POPE LEO XIV
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On May 1, 2025, a beloved Marian image in the Philippines received one of the Church’s highest honors: a pontifical coronation. Known affectionately as “Imang” by devotees, the image of Our Lady of Fatima de Binakayan was solemnly crowned at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Kawit, Cavite — an event made even more poignant as one of the final acts approved by Pope Francis before his health declined.
Presided over by Archbishop Charles Brown, the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, the crowning ceremony drew bishops, priests, and pilgrims from across the country.
Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista of Imus and five other prelates joined in the rite, which was held in nomine et auctoritate ipsius Summi Pontificis — that is, “in the name and authority of the Supreme Pontiff.”
More than a ceremonial honor, the papal coronation recognizes the image’s deep spiritual significance and long-standing devotion.
“We undertake this with profound gratitude,” Fr. Julius De Sagun, the shrine rector, told CBCP News. “In honoring Imang, we celebrate the enduring light of Pope Francis’ life and legacy.”
We walk with her
The devotion to Our Lady of Fatima in Binakayan began nearly 60 years ago. In 1966, an American couple gifted the image to then-Archbishop Rufino Cardinal Santos. It was entrusted to the newly founded Fatima Parish in Cavite, where the image soon became associated with miracles.
In 2009, then-Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle granted it an episcopal coronation, using a crown gifted by Portugal’s Shrine of Fatima.
But with the elevation to a pontifical coronation, this local devotion has now taken its place among the most honored Marian shrines in the Philippines.
Papal coronations are rare. They signify not only enduring popular devotion but also the Church’s affirmation of the image as a vessel of divine grace. In the Philippines, where Marian devotion is deeply woven into the fabric of life, these events become national moments of spiritual renewal.
For many Filipinos, Imang is more than a statue. She is a companion in suffering, a symbol of maternal tenderness, and a light in times of darkness. “She has walked with us through our hardships,” one pilgrim told CBCP News, “and now, we walk with her in this moment of joy.”
