The logo of Pope Francis’ visit to Fatima on May 12-13, on the occasion of the centenary of the Marian apparitions to three little shepherds, in the Portuguese locality, was published Monday.
As the bulletin of the Holy See Press Office states, the logo responds to six requisites.
“To support visually the Holy Father’s image with the choice of a typographical character that expresses the Pope’s simple and clear style,” it reads. At the same time, the pre-chosen character (Prelo Light and semi-bold), created by designer Dino Santos in 2008 is an expression of the Portuguese culture.
It was decided to design a heart in double symmetrical and converging ellipses to represent ”Mary’s purity and the emptying of herself to be filled with the love of God.” In fact, the Pope’s pilgrimage focuses on the theme of the “Immaculate Heart of Mary.” Included in the heart, which puts in the first place the Father’s merciful love, is the cross of the Rosary, “so that the redemptive love of the Son is not left out.
The beads that make up the Rosary delineate the heart, in as much as Our Lady of Fatima invites insistently to pray the Rosary.
As the pilgrimage is inserted in the celebrations of the Centenary of the Apparitions, inserted also in the logo is the symbol of the Centenary, elaborated previously, next to the event’s motto: “With Mary, pilgrim in hope and in peace.”
In addition, the bulletin states: “the logo of Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to Fatima will be applied to various supports, in particular to the event’s official poster.”
The poster reproduces a photo taken in the Vatican on September 16, 2015 by Giuseppe Ciccia (Pacific press, Light rocket, acquired at Getty images).” The image was re-contextualized and the background modified chromatically, to give greater legibility to the logo.”
The poster “highlights the physical and loving proximity of the Pope, who, smiling, does a gesture of greeting and blessing with his hand.”
In conclusion, “the intent of the project is to “express graphically the spirit of mercy and peace of which the Pope is messenger, simple and accessible as the Saint whose name he chose, adding the most representative symbols of the Fatima Shrine: the heart and the Rosary.”
