Pope Francis to canonise children at Fatima shrine

London [U.K.], May 13 (ANI): Pope Francis has arrived in the Portuguese town of Fatima, the symbol of peace to honour two children whose visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago marked one of the most important events of the 20th-century Catholic church. At the military base of Monte Real, Pope Francis was greeted by the Portuguese President Marcelo Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa . One hundred years ago, three Portuguese shepherd children said the Virgin Mary appeared to them in Fatima, and the pontiff is visiting the shrine on the centenary of the "visions". Tens of thousands of people including Church groups, families and individuals have gathered in the small town Fatima, about 90 miles north of Lisbon, to see Francis canonise the two children. The Fatima mystery has fascinated Catholics and non-Catholics alike for a Century, blending visions of the Virgin, supernatural events and apocalyptic messages of hell, World War II, communism and the death of a pope. The Pope is in town to celebrate the centenary of the apparitions and to canonize illiterate shepherd children who saw them and hoping that the message of peace still resonates with Catholics, young shepherds who saw Virgin Mary apparition 100 years ago still resonates with Catholics Carrying candles, rosaries and roses, many have visited the statue dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima. (ANI)