Pope Francis has approved the recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of two of the shepherd children who saw Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, thus paving the way for their canonisation.
Pope Francis signed the decree for the Causes of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta Marto during a meeting with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the Vatican said.
The recognition of the miracle makes it likely that the canonisation ceremony for the two children will be scheduled soon. Cardinals and bishops who are members of the congregation must vote to recommend their canonisation and if so, the Pope will convene the cardinals resident in Rome for a consistory to approve the sainthood.
Many people are hoping Pope Francis will preside over the canonisation ceremony during his visit to Fatima on May 12-13.
The pilgrimage will mark the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions, which began on May 13, 1917, when nine-year-old Francisco and seven-year-old Jacinta, along with their cousin Lucia dos Santos, reported seeing the Virgin Mary. The apparitions continued once a month until October 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church.
The two-day pilgrimage on May 12-13 will mark the 100th anniversary of apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.
On the Friday the Pope will lead an evening recitation of the rosary at the Little Chapel of the Apparitions. The next day he will meet the prime minister of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel house in Fatima, and celebrate an outdoor Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary. He will then have lunch with the country’s bishops.
Francis will be the fourth pontiff to visit the shrine, following in the footsteps of Blessed Paul VI, St John Paul II and Benedict XVI, A year after the apparitions, both of the Marto children became ill during an influenza epidemic that plagued Europe. Francisco died on April 4, 1919, at the age of 10, while Jacinta succumbed to her illness on February 20, 1920, aged nine.
Francisco and Jacinta’s Causes were stalled for decades due to a debate on whether non-martyred children have the capacity to understand heroic virtues at a young age. However, in 1979, Pope John Paul II allowed their Causes to proceed; he declared them venerable in 1989 and beatified them in 2000.
Their cousin Lucia entered the Institute of the Sisters of St Dorothy and, later, obtained permission to enter the Carmelite convent of St Teresa in Coimbra, where she resided until her death in 2005 aged 97.
Benedict XVI then waived the five-year waiting period before her Cause could open. Bishop Virgilio Antunes of Coimbra formally closed the local phase of investigation into her life and holiness last month and forwarded the information to the Vatican.
Pope Francis signed other decrees recognising miracles, martyrdoms and heroic virtues in six other Causes, the Vatican said.
The Pope approved the canonisation of two Brazilian priests, Blessed André de Soveral and Blessed Ambrosio Francisco Ferro, as well as Mateus Moreira and 27 lay people, who were killed in 1645 during violence between Portuguese Catholics and Dutch Calvinists in Brazil.
Francis also approved the vote to canonise three young Mexicans, known as the child martyrs of Tlaxcala, who were among the first native converts in Mexico. Known only by their first names – Cristobal, Antonio and Juan – they were killed in 1529 for rejecting idolatry and polygamy in the name of their faith.
Study finds Ignatian retreat changes the brain
Ignatian retreats appear to cause “significant changes” in the “feelgood” systems of the brain, according to scientists in the United States.
Researchers at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University studied the brain responses of pilgrims on an Ignatian retreat and published their results in Religion, Brain and Behaviour.
Dr Andrew Newberg, director of research at the institute, said: “Since serotonin and dopamine are part of the reward and emotional systems of the brain, it helps us understand why these practices result in powerful, positive emotional experiences.
“Our study showed significant changes in dopamine and serotonin transporters after the seven-day retreat, which could help prime participants for the spiritual experiences that they reported.”
Dopamine and serotonin are known as “happiness hormones” but are also involved in a variety of brain functions.
Post-retreat scans revealed decreases in dopamine transporter and serotonin transporter binding. Antidepressants work by blocking the function of the latter. The study included 14 Christian participants aged 24 to 76 who attended an Ignatian retreat and practised the Spiritual Exercises of Jesuit founder St Ignatius Loyola.
After morning Mass, the people on retreat spent most of the day in silence, with prayer and reflection, and met a spiritual director each day.
Participants reported a significant positive change in health, tension and tiredness along with feelings of self-transcendence, which researchers believe correlates with the rise in dopamine levels.
Dr Newberg said: “In some ways, our study raises more questions than it answers.”
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