“We need the wine of concord, the understanding among peoples, the wine of forgiveness, of peace, the wine of understanding, the wine of closeness, the wine of the courage to look each other in the eyes and say, ‘you are my brother, you are my sister’,” declared Jaime Spengler to the faithful during the Homily of the Word Celebration, attended by approximately 270,000 faithful, as reported by the sanctuary.
Earlier, he noted that Jesus is the “good wine” needed in the current times, recalling the end of World War II and the 60 armed conflicts presently occurring worldwide.
“He is our peace,” continued the cardinal.
Addressing the faithful, whom he described as pilgrims of hope, he urged them to bear witness to their faith.
“Today, this evening, here in this square, we place ourselves as pilgrims of hope before the image of Fatima and in this image, we recognize and venerate the mother of the savior,” he stated.
The cardinal, who serves as the president of the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil and of the Latin American Episcopal Council, asked the Virgin Mary to watch over the peoples and also to intercede for Pope Leo XIV.
“Intercede for us, (…) so that we may fulfill our vocation, our mission in today’s society and bear witness, through words and deeds, to the faith that enlivens us, sustains us, and unites us,” he added.
During the Word Celebration that followed the candlelight procession, in addition to the Brazilian cardinal, Cardinal António Marto, the emeritus bishop of the Diocese of Leiria-Fátima, alongside 20 bishops, 171 priests, and 15 deacons, were present.
Throughout the night and until 7:00 AM on Tuesday, a prayer vigil takes place, followed by the Eucharistic procession.
At 9:00 AM, the recitation of the rosary begins, and an hour later, Mass is celebrated, concluding the international pilgrimage on May 12th and 13th at the Sanctuary of Fatima with the customary farewell procession.
