Statue of Our Lady of Fatima to Travel to Rome for Jubilee of Marian Spirituality
The revered statue of Our Lady of Fatima, recognised globally for its spiritual significance, is set to visit Rome on 11-12 October 2025, during the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. This iconic image, a symbol of enduring hope, will be present for a special Mass in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, 12 October 2025, enhancing the sacred atmosphere of prayer and reflection. The Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization announced on Thursday that entry to the Eucharistic Celebration will be free, and registration for the Jubilee event is now open on its official website.
This upcoming visit will mark the fourth time the statue has travelled from its home in Fatima, Portugal, to Rome. The first occasion was in 1984 for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Redemption, during which Pope St John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 25 March. The second visit occurred in 2000 for the Great Jubilee, and the third was in October 2013 during the Year of Faith with Pope Francis.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, emphasized the statue’s importance, describing it as one of the most cherished Marian icons for Christians worldwide. He referenced Pope Francis’s Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee, Spes non confundit, which highlights Mary as the ‘most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children.’ The Archbishop added that the Virgin Mary’s message to the three shepherd children at Fatima remains relevant today: ‘I will never leave you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that will lead you to God.’ Father Carlos Cabecinhas, Rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima, explained that the statue leaves the Cova da Iria sanctuary only in exceptional circumstances and strictly at the Pope’s request. He described the Virgin of Fatima as a ‘pilgrim of hope,’ representing Easter joy amid the world’s challenges.
In this visit, the ‘Lady dressed in white’ will join the ‘bishop dressed in white,’ a phrase the shepherd children affectionately used for the Pope. The statue, created in 1920 by Portuguese sculptor José Ferreira Thedim, stands 104 cm tall and was carved from Brazilian cedar based on the descriptions given by the shepherd children. It was crowned on 13 May 1946, and the crown was later adorned with the bullet that struck Pope John Paul II during the assassination attempt in St Peter’s Square on 13 May 1981.
