As he does every year, on Saturday, Feb. 2, the pope will celebrate a special Mass dedicated to religious men and women, on the Day of Consecrated Life.
The ceremony will begin with a traditional procession of candles, also giving this festival the name 'Candelaria' in many places.
Through this annual meeting, the Catholic Church pays homage to the thousands of religious who work all over the world.
According to official statistics from Jan. 1, 2017, there are 52,625 religious men, 1,604 less than the previous year.
There were also 659,445 religious women, almost 11 thousand less than 2016.
