LISBON 29 October 2018 — Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria paid a courtesy call on the newly installed Cardinal of Leiria-Fatima His Eminence Antonio Augusto dos Santos Marto in Portugal on 12 September 2018.
Ambassador Feria was warmly received by Cardinal Marto in the latter’s office in Casa de Retiros da Nossa Senhora do Carmo, a few meters from the Fatima Shrine within the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Ourem.
Ambassador Feria shared with Cardinal Marto the relevance of the upcoming Portuguese fifth centennial celebrations of the first circumnavigation of the world by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan expedition from 2019-2021. She informed the Cardinal that the Philippine government will likewise be commemorating this milestone historic event as 1521 marks the first encounter with Europe and the introduction of Christianity in what is now the Philippines.
The Cardinal expressed interest in learning more about the Philippines and the Filipinos and related to Ambassador Feria the increasing number of Filipino pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, especially after centennial celebrations of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima to the three shepherd children in 12 May 1918.
At the time of the call, the Cardinal informed the envoy that the Shrine registered three Filipino groups on pilgrimage to the Shrine in Fatima.
The Ambassador talked about the Filipino community in Portugal, the majority of whom are residing in the greater Lisbon area, who are largely Catholics and actively participate in the Philippine Chaplaincy in Lisbon, as well as in pilgrimages to Fatima.
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For more information, visit www.lisbonpe.dfa.gov.ph.
