The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25 and that a papal envoy will conduct the same consecration in Fatima.
What’s consecration?
Consecration means setting something apart, dedicating it to a sacred purpose.
The word is used often in Catholicism, churches are consecrated. Pope St. John Paul II have encouraged personal devotional consecration to Mary.
As early as the ninth century, bishops and priests began to consecrate cities and countries to the Blessed Virgin Mary as well, as a way of asking for her protection.
Louis XIII consecrated France to Mary in 1638, and other countries have done the same.
Fatima Prophecy
Three Portuguese children in 1917 had visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during which Mary is said to have given messages to the visionary children about the state of the world.
This is a description of the event in Fatima published on the website of the Father Piotr Skarga Association of Christian Culture:
“On October 13, 1917, an impressive crowd of over 70,000 people gathered at the site of the apparitions. Many had to travel hundreds of kilometers, overwhelmingly on foot or on donkeys, as well as by carts and cars. Among the gathered there were not only simple people, but also very skeptical scientists, journalists, and non-believers. According to some sources, this phenomenon lasted for 10 minutes. The sky was then covered with dark clouds. Heavy rain fell on the gathered people. Suddenly the sun appeared and began to spin in the sky. People started screaming in terror. Some began to confess their sins aloud, believing that "this is the end of the world." Many stood, but many knelt and cried, praying."
Three of those messages became known as the Secrets of Fatima.
The first secret was a vision of hell the children say Mary allowed them to see.
The second was that World War I would end, and another war would begin during the reign of Pius XI, “if people do not cease offending God.”
The main message of Mary was: "I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays of the month. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, it will spread its errors all over the world, provoking wars, and persecution against the Church."
Russia
All of us know what errors Russia is spreading all over the world: communist revolution and communism that is still spreading, Soviet Union, Stalinism, and now the war in Ukraine with a strong possibility of starting WWIII.
In 1942, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in 1984, Pope St. John Paul II offered prayers of solemn consecration, which dedicated the world to Mary.
Catholics have argued that Pope John Paul II did not actually consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - and some Catholics continue to raise that objection.
But after the consecration, Sr. Lucia - the visionary who recorded the message from Mary - said several times that she believed the consecration request had been fulfilled. And in 2000, the Holy See said the consecration “has been done just as Our Lady asked.”
In early March, the Latin Catholic bishops of Ukraine asked Pope Francis to “publicly perform the act of consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Sacred Immaculate Heart of Mary, as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima.”
On March 20 Pope Francis told thousands of pilgrims from many countries gathered in St. Peter’s Square:
“I invite every community and every one of the faithful to join with me next Friday, March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation, in making this solemn act of consecration of humanity, and especially of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that she, the Queen of Peace, may obtain peace for the world.”
