Pope Francis prayed before the tombs of shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta in Fatima on Saturday and later will confer sainthood on them as tens of thousands of worshippers witness the event in one of Catholicism’s holiest sites.
Siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Lucia Dos Santos witnessed the apparitions of the virgin Mary 100 years ago at the site where the Sanctuary of Fatima now stands …and died shortly after at the ages of 9 and 10 and The third visionary, Lucia, became a nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97.
The Catholic Church posthumously confers sainthood on people considered so holy during their lives that they are now believed to be with God and can intercede with him to perform miracles.
Shepherds Francisco and Jacinta Marto are attributed the miracle of curing a 5-year-old Brazilian boy from a severe head injury sustained after falling from a 6.5 metre-high window.
