Pope Francis has touched down in Portugal ahead of his visit to the shrine town of Fatima to honour two poor, illiterate shepherd children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th Century Catholic Church.
Francis arrived Friday to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions and canonise the children. He is hoping the message of peace that they reported 100 years ago, when Europe was in the throes of World War I, will resonate with the Catholic faithful today.
