A group of pilgrims on bicycle, 10 of whom were Portuguese military men and civilians arrived on May 12, 2017 at Fatima after traveling 2,782 kilometers from Rome, reported the Catholic Agency Ecclesia of Portugal. They were received by the president of the Republic, by the bishop and by the rector of the Shrine.
For Major Rui Bernardo, parachutist, it was prayer that was the true engine of their pilgrimage, infusing in them the “strength, faith and courage” in the midst of storms: strong wind, abundant rain, added the chaplain, Major Constancio Gusmao.
The cyclists were received by the President of the Republic, Mr Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, Monsignor Antonio Marto, and by the Rector of the Shrine, Father Carlos Cabecinhas.
It was a 17-day “pilgrimage of peace” linking the Vatican and Fatima, to mark the centenary of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Cova da Iria and offered for the intentions of Pope Francis, who is going to canonize Jacinta and Francisco.
They offered the Shrine a bike that was found in the Vatican Museums.
