On March 25, 2022, Pope Francis presided over an Act of Consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and prayed for an end to the war.
To consecrate means to ask for divine protection beyond a blessing.
In 1917, Lucia de Jesus dos Santos (1907- 2005) and two other shepherd children from Fatima, Portugal claim to have seen Mary, the mother of Jesus. Among other statements, the children said that She asked for the consecration of Russia to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.
Lucia de Jesus dos Santos
“The war ( World War One) is going to end. But if they do not stop offending God, another and worse one will begin in the reign of Pius XI. When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that is the great sign God gives you that He is going to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, of hunger, and of persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this I come to ask the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays. If they listen to my requests, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not she will scatter her errors through the world, provoking 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 it will be converted and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world.”
The prophecy came just before the communist Bolshevik Revolution
In 1941, Lúcia, now a Catholic nun, described an apparition of Mary who told her,
“God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war (World War One) is going to end; if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. 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 will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
Lucia de Jesus dos Santos
In the past, Popes Pius XII, Paul VI, and John Paul II have made Acts of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, without directly referencing Russia. The general consecration left doubt as to whether Russia has been adequately consecrated to Mary.
In his March 25, 2022 Act of Consecration Pope Francis specifically named Russia.
Some Catholics hopefully believe that the specific consecration of Russia will usher in a period of world peace.
For some Catholics, Pope Francis’ Act of Consecration of Russia was not only a plea for peace but partial fulfillment of a prophecy.
Sources
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints/our-lady-of-fatima-423
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/35980/everything-you-need-to-know-about-fatima-part-2
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/saints/our-lady-of-fatima-423
https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04276a.htm
Thanks and a tip of the hat to the following for images:
By Diana Ringo – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35326615
By Attributed to Joshua Benoliel – This file has been extracted from another file, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56167336
By Fatima Priest – Duas Entrevistas com a Irmã Lúcia (Português) by Carlos Evaristo (Copyright 1998), CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=113005974
