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Pilgrimage without incident
International tensions cloud ceremony
The annual pilgrimage to mark the anniversary of the final apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima in 1917 was held on October 13 amid heightened security, with rumors about planned terrorist activity unsettling many participants. But the event took place without incident.

More than 150,000 people—a higher number than usual—gathered at the Fatima shrine for the event, along with a noticeably larger number of security officials. “Given the circumstances of which we are all aware we had to take exceptional measures,” police superintendent Levy Correia said. “Apart from visible and undercover security, we basically have medical cover to allow us, within two minutes at most, to deploy a pool of vehicles to evacuate people in case a tragedy occurs,” he added.

Many pilgrims said the rumors that continued to spread in the weeks after the September terror attacks on the US had only encouraged them to make the trip to Fatima, to pray for peace and reconciliation in the world.

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