“We have a reinforced operation from the 10th to the 18th, with the focus on the 13th, the highlight of the celebrations, where we will have 110 military personnel engaged from various units of the National Republican Guard (GNR),” Major Cláudio Lopes, Communication and Public Relations Officer of the Santarém Territorial Command, told Lusa news agency.
According to the major, the GNR’s main concerns are “ensuring road safety and traffic flow in the city’s access points, and the security of the celebrations at the sanctuary, which involve a large concentration of people.”
He emphasized that the airspace is temporarily restricted to prevent unauthorized drone flights.
In a statement, the GNR adds that the “Migrant 2024” police operation aims to “ensure public safety and tranquility, control road traffic, and prevent crime, both in the Sanctuary of Fatima and in the surrounding areas.”
In addition to the temporary airspace restriction, the GNR “intensifies patrol actions on the main access roads to the city of Fatima” and reinforces “policing in the sanctuary and surrounding areas.”
The GNR advises pilgrims to arrive early to avoid long queues and to memorize where their vehicle or bus is parked, and not to leave valuables visible in vehicles.
The GNR asks people to always carry personal documents and avoid keeping wallets or phones in back pockets or backpacks, storing them “in a front pocket or in a zipped bag that is always in contact with the body.”
Always having a charged phone and the contact of other group members, not losing sight of the elderly and children, and staying hydrated are among the GNR’s recommendations.
“Immediately after the end of the ceremonies, the exit should be calm and gradual,” the GNR suggests.
The celebrations of the August international pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Fatima begin today at 9:30 PM, with the recitation of the rosary in the Chapel of the Apparitions, followed by the candlelight procession and the celebration of the word in the prayer enclosure.
On Tuesday, the religious ceremonies begin with the Eucharistic procession in the enclosure at 7:00 AM, and two hours later, the rosary in the Chapel.
The mass, with the blessing of the sick and the farewell procession, closes the pilgrimage, which is also known as the pilgrimage of emigrants.
This pilgrimage is part of the national pilgrimage of migrants and refugees, within the framework of the 52nd National Migration Week.
As of noon today, 23 groups of pilgrims have been announced at the sanctuary services, 21 of which are foreign. In addition to pilgrims from various European countries, there are also pilgrims from Africa and Asia.
