Pope blesses statue of Our Lady of Aparecida in Vatican Gardens

September 05, 2016

On September 3, Pope Francis blessed a bronze statue of Our Lady of Aparecida in the Vatican Gardens.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is Brazil’s principal Marian shrine. Devotion to Our Lady of Aparecida dates to 1717, when three fishermen discovered a statue of Our Lady in a river.

“I invite you to pray that she continue to protect all Brazil, all the Brazilian people, in this sad moment; that she protect the poorest, the discarded, the abandoned elderly, children on the street; that she protect the marginalized and those who have fallen into the hands of exploiters of every kind; that she save her people with the social justice and the love of Jesus Christ, her Son,” the Pope said.

 

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Further information:

• Inaugurazione della statua di Nostra Signora Aparecida nei Giardini vaticani, 03.09.2016 (Holy See Press Office)
• Our Lady of Aparecida in the Vatican Gardens, 03.09.2016 (Holy See Press Office)