[ad_1]
The Sanctuary of Fátima decided this Sunday to close the accesses to the enclosure, since the maximum capacity foreseen in the contingency plan had been reached in the context of a pandemic. The flood scenario that we saw this Sunday contrasts, however, with the one that lived on May 13, when the Sanctuary of Fatima was empty, without pilgrims.
This Sunday, hundreds of pilgrims came to Fatima to celebrate September 13 and, according to the images transmitted by the channel of the Sanctuary of Fatima, most of those present wore a mask.
“For the first time, the Shrine of Fatima was forced to close the entrances, in the middle of the celebration, putting into practice its plan created in the context of the covid-19 pandemic, which provides for a safe occupation for the Prayer Area “, read on the page of the Sanctuary of Fatima. In the same note left on the website, it is also said that, throughout the prayer, alerts were given to maintain physical distance “which were well received by the crowd of pilgrims, who dispersed.” At the end of the mass, it was still possible to hear, through the live broadcast, the call for people to keep their seats, that the exit takes place in an orderly manner, respecting the necessary physical distance measures and avoiding crossings.
In addition to the pilgrims who came to Fatima from various parts of the country, the sanctuary also included, at the time of prayer, the presence of a group of pilgrims from France, four groups from Spain, two from Italy and one from Poland.
Dismissals and criticism
After the news that reported layoffs, the Shrine of Fatima clarified last week that, in question, it is not about layoffs, but about advance agreements with, for example, employees who are close to retirement age.
According to this organization, 77% of donations have been lost since the beginning of the pandemic. The decrease in pilgrims nationwide is around 99%. In a note released, the Shrine of Fatima regretted the “repeated smear campaign that threatens the credibility of the institution and the moral integrity of its governing bodies.” “Besides being false, slanderous and defamatory, they do not reflect the reality of the facts, generating noise at a particularly difficult time, where fear prevails, given the uncertainty of the national and international situation,” he added.
This weekend, in an interview with Expresso, Carlos Cabecinhas, rector of the Sanctuary of Fátima, stressed that “the sanctuary did not have, in May, nor now any dismissal plan”, admitting that “the sanctuary has conditions to ensure all 318 jobs you have now ”. Asked about the accounts of the Sanctuary of Fatima, which have not been presented since 2005, Carlos Cabecinhas only replied “that the accounts are no longer published due to differences in the interpretation of some points of the Concordat on tax matters”, maintaining these differences even today. “The Shrine of Fatima is not bankrupt, it is not insolvent, it is in a stable economic situation. When the national council decides to make the accounts public, I will be the first to speak for myself, ”he added.
