Rome Newsroom, Nov 18, 2020 / 14:00 pm
In 2020, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal has lost scores of pilgrims and, with them, large amounts of revenue, amid coronavirus travel restrictions which have kept foreigners away.
Spokeswoman Carmo Rodeia told CNA Nov. 18 that the low number of pilgrims has had "a profound impact on donations" to the shrine, with a drop of 47%.
The shrine has continued its liturgical celebrations throughout the pandemic, but was forced to close to pilgrims from mid-March to the end of May. Masses and rosaries at the shrine have been livestreamed.
In October, one of the Marian shrine's two busiest months of the year, it was able to welcome 6,000 people with mask-wearing and enforced distancing in its central square. But it was still a much lower attendance than usual and included very few foreigners, Rodeia said.