The statute of Our Lady of Fatima arrived on Sunday to our Lady of Harissa coming from Daraoun village, amid a march where prayers and hymns were chanted. A mass service was held under the chairmanship of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai for the second anniversary of consecrating Lebanon for the heart of Virgin Mary.
Patriarch Rai lashed out at leaders accusing them of driving the country according to their own interests.
“No one has the right to deprive the country from its president.” Rai added during the sermon. He called on leaders to cooperate and put the issues of citizens who granted them power on top of their priorities. Lebanon has been without a president since May when the mandate of Michel Sleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a consensual candidate have hindered the polls. The statute coming from Portugal arrived on Friday at Beirut International Airport. The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is one of most renowned Marian shrines across the world. About four million people visit Fatima each year, drawn by apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by three local shepherd children back in 1917. To watch Bassam Abou Zeid's report, please click on the VIDEO above