Statue of Virgin Mary from Fatima

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: Over 10,000 Roman Catholic adherents from across the diocese flocked to El Tari Airport on Tuesday evening to welcome a statue of the Virgin Mary from Fatima, Portugal.

The statue, which has been taken to over 20 countries, will be moved from church to church on Flores island for a week, starting from Labuanbajo in the west to Larantuka in the east.

The statue was welcomed by Kupang Archbishop Mgr. Gregorius Monteiro SVD and governor Herman Musakabe, who sprinkled flowers on the statue, Antara reported.

Monteiro blessed the statue before it was taken to Santo Yoseph Naikoten Church, about 12 kilometers west of El Tari airport.

The statue of the Virgin Mary is being taken around the world because of an agreement reached in a 1942 international congress of Roman Catholic youth.

The Fatima statue commemorates the Virgin Mary who is believed to have appeared before three children in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. (pan)