The locale, in west-central Portugal, is the focus of the country's most important pilgrimage. It was on 12 May 1917 that the two children and their cousin, Lucia, who survived into adulthood, reported having seen the Virgin Mary in the countryside at Cova de Iria, near Fátima.

The Vatican press office announced that Pope Francis had approved the miracle that would allow the canonisation of the Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto. The two children were beatified by Pope John Paul II in Fátima.

“We now await with serene expectation the scheduling of the date and place for the respective celebration, in which Jacinta and Francisco will be proposed as a model of holiness for the whole Church," the secretary and spokesman of the episcopal conference, Manuel Barbosa, said in a statement.

In a Pastoral Letter for the Centenary, according to the statement, Portugal's Catholic bishops stressed that “the fame of the holiness of Francisco and Jacinta quickly spread throughout the whole world”, and noted “the first non-martyred children to be beatified”.

The dean of the Fátima shrine, Carlos Cabecinhas, also welcomed the Vatican announcement.

“For my part, I reveal great rejoicing at the approval of the decree that paves the way for canonisation," he said. "Francisco and Jacinta are an integral part of the message of Fátima. This is one of the best and most eagerly awaited pieces of news in the celebrations of the centenary of the apparitions."

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are expected to descend on the shrine for the ceremonies on 12 and 13 May, which are to be presided over by Pope Francis himself.