Fatima faithful await Pope Francis in their thousands

Fátima (Portugal) (AFP) - Braving the rain, tens of thousands of Catholic faithful awaited the arrival of Pope Francis in Fatima on Friday as the Portuguese holy site marks 100 years since the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to child shepherds.Under a menacing sky pierced by the occasional ray of sunshine, hymns echoed across the sprawling white esplanade that faces the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima as pilgrims from all over the world poured in -- some seeking solace from a difficult pa