Pope Francis’s visit will mark the centennial of the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in Fátima.
Two of these children, Jacinta and Francisco, are to be canonised on Saturday.
The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the shepherd children on six different occasions in 1917, from 13 May to 13 October, in which she is said to have handed down three secrets.
The visit has seen the Government declare Friday a holiday, allowing civil servants to travel to the Shrine. It is estimated that 89 percent of Portugal’s inhabitants are Catholic. A similar number believe in the apparitions.
The canonisation of two of the children, the two youngest non-martyrs to be granted sainthood, comes after they reportedly were responsible for at least two miracles, details remain vague though one appears to relate to an incident involving the alleged miracle healing of a Brazilian child.
The papal visit has also seen Portugal temporarily revoke the Schengen Agreement, which will see border controls in place until this coming Sunday, effectively placing the country on lockdown.
To date, ten people have been detained at the country’s borders since the move came into force on 10 May.
Around six thousand law enforcement authorities will also be covering the ground during “Operation Fátima” with officials saying these numbers can be reinforced at short-notice given the current state of readiness of police forces.
Pope Francis will be departing Rome just after lunchtime this Friday, before landing at the Monte Real base north of Lisbon at 4.20pm.
After a private meeting with President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, he will leave in a helicopter before landing at the Fátima municipal stadium, which has since been named after Pope Francis.
This will be followed by a number of religious ceremonies during the evening.
On Saturday, after meeting with Prime Minister António Costa, the Pope will pray at the tombs of the child shepherds followed by a morning mass which will culminate in the canonisation of Francisco and Jacinta.
The Pope will return to the Vatican on Saturday afternoon after a lunch with the Bishops of Portugal.
In an address to the people of Portugal on the eve of his arrival in Portugal, Pope Francis said that these are “days of joy in expectation of our encounter in the home of Mary our Mother.”
He added that “it is as the universal pastor of the Church that I would like to come before the Madonna.”
“I thank you for all the prayers and sacrifices that you offer daily for me. I need them, because I am a sinner among sinners” before concluding that “in his name, I will come among you and have the joy of sharing with everyone the Gospel of hope and peace. May the Lord bless you, and the Virgin Mother protect you!”
Pope Francis will be the fourth head of the Vatican to visit Portugal. Paul VI visited in 1967, followed by John Paul II in 1982, 1991 and 2000 and Benedict XVI in 2010.