Two priests, who had come to question us, recommended us to pray for the Holy Father. Jacinta asked who the Holy Father was. The good priests explained who he was and how much he needed prayers. This gave Jacinta such love for the Holy Father that, every time she offered her sacrifices to Jesus, she added: “and for the Holy Father.” At the end of the Rosary, she always said three Hail Mary’s for the Holy Father, and sometimes she would remark: “How I’d love to see the Holy Father! So many people come here, but the Holy Father never does!”
In her childish simplicity, she supposed that the Holy Father could make this journey just like anybody else! One day, my father and my uncle were summoned to appear next morning with the three of us before the Administrator.
“I’m not going to take my children,” announced my uncle, “nor present them before any tribunal. Why, they are not old enough to be responsible for their actions, and besides all that, they could never stand the long journey on foot to the Vila Nova De Ourém. I’ll go myself and see what they want.”
My father thought differently: “As for my girl, I’m taking her! Let her answer for herself; I don’t understand a thing about this.” They all took advantage of this occasion to frighten us in any way they could. Next day, as we were passing by my uncle’s house, my father had to wait for a few minutes for my uncle. I ran to say goodbye to Jacinta, who was still in bed. Doubtful as to whether we would see one another again, I threw my arms around her.
Bursting into tears, the poor child sobbed: “If they kill you, tell them that Francisco and I are just the same as you, and that we want to die too. I’m going right now to the well with Francisco, and we’ll pray hard for you.”
When I got back at night fall, I ran to the well, and there were the pair of them on their knees, leaning over the side of the well, their heads buried in their hands, weeping bitterly.
As soon as they saw me, they cried out in astonishment: “You’ve come then? Why, your sister came here to draw water and told us that they’d killed you! We’ve been praying and crying so much for you!”