(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Athanasius Schneider expressed joy in comments to LifeSiteNews about the news that Pope Francis has announced that all bishops have been asked to join him on March 25 at 5 pm when consecrating Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as requested by Our Lady of Fatima.
“One can only rejoice that the Pope now invites all bishops to unite with him at the consecration,” the Kazakh bishop said via email.
Bishop Schneider also shared with LifeSiteNews his thoughts concerning the fact that the Pope will not only consecrate Russia – as it was specifically requested by Our Lady – but also Ukraine. Some Catholics have objected to this apparent addition.
Bishop Schneider wrote:
In the year 1917, when the Mother of God spoke of Russia, the territory of present-day Ukraine belonged to Russia. At the time, Ukraine did not exist, but only Russia. That is why today it makes sense to mention Ukraine. Would one only mention Russia today, the entire territory of present-day Ukraine would be not included, but this territory was part of Russia in 1917.
Therefore, this well-known and respected prelate assures us that we should not worry about Ukraine’s inclusion by Pope Francis in the upcoming act of consecration.
LifeSiteNews also asked Bishop Schneider if he believes the time of peace and of conversion Our Lady promised would follow Pope Francis’ consecration of Russia. He thoughtfully responded:
The consecration is not a Sacrament and also not an automatism. Everything is in the hands of God, [including] time. Our task is to do what the Mother of God said; the rest will be done by Providence in the times and ways we do not yet know.
That is to say, Catholics should not be disappointed if there is not an immediate response from heaven to the consecration of Russia and Ukraine, but trustingly await God’s rescuing help when He sees fit.
LifeSiteNews is very grateful to Bishop Schneider for his guidance and leadership in this question.
LifeSite’s Editor-in-chief John-Henry Westen reached out to the bishop after Westen and his co-founder Steve Jalsevac asked our readers to contact their own local bishops, asking them to join Pope Francis in his March 25 consecration. Bishop Schneider immediately responded with a public call to all the bishops in the world to join the Pope in this matter. He also wrote a novena to be prayed until March 25.
A day later Catholic Family News published a letter by which, on March 17, the papal nuncio in the United States, Archbishop Pierre, informed the head of the U.S.C.C.B., Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, that Pope Francis plans to invite all bishops in the world to join him. The Vatican has since confirmed this news.
After this fruitful intervention, Bishop Schneider now assures us that this act of consecration could very well be in accordance with the requests of Our Lady of Fatima.
Thus, let us rejoice, pray the novena prepared by him for this occasion, offer extra rosaries and prayers, and trust in God’s loving care for mankind.
Let us also remember here that, since of November last year, weekly public rosary processions and meetings throughout the whole world have taken place. In nearly 5,000 places in the world, Catholics are coming together in order to ask God to “consecrate our countries to the Mother of God, asking her for help for all citizens to obtain unity and peace.” This initiative was started in Austria by a father of ten, after both the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) and Alexander Tschugguel had started their own initiatives.
It is important to remember that the fruitful consecration of Russia also depends on our own prayers and sacrifices.
Father Karl Stehlin, a traditional priest of the SSPX and founder of the Militia Immaculata according to the original charism of St. Maximilian Kolbe, has reminded the faithful in his book on Fatima that a public act of reparation for the committed public sins is needed, as well as an official approval of acts of devotion (the Five Saturday devotion). We laymen definitely have to do the Five Saturday devotion as Our Lady requested in Fatima. Father Stehlin himself, in a March 18 communication, expressed his joy over the news of the upcoming consecration of Russia and Ukraine and has called upon all the faithful to join with their prayers.
