Retiree Teresa Maria, 62, was one of about
200,000 people who travelled to the famous Fatima Roman Catholic shrine to mark
the first of three reported visions of the Virgin Mary, also known as Our Lady,
more than 100 years ago.
Last year, only 7,500 were allowed inside
the sanctuary and people had to stand in circles to maintain social distancing.
For many, it was a special moment to see
the sanctuary finally opening doors to a big crowd after the vast majority of
COVID-19 rules were lifted last month. But, as daily infections rise again,
Teresa Maria decided to keep her mask on.
"I always try to take
precautions," she said as she waited for the farewell procession, one of
the highlights of the event, to begin. "We are not free from it because cases
are going up."
Portugal has the European Union's highest
seven-day rolling average of cases per million inhabitants, according to Our
World in Data. Health experts believe a "sixth wave is shaping up very
intensely".
Deaths and hospitalisations are far below
levels suffered during the peak of the pandemic. Those aged over 80 will
receive the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from next week, three months
ahead of schedule.
Teresa Maria and others took the
opportunity not only to pray for a world without COVID-19 but also for the end
of the war that has been ravaging Ukraine since Russia's Feb 24 invasion.
"So much misery, so much shooting and
it doesn't seem like it will end anytime soon," said 79-year-old Arminda
Oliveira, shortly after a man with a Ukrainian flag around his neck walked on
his knees in prayer close to where she was sitting.
Priests in Fatima blessed a statue of the
Virgin Mary and will offer it to a cathedral in the Ukrainian city of Lviv,
which has become a refuge and key stop for those fleeing war.
"Even in these difficult times marked
by the scourge of war and the virus of the pandemic, rejoice - not in the world
but in the Lord," Venezuelan bishop Edgar Parra told the faithful in
Fatima.