Vatican City, Oct 13, 2013 / 10:23 am
Pope Francis on Sunday entrusted the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and to her maternal care before the image of Our Lady of Fatima, asking Mary's help to "revive and grow faith."
"Our Lady of Fatima, with renewed gratitude for your maternal presence, we join our voice to that of all the generations that have called you blessed," Pope Francis said at the close of Mass in St. Peter's Square Oct. 13. "We celebrate in you the great work of God, who never tires of bending down with mercy to mankind, afflicted by evil and wounded by sin, to heal and to save it."
The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima was moved from its home shrine in Portugal to St. Peter's Square especially for the entrustment. The act marked the culmination of a weekend of Marian prayer and devotion. About 150,000 people attended the Sunday Mass.
The Pope asked the Virgin Mary to welcome the entrustment "with the benevolence of a mother."