother.” And he added that, “just as Mary heard and welcomed those words, assuming the mission of being our Mother, we are also called to listen to the words addressed to us and welcome the gift of being her children.”
“As docile children, let us listen to and put into practice the word of his Son Jesus, thus weaving new relationships that transcend blood, nation or culture,” he added.
For the Bishop of Beira, “the path to peace in the world is, like Mary and with Mary, to listen to and keep the Word of the Lord in our hearts, and to fulfill it throughout our personal, family and social life.”
The image of Our Lady returns to the chapel of the apparitions
After the farewell procession held on Sunday night, the image of Our Lady of Fátima returned to the Chapel of the Apparitions. The rector of the Sanctuary of Fátima, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, shared what the image’s recent trip to Rome was like.
“Before this image in the chapel, thousands of pilgrims in Rome prayed, gave thanks and asked for the help and protection of the Mother of Heaven,” he stated. “Before this image, the Pope – the ‘bishop dressed in white’ – prayed for peace. In front of the ‘Lady brighter than the sun’, the Holy Father consecrated the entire world and all humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, especially those who suffer from the scourge of war,” he added.
Father Cabecinhas also said that Pope Leo XIV offered the Sanctuary of Fátima a Golden Rose, which accompanied the image throughout the trip. “This visit of the image of Our Lady to Rome is an expression of our union with the Holy Father, for whom we pray every day,” he said.
This Monday morning, both the image and the Golden Rose were present at the Mass in the prayer area of the Sanctuary.
According to the Sanctuary of Fátima, 154 groups of pilgrims from countries such as Portugal, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Switzerland, Canada, El Salvador, United States, Haiti, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, South Korea, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Iraq, participated in this pilgrimage. Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda.
Translated and adapted by ACI Prensa. Originally published in ACI Digital.
Natalia Zimbrão
Natalia Zimbrão has a degree in Journalism from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. He has been a journalist for ACI Digital since 2015. He has previous experience in magazines, radio and online journalism.