Pope Francis left Portugal on Saturday after canonising two shepherd siblings believed to have seen the Madonna 100 years ago in the Portuguese town of Fatima, a major pilgrimage site for Catholics.

Hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom slept outdoors to hold their places, broke into applause as the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics proclaimed the siblings – Francisco and Jacinta Marto – the newest of the Church’s saints.

They are also the youngest Catholic saints.

The two died at the ages of 10 and 9 years old, within three years of the 1917 apparitions, making them the youngest saints of the Church who were not martyrs.

The Virgin of Fatima is venerated by Catholics around the world, a following underscored by the many national flags fluttering in the huge crowd, estimated at more than half a million.

Reuters