Some 270,000 pilgrims pray for Pope Leo and peace in Portugal's Fatima shrine

Pilgrims participate in the candlelight procession on the eve of the anniversary of the reported appearance of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children, at the Catholic shrine of Fatima, Portugal, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

LISBON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of devotees of the Virgin Mary on Monday gathered at the sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal to pray for newly-appointed Pope Leo XIV and global peace.

Church officials said around 270,000 pilgrims came from all over Portugal, Spain, Poland and from further afield nations such as the U.S., Paraguay, Mauritius and Taiwan, packing one of Catholicism's most famous shrines located less than 150 kilometres (95 miles) north of Lisbon.