Saint Peter’s on March 25th: the Metaphysical Significance of an Event

The importance of consecrating Russia as desired by Mary at Fatima is of the utmost metaphysical importance.

 by Roberto de Mattei

The news is official and of the utmost importance.  On March 25, 2022, Pope Francis has consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  As confirmed by the head of the Press Office of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, the Pope "invited bishops from all over the world and their priests to pray with him for peace and to consecrate and entrust Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary".  On March 22, the Holy See published the text of the Consecration.

In Fatima, on July 13, 1917, Our Lady announced that God was preparing "to punish the world for its crimes, through war, famine and persecution of the Church and the Holy Father".  In order to avoid this calamity, Our Lady asked for the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in conjunction with all the bishops of the world and to propagate the practice of the first Saturdays of the month, consisting of five consecutive Saturdays with  to unite her, to confess and communicate, to contemplate and pray the Holy Rosary for fifteen minutes.  “If My requests are accepted,” said Our Lady, “Russia will be converted and have peace;  if not, it will spread its errors throughout the world and encourage wars and persecutions of the Church.  The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will suffer greatly, various nations will be destroyed.  Eventually, My Immaculate Heart will triumph."

After the apparitions of Fatima in 1917 there were various acts of consecration and entrustment to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but all were partial and incomplete, although not without effect, so that as early as 1931 the Lord spoke to Sister Lucy about the failure of the  Consecration of Russia, lamenting: "They would not listen to my request!  Like the King of France, they will repent, and they will, but it will be too late.  Russia will already have spread its errors all over the world and will bring wars and persecutions to the Church: the Holy Father will have to suffer a lot”.

In his radio message to Portugal on October 31, 1942, Pius XII.  consecrated the Church and humanity to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  On July 7, 1952, Pope Pacelli himself consecrated all the peoples of Russia to the Mother of God in the apostolic exhortation Sacro Vergente Anno.  Russia was expressly mentioned, but the solemn union with the Catholic bishops of the whole world was lacking.  The ecumenical Second Vatican Council would have been an extraordinary opportunity to fulfill Our Lady's request.  In 1965, 510 archbishops and bishops from 78 countries signed a petition asking the pope, in agreement with the Council Fathers, to consecrate the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, especially Russia and other communist-ruled nations.  Paul VI  however, did not comply with this request.

After being badly wounded in an assassination attempt on May 13, 1981, John Paul II attributed his miraculous protection to Our Lady of Fatima and made a pilgrimage to her Shrine on May 13, 1982, where he entrusted to Our Lady “those people and peoples and  consecrated those who are particularly in need of this entrustment and consecration.” He repeated a similar dedication on March 25, 1984 in St. Peter's Square in the presence of the statue of Mary brought from Portugal.  The Pope had written to the world's bishops asking them to join him, but not all have received the invitation and few have responded.  On this occasion, too, Russia was not expressly mentioned, but only "the peoples whose consecration and entrustment you expect from us" was mentioned.

A third act of entrusting the Church and humanity to the Virgin Mary was proclaimed by John Paul on October 8, 2000 in front of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the presence of more than 1500 bishops representing the episcopacy.  Benedict XVI  had the Third Secret of Fatima published (the text of which is considered by many to be incomplete) and on May 12, 2010, kneeling before the image of Our Lady in the Chapel of the Apparitions of Fatima, raised a prayer of trust in Her, in which he  Liberation asked "from every danger that hovers over us".

 On October 13, 2013, Pope Francis pronounced the words of entrustment to Our Lady in St. Peter's Square.  However, the consecration of Russia that many had been waiting for did not materialize.

On May 13, 2017, Pope Francis traveled to Fatima for the canonization of the two shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta, who died at the age of 9 and 11 and in 1917, together with their cousin Lucia dos Santos, also a child, saw and had heard the words of Our Lady.  The beatification process of Lucia, who died in 2005, is in progress.  But even in this case, the pope ignored the prayers of the Blessed Mother.

Today, the international scene has changed dramatically, and Pope Francis has decided to do something none of his predecessors have ever done.  From 1917 to 2022, nine popes have known Fatima, and all after Benedict XV.  have approved her worship.  Six of them have visited the shrine, either as popes or as cardinals.  Some of them, like Pius XII.  and John Paul II, have shown great reverence for the 1917 apparitions.  But so far none of them has fulfilled the urgent requests of the Blessed Mother.  The act that Pope Francis will carry out on March 25 seems to respond to these requests and will be accompanied by an unprecedented gathering of bishops, priests and lay people.  The meaning of the event is not geopolitical, but metaphysical and supernatural, because it seems to be one of those moments when the mystery of history seems to open and the light of God illuminates world events beyond the intentions of its protagonists.  This is happening while Russia's bombing threatens to spread from Kyiv to the whole world.

 Translation: Giuseppe Nardi

 Image: Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron@99@hotmail.com

AMDG