Religion
Related: About this forumPope to canonize 2 Fatima children a century after visions
Source: Associated Press
By BARRY HATTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS FATIMA, Portugal May 10, 2017, 6:27 AM ET
Three shepherd children in Portugal were jailed and threatened with being boiled alive in olive oil when they claimed the Virgin Mary appeared to them 100 years ago. The Catholic Church doubted their story too.
From that unpromising start, the children's reported visions would go on to strengthen the faith of Portugal's persecuted Catholics and make the small farming town of Fatima one of the world's foremost pilgrimage sites, with around 6 million visitors a year.
Now, the Portuguese youngsters' long-ago testimony is giving the Catholic Church its youngest saints who did not die as martyrs. Pope Francis plans to observe the centenary of their visions by canonizing Francisco and Jacinta Marto this weekend when he makes his first pilgrimage to Fatima.
During the Friday-Saturday visit, Francis will also likely seek to make Fatima's message of peace and prayer resonate today, church officials say. According to church lore, the Virgin Mary urged penance, sacrifice, and turning away from sin during her appearances to the children.
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Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-canonize-fatima-children-century-visions-47319122
Voltaire2
(13,155 posts)katmondoo
(6,457 posts)trotsky
(49,533 posts)Response to katmondoo (Reply #2)
Post removed
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Sometimes having faith can be very frustrating.
rug
(82,333 posts)Lots of people enjoy disruption of any positive talk about religion.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)The 1918 influenza got them both.
The virus kills you by triggering a cytokine storm, an extreme immune response in the lungs. They fill up with fluid and you drown. Jacinta's lungs were so badly swollen she needed to have two ribs removed. Because the disease had also damaged her heart, this operation was conducted under local anesthetic.
Francisco was 10. Jacinta was 9.
This, apparently, is how God calls his children home.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)rug
(82,333 posts)Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)Francisco refused medical treatment. Jacinta is said to have reasoned the exquisite pain she no doubt suffered during her operation and eventual death would inspire the faithful. Both are reported to have practiced mortification of the flesh.
Some people read this story and find inspiration. I see abused and neglected children.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Just lovely.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)...brings you closer to salvation.
It's fucking sick.