Pope Francis on Thursday urged the Virgin Mary to bless humankind and "specially those seeking employment".
"The statute of Our Lady of Aparecida was found by poor workers. May Mary bless all of us, but especially those seeking employment," he tweeted from his nine-language @pontifex account which has 40 million followers.
Our Lady of Aparecida, the patroness of Brazil, is a small statue with a smiling face which three local fishermen allegedly saw come out of the water in 1717 as they drew in their nets and which were then filled with an extraordinarily abundant catch.
