“It is my belief that this man, chosen by Pope Francis for tasks within the Church, will continue the legacy of the preceding pontificate, the pontificate of Pope Francis, a man attentive to the pains and wounds of the Church and the world we live in,” stated Father Carlos Cabecinhas in a video message released to the media.
The American cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, aged 69, has been elected Pope after two days of conclave, taking the name Leo XIV.
Born in Chicago, United States, Prevost is of Spanish descent, holds Peruvian nationality, and belongs to the Order of Saint Augustine.
Leo XIV succeeds Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at the age of 88.
The rector of the sanctuary declared that “the Church always rejoices with the election of a new Pope,” acknowledging that “there is always anticipation surrounding these moments of ‘sede vacante’, the anticipation regarding who will be the elected one, who will be the chosen one.”
“From a faith perspective, we believe that the one chosen is the person deemed by the Lord as fitting for the current times of the Church and the world we are traversing,” he emphasized, adding: “Pope Leo XIV has been chosen, and so we rejoice with him.”
According to the rector of the country’s largest Marian shrine, “one of the fundamental aspects of Fatima is this communion with the Pope.”
“And so, Leo XIV is now our Pope, the one to whom we are united,” he remarked.
For the rector, this is also a moment to express the hope that “he may visit Fatima,” noting that some of the cardinals considered as potential successors to Francis have already been to Fatima.
“Cardinal Prevost, now Leo XIV, has not, and thus my great wish is for him to visit this sanctuary, experience prayer in this sanctuary, and feel the strength of the pilgrims’ prayers for the Holy Father,” stated Father Carlos Cabecinhas.
The first Pope to visit the Sanctuary of Fatima was Paul VI in 1967, followed by John Paul II in 1982, 1991, and 2000. During his last visit, he presided over the beatification of the shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta Marto.
Benedict XVI visited the Sanctuary of Fatima in 2010, marking the tenth anniversary of Francisco and Jacinta Marto’s beatification.
Pope Francis traveled to Fatima in 2017, on the centenary of the events at Cova da Iria, to canonize the blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and again in 2023 for the occasion of World Youth Day in Lisbon.
