In 2025, a remarkable spiritual journey connected Southeast Asia and Southern Europe as Indonesian pilgrims emerged among the top ten nationalities visiting the Marian sanctuary of Fátima in Portugal.
Coming from the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, their presence highlighted a growing interfaith curiosity and the universal appeal of sacred places.
A Surprising Presence
The Marian sanctuary of Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima has long been one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the world.
Built at the site where three shepherd children reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1917, the shrine attracts millions of visitors each year. In 2025, however, observers noted a distinctive trend: Indonesian pilgrims were counted among the ten most represented nationalities.
Indonesia is home to more than 270 million people, the majority of whom are Muslim. While Catholicism represents a minority faith there, the country also has a vibrant Christian population spread across islands such as Flores, Timor, and parts of Java and Sumatra.
The growth in Indonesian visitors to Fátima reflects not only the devotion of Indonesian Catholics but also a broader pattern of global mobility and spiritual tourism.
Faith Beyond Borders
For Indonesian Catholics, visiting the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima is often considered a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage. Many travel in organized groups led by priests, combining their visit to Portugal with stops in other European religious centers.
The year 2025 saw an increase in long-haul travel from Southeast Asia to Europe, supported by improved flight connectivity and stronger economic recovery after the pandemic years.
Pilgrims described their journey as both spiritual and cultural. Praying the rosary at the Chapel of the Apparitions, attending Mass in multiple languages, and participating in candlelight processions allowed them to experience a sense of unity that transcends geography.
For many Indonesians, the message of Fátima—centered on prayer, repentance, and peace—resonates deeply in a multicultural and multi-religious society back home.
Indonesia’s Religious Diversity
Although Indonesia is widely known as the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, it officially recognizes multiple religions, including Catholicism and Protestantism. The national philosophy of Pancasila promotes belief in one God alongside respect for diversity.
In regions such as East Nusa Tenggara, Catholic communities are especially strong, and Marian devotion plays a central role in local spirituality.
This background helps explain why Indonesian pilgrims feel a profound connection to Marian shrines abroad. The Virgin Mary, or Maria as she is commonly known in Indonesia, is venerated in many parishes and schools.
Pilgrimages to local grottoes are common, and international journeys to sites such as Fátima represent an extension of that devotional life.
The Global Appeal of Fátima
The enduring attraction of Fátima lies in its history and symbolism. In 1917, three shepherd children—Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto—reported a series of Marian apparitions.
These events, later recognized by the Catholic Church, transformed the small Portuguese town into a global pilgrimage hub. Over the decades, popes, including Pope John Paul II, visited the shrine, reinforcing its international significance.
By 2025, the sanctuary had become a crossroads of cultures. Pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia gathered in the vast square before the basilica.
The presence of Indonesian groups added a distinctive Southeast Asian dimension to the crowds, with some pilgrims carrying national flags or wearing traditional batik garments during processions.
Interfaith Curiosity and Cultural Exchange
The rise in Indonesian visitors also reflects a broader phenomenon: the intersection of faith and tourism in a globalized world.
While the majority of Indonesian pilgrims to Fátima are Catholic, there is also growing interfaith curiosity among Indonesians of different backgrounds who are interested in global religious heritage sites.
Portugal and Indonesia share historical links dating back to the 16th century, particularly in eastern Indonesia. These historical connections, though complex, contribute to a sense of familiarity that encourages travel and exchange.
In 2025, travel agencies in Jakarta, Surabaya, and Denpasar reported increased demand for European pilgrimage packages, with Fátima consistently featured as a highlight.
A Symbol of Universal Spiritual Longing
The fact that pilgrims from the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation ranked among the top ten visitors to Fátima underscores the universal human search for meaning. It illustrates how sacred spaces can draw people across continents, cultures, and religious demographics.
For Indonesian Catholics, standing in prayer at the sanctuary is both a personal and communal act of faith.
For observers, their presence in 2025 serves as a reminder that religious identity is not confined by national statistics. Instead, it is shaped by lived experience, migration, education, and global connection.
As the bells of Fátima continue to ring, they echo far beyond Portugal’s borders. In 2025, their sound reached all the way to the Indonesian archipelago, carried home in the hearts of pilgrims who journeyed thousands of kilometers in search of grace, peace, and spiritual renewal.
