By Vatican News
The revered statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be in Rome on October 11-12, 2025, for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. The statue, an internationally recognized symbol of hope and devotion, will be brought from the Portuguese Marian shrine of Fatima to St. Peter’s Square, where it will be present during the Holy Mass on October 12 at 10:30 a.m.
According to a communiqué released by the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization on Thursday, entry to St. Peter’s Square for the Eucharistic Celebration will be free, and registration for the Jubilee event is already open on the official website.
Fourth Visit of the Statue to Rome
This will be the fourth time the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima visits Rome. The first visit occurred in 1984, during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Redemption, when Pope St. John Paul II consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second visit took place in the Year 2000 during the Great Jubilee, and the third was in October 2013 for the Year of Faith, presided over by Pope Francis.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, emphasized the significance of this visit, stating, “The presence of the beloved original statue of Our Lady of Fatima will allow everyone to experience the closeness of the Virgin Mary.” He further cited Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee, Spes non confundit, which describes Mary as the “most affectionate of mothers, who never abandons her children.”
A Pilgrim of Hope
The statue, a work of Portuguese artist José Ferreira Thedim in 1920, is usually housed in the Chapel of the Apparitions at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima. This chapel marks the location where the Virgin is said to have appeared to three shepherd children—Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta Marto, and Francisco Marto—six times between May and October 1917.
Fr. Carlos Cabecinhas, Rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima, remarked that the statue leaves the Sanctuary of Cova da Iria only under exceptional circumstances and at the request of the Popes. He highlighted the importance of the Virgin’s presence in Rome during the Jubilee, stating, “In this Jubilee time, the Virgin of Fatima is the woman of the joy of Easter, even in the painful times the world is going through. Once again, the ‘Lady dressed in white’ will become a pilgrim of hope and, in Rome, she will be with the ‘bishop dressed in white,’ as the shepherd children of Fatima affectionately called the Holy Father.”
Historical Significance
Standing 104 cm tall and carved from Brazilian cedar, the statue was crowned on May 13, 1946. Notably, the crown was later embedded with the bullet that struck Pope John Paul II during the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, in St. Peter’s Square—a testament to the deep connection between the pontiff and Our Lady of Fatima.
With its upcoming visit in 2025, the statue continues its mission of spreading hope and spiritual renewal, reinforcing the faith of millions worldwide.
Sources:
- Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization
- Vatican News
- Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima
Society of Jesus' social apostolate 