Thanks be to God for the consecration which Pope Francis and many bishops offered to Our Lady on Her great feast of the Annunciation.
So many elements of the Fatima request came together almost effortlessly, after decades of objections and protests that it could never happen. Father Gruner, almost alone, maintained that it could all be done despite the difficulties present in the post-conciliar Church.
We can be heartened by these recent events, beginning with the Ukrainian Episcopal Conference’s public plea for the Pope to consecrate Russia in the manner requested by Our Lady of Fatima. This was a significant and dramatic break from the decades-long insistence by the Vatican (and also many Catholics who refused to hear the truths expressed by Father Gruner) that after Pope John Paul II’s consecration of the world on March 25, 1984, “any further discussion or request [for the Consecration of Russia] is without basis.”
Then came word from Rome that Francis would make a consecration, followed by the announcement that he would publish the prayer ahead of time and invite all the bishops of the world to join him. It was extraordinary to see the walls melt away as one bishop after another, and even whole Bishops’ Conferences, announce that they would indeed join. The prophetic mission of Fatima is not over as many had proclaimed.
Then came the ceremony itself, reverent, beautiful, and full of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Most significantly, the prayer dared to employ those critical, previously forbidden and stigmatized words, “consecrate” and “Russia.” Out the window went the un-Catholic and unfounded worries, “Is it theologically proper to make a consecration to the Blessed Virgin?” and “Do we dare to name Russia?”
The prayer went further still, invoking Our Lady as the Mother of God, whose intercession we rely upon, by virtue of the merits of Her Immaculate Heart – all bones of contention among heretics and schismatics, and anathema to the idol of ecumenism.
In all, the events of March 25, 2022 can be seen as a milestone toward the eventual fulfillment of the Fatima requests, not only for the definitive Consecration of Russia, but also for the establishment in the world of a new level of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
When the time comes – may it be soon! – when our Church leaders and the world are truly ready to turn to Our Lady of Fatima in the manner in which She asked, we will have in our recent memory this example of how doable it all is.
The great difference will be that on that day, the Pope will clearly name Russia as the sole object of the Consecration, and he will order, not merely invite, all the bishops of the Catholic world to join him (whether physically, or in their own cathedrals). We can expect, too, that the consecration prayer will not be a half-measure, but a full-hearted prayer of reparation evidenced by meticulous obedience to Our Lady’s Fatima Message, including Her express order for the publication of the Third Secret.
When we are finally ready to obey, She will still be waiting.