A miracle witnessed by a crowd of 70,000 people

On May 13, 1917, in Fatima, Portugal, during an apparition to the three young visionaries, Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco, the Virgin Mary announced a public miracle for October 13, 1917. This miracle was a "dance of the sun". On that day, the Virgin's promise came true: many solar movements and phenomena were seen in the sky by a crowd of 70,000 people. Avelino de Almeida, reporter for O Seculo, a socialist and anti-clerical newspaper, who was present at Fatima on October 13, 1917, described the event in great detail in an article.

Although some scientists attributed those movements to a rare conjunction of meteorological elements (allegedly a rare lens-shaped air mass formed by opposing winds which, due to temperature inversion, can make it spin, then rise and fall in an elliptical pattern; and if loaded with ice particles, could reflect the sun, giving the impression that it's "dancing"), nobody can account for the fact that this phenomenon occurred at the predicted location, day and time!

In the following days, these astonishing events were covered by the entire Portuguese press, both secular and Christian, with all the journalists present having seen exactly the same thing.

Numerous photographs were taken, and more eyewitnesses found from up to 40 km away. The daily O Seculo even ran a front-page story on the miracle of the sun, with a report and photos that were entirely consistent with what everyone saw.

Following the "miracle of the sun", the diocese of Leiria-Fátima collected thousands of written testimonies, all consistent with each other. Soon after that, the Church recognized the Miracle of the Sun.

Source: www.lefigaro.fr