FINALLY: Pope Francis Promises to Consecrate Russia, Ukraine to Mary - A Century After Our Lady's Request
The Blessed Virgin Mary warned all the way back in 1917 when she appeared as Our Lady of Fatima to three Portuguese shepherd children, “I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.” Our Lady specifically called on the Holy Father to consecrate Russia to her. Very sadly, the popes since then have not heeded Our Lady’s call, even as Soviet Communism and atheism spread across the world, causing wars and supporting tyrannies. Now, strangely enough, Pope Francis—the very pope who has often attacked or undermined aspects of traditional Catholicism or even doctrines—is stepping up to the challenge and following Our Lady’s request. This is wonderful news!
The Holy See Press Office issued the following statement:
“On Friday 25 March, during the Celebration of Penance at which he will preside at 17.00 in Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The same act, on the same day, will be carried out in Fatima by His Eminence Cardinal Krajewski, Apostolic Almoner, as envoy of the Holy Father.”
Pope Francis’s verified Twitter account shared the same information. It is not clear if the consecration will be made in union with all the world’s Catholic bishops, which is what Our Lady requested when she appeared for a second time to one of the Fatima visionaries in 1929. We should pray that this will be the case.
“[LifeSiteNews] Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Vatican announced on Tuesday, following an appeal made by the Ukrainian Catholic bishops. . .March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation [and thus the day on which Jesus Christ the God-man was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary]. . .The news follows a heartfelt appeal made to the pontiff on March 2 by the Latin-Rite Catholic bishops in Ukraine, who asked Pope Francis to consecrate Russia and Ukraine ‘as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima,’ to bring an end to the current conflict.
Their statement, released on the morning of Ash Wednesday, referenced the current conflict in Ukraine, and called for the consecration to be done in the manner requested by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. . .Cardinal Krajewski, who will perform the consecration in Fatima on behalf of the Pope, has recently visited Ukraine as the Papal envoy during the current crisis, and spoke with the Ukrainian Catholic bishops. While in Lviv, Krajewski highlighted the power of prayer and faith to “move mountains” and to prevent the current conflict.
In July 1917, Our Lady of Fatima gave the three visionaries this message, asking for the explicit consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart:
To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world [emphasis added].
Our Lady of Fatima repeated the request in 1929, when she appeared to Sr. Lucia saying: ‘The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to make, and to order that in union with him and at the same time, all the bishops of the world make the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to convert it because of this day of prayer and worldwide reparation.’
Controversy has reigned over the issue of the consecration of Russia, with some Catholics contending that it has taken place. However, while Pope John Paul II made an ‘entrustment-consecration’ of the world, including Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, 1984, he deliberately avoided making the explicit mention of Russia as Our Lady had requested. . .The late Fr. Gabriele Amorth, former chief exorcist of Rome, had already noted how the consecration had not been performed as requested, saying ‘a specific consecration has not yet been made.’
It remains to be seen if Pope Francis will make the consecration of Russia in union with the bishops of the world, as outlined by Our Lady in 1929. . .‘When we witness how the evil of atheistic materialism, which has its roots in Russia, directs in a radical way the government of the People’s Republic of China, we recognize that the great evil of communism must be healed at its roots through the consecration of Russia, as Our Lady has directed,’ Cardinal [Raymond] Burke [said].”
I recently reported on how excellent some of Pope Francis’s messages praying for and supporting Ukraine on Twitter have been, while also pointing out that this seemed almost a new leaf for him, considering that he has made deals or friends with Communist dictators (including the CCP) multiple times throughout his pontificate (to the detriment of Catholics under the rule of the dictators). Perhaps this determination to dedicate Russia and Ukraine to Our Lady, in accordance with her request, truly does show a change of heart in Pope Francis. All of us ought to pray that this is so.