Did the Consecration of Russia Happen? – Countdown to the Kingdom

The following is compiled from articles on The Now Word. See the Related Reading below.

It’s one of those topics that evokes a wide range of opinions and vigorous debate: did the consecration of Russia, as requested by Our Lady at Fatima, take place as asked? It’s an important question because, among other things, she said this would bring about that nation’s conversion and that the world would be granted a “period of peace” in its wake. She also said the consecration would prevent the spread of global Communism, or rather, its errors.^[1]cf. Capitalism and the Beast

[Russia] 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… 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… —visionary Sr. Lucia in a letter to the Holy Father, May 12th, 1982; The Message of Fatima, vatican.va

A Period of Peace?

As I’ll explain below, there have been consecrations that included Russia — most notably the “Act of Entrustment” by John Paul II on March 25th, 1984 in Saint Peter’s Square — but usually with one or more elements of Our Lady’s requests missing.

However, while the Cold War seemingly cooled off five years later, the notion that there has followed a “period of peace” would seem absurd to those who just years later endured genocide in Rwanda or Bosnia; to those who witnessed ethnic cleansings and ongoing terrorism in their regions; to those countries that have seen an escalation in domestic violence and teen suicide; to those who are the victims of massive human trafficking rings; to those in the Middle East who have been purged from their towns and villages by radical Islam that has left a wake of beheadings and tortures and prompted mass migrations; to those neighbourhoods that have seen violent protests in several countries and cities; and finally, to those babies who are mercilessly dismembered in the womb without anesthetic to the dirge of around 120,000 every day.

And it should be clear to the one paying attention that the “errors of Russia” — practical atheism, materialism, Marxism, socialism, rationalism, empiricism, scientism, modernism, etc. — have spread throughout the world. No, it would seem a period of peace is still forthcoming, and according to a papal theologian, there has been nothing like it yet:

Yes, a miracle was promised at Fatima, the greatest miracle in the history of the world, second only to the Resurrection. And that miracle will be an era of peace which has never really been granted before to the world. —Cardinal Mario Luigi Ciappi, October 9th, 1994 (papal theologian for Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, and John Paul II); Family Catechism, (Sept. 9th, 1993), p. 35

It is not because the popes outright ignored the requests at Fatima. But to say that the Lord’s conditions were fulfilled “as asked” has been the source of endless debate to this present day.

The Consecrations

In a letter to Pope Pius XII, Sr. Lucia repeated the demands of Heaven, which were made in Our Lady’s final apparition on June 13th, 1929:

The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means.

With urgency, she wrote the Pontiff again in 1940 pleading:

In several intimate communications our Lord has not stopped insisting on this request, promising lately, to shorten the days of tribulation which He has determined to punish the nations for their crimes, through war, famine and several persecutions of the Holy Church and Your Holiness, if you will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a special mention for Russia, and order that all the Bishops of the world do the same in union with Your Holiness. —Tuy, Spain, December 2nd, 1940

Two years later, Pius XII consecrated the “world” to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And then in 1952 in the Apostolic Letter Carissimis Russiae Populis, he wrote:

We consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mother of God, in a most special way, so now We dedicate and consecrate all the peoples of Russia to that same Immaculate Heart. —see Papal Consecrations to the Immaculate Heart, EWTN.com

But the consecrations were not done with “all the Bishops of the world.” Likewise, Pope Paul VI renewed the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart in the presence of the Fathers of the Vatican Council, but without their participation or all the bishops of the world.

After the assassination attempt upon his life, the Vatican’s website says that Pope John Paul II ‘immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he consjpii composed a prayer for what he called an “Act of Entrustment.”^[2]“The Message of Fatima”, vatican.va He celebrated this consecration of the “world” in 1982, but many bishops did not receive invitations in time to participate, and thus, Sr. Lucia said the consecration did not fulfill the necessary conditions. Later that year, she wrote to Pope John Paul II, stating:

Since we did not heed this appeal of the Message, we see that it has been fulfilled, Russia has invaded the world with her errors. And if we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment of the final part of this prophecy, we are going towards it little by little with great strides. If we do not reject the path of sin, hatred, revenge, injustice, violations of the rights of the human person, immorality and violence, etc.

And let us not say that it is God who is punishing us in this way; on the contrary it is people themselves who are preparing their own punishment. In his kindness God warns us and calls us to the right path, while respecting the freedom he has given us; hence people are responsible. —visionary Sr. Lucia in a letter to the Holy Father, May 12th, 1982; “The Message of Fatima”, vatican.va

So, in 1984, John Paul II repeated the consecration, and according to the organizer of the event, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, the Pope was to consecrate Russia by name. However, Fr. Gabriel gives this fascinating first-hand account of what took place.

Sr Lucy always said that Our Lady requested the Consecration of Russia, and only Russia… But time passed and the consecration was not done, so Our Lord was deeply offended… We can influence events. This is a fact!… Our Lord appeared to Sr. Lucy and told her: “They will do the consecration but it will be late!” I feel shivers running down my spine when I hear those words “it will be late.” Our Lord goes on to say: “The conversion of Russia will be a Triumph that will be recognized by the entire world”… Yes, in 1984 the Pope (John Paul II) quite timidly attempted to consecrate Russia in St Peter’s Square. I was there just a few feet away from him because I was the organizer of the event… he attempted the Consecration but all around him were some politicians who told him “you can’t name Russia, you can’t!” And he asked again: “Can I name it?” And they said: “No, no, no!” —Fr. Gabriel Amorth, interview with Fatima TV, November, 2012; watch interview here

And so, the official text of the “Act of Entrustment” now reads:

In a special way we entrust and consecrate to you those individuals and nations which particularly need to be thus entrusted and consecrated. ‘We have recourse to your protection, holy Mother of God!’ Despise not our petitions in our necessities. — POPE JOHN PAUL II, The Message of Fatima, vatican.va

At first, both Sr. Lucia and John Paul II were not certain that the consecration met Heaven’s requirements. However, Sr. Lucia apparently confirmed in personal hand-written letters that the consecration was in fact accepted.

Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II wrote to all the bishops of the world asking them to unite with him. He sent for the statute of Our Lady of Fátima — the one from the little Chapel to be taken to Rome and on March 25, 1984—publicly—with the bishops who wanted to unite with His Holiness, made the Consecration as Our Lady requested. They then asked me if it was made as Our Lady requested, and I said, “YES.” Now it was made. —letter to Sr. Mary of Bethlehem, Coimbra, August 29, 1989

And in a letter to Fr. Robert J. Fox, she said:

Yes, it was accomplished, and since then I have said that it was made. And I say that no other person responds for me, it is I who receive and open all letters and respond to them. —Coimbra, July 3, 1990, Sister Lucia

She affirmed this again in an interview that was both audio and video-taped with his Eminence, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal in 1993. However, it must be said that seers are not always the best or necessarily the final interpreters of their revelations.

It is legitimate to conjecture that, when re-evaluating the act of John Paul II in 1984, Sister Lucia allowed herself to be influenced by the atmosphere of optimism that spread in the world after the collapse of the Soviet Empire. It should be noted that Sister Lucia did not enjoy the charism of infallibility in the interpretation of the lofty message she received. Therefore, it is for the Church’s historians, theologians, and pastors to analyze the consistency of these statements, collected by Cardinal Bertone, with the previous statements of Sister Lucia herself. However, one thing is clear: the fruits of the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, announced by Our Lady, are far from having materialized. There is no peace in the world. —Father David Francisquini, published in the Brazilian magazine “Revista Catolicismo” (Nº 836, Agosto/2020): “A consagração da Rússia foi efetivada como Nossa Senhora pediu?” [“Was the consecration of Russia carried out as Our Lady requested?”]; cf. onepeterfive.com

In a message to the late Fr. Stefano Gobbi whose writings bear the Imprimatur, and who was very close friend to John Paul II, Our Lady gives a different view:

Russia has not been consecrated to me by the Pope together with all the bishops and thus she has not received the grace of conversion and has spread her errors throughout all parts of the world, provoking wars, violence, bloody revolutions and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. —given to Fr. Stefano Gobbi in Fatima, Portugal on May 13th, 1990 on the anniversary of the First Apparition there; with Imprimatur (see also her preceding messages on March 25, 1984, May 13, 1987, and June 10, 1987).

Other alleged seers have received similar messages that the consecration has not been done properly including Luz de Maria de Bonilla, Gisella Cardia, Christiana Agbo and Verne Dagenais.

My daughter, I know and share your sorrow; I, the Mother of love and sorrow, suffer greatly because of not having been heard — otherwise all this would not have happened. I have repeatedly asked for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, but my cry of pain has remained unheard. My daughter, this war will bring death and destruction; those living will not be enough to bury the dead. My children, pray for the consecrated who have abandoned charity, true faith and morality, desecrating the Body of my Son, driving the faithful to tremendous errors, and this will be the cause of terrible suffering. My children, pray, pray, pray very much. —Our Lady to Gisella Cardia, February 24th, 2022

What Now?

So, if anything, has an imperfect consecration been made, thus producing imperfect results? To read about some of the amazing changes in Russia since 1984, see Russia… Our Refuge? What is clear is that despite the new openness to Christianity that has taken place in Russia, it remains an aggressor on the political and military front. And how many have fulfilled the second part of Our Lady’s request: “the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays”? It would seem the prophecy of St. Maximilian Kolbe has yet to be fulfilled.

The image of the Immaculate will one day replace the large red star over the Kremlin, but only after a great and bloody trial. —St. Maximilian Kolbe, Signs, Wonders and Response, Fr. Albert J. Herbert, p.126

These days of the bloody trial are now upon us as Fatima and the Apocalypse are about to be fulfilled. The question remains: Will the present or a future pope make the consecration “as asked” by Our Lady, that is, naming “Russia” while alongside all the bishop’s of the world? And dare one ask: Can it hurt? At least one Cardinal has weighed in:

Certainly, Pope Saint John Paul II consecrated the world, including Russia, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, 1984. But, today, once again, we hear the call of Our Lady of Fatima to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart, in accord with her explicit instruction. —Cardinal Raymond Burke, May 19th, 2017; lifesitenews.com

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, through her intercession, inspire fraternity in all those who venerate her, so that they may be reunited, in God’s own time, in the peace and harmony of the one people of God, for the glory of the Most Holy and indivisible Trinity! —Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Kirill, February 12th, 2016

—Mark Mallett is the author of The Final Confrontation and The Now Word and is a co-founder of Countdown to the Kingdom.