Join Cardinal Burke's call for the Consecration of Russia. Sign the petition!
ROME, May 30, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – As Cardinal Raymond Burke made his historic call for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at the Rome Life Forum last week, one of his most enthusiastic supporters was Bishop Athanasius Schneider who was also present at the Forum.
Bishop Schneider was one of the first signatories to the appeal for the consecration, and explained to LifeSite his thoughts on the matter.
Bishop Schneider says he considers Cardinal Burke’s initiative to ask the Holy Father to “explicitly” consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary “very important.” It will, he said, “fulfill more completely and perfectly the desire of Our Lady of Fatima.”
The notion of the consecration comes from the most famous and accepted apparition of the Mother of Jesus, one which has been declared authentic by the Catholic Church and been cited by numerous Popes over the last 100 years. It was authenticated as well by the most stupendous and documented miracle of all time – the “dance of the sun” witnessed by 70,000 people and recorded by the secular media.
At Fatima, Our Lady said Christ wished the Pope in union with the world’s bishops to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart. She promised that after it was done Russia would be converted and a period of peace would be given to the world. If not, Our Lady of Fatima warned, Russia “will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church.” She added, “The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.”
Pope St. John Paul II entrusted the world to the Immaculate Heart in 1984, but chose not to mention Russia under advice even though he wanted to do so. His counselors said it would be too offensive to the Russian Orthodox, and he gave in to their demands, according to the recently revealed testimony of Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes.
Join Cardinal Burke's call for the Consecration of Russia. Sign the petition!
Bishop Schneider said he believes that an explicit consecration of Russia by the Pope in union with the bishops “will bring us abundant graces to the Church” and also to “Russia and the Russian church.”
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph,” Our Lady of Fatima promised. “The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
Bishop Schneider explained that Russia has yet to arrive “at the fullness of conversion, that is to be Catholics united with the Holy See.” This, he said, “will bring a lot of graces” which “Our Lady promised to our time for the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart.”
Watch Bishop Schneider's interview with LifeSiteNews:
Conversion of Russia and peace remain elusive to date. There has been more war, massacres, martyrs, and abortions in the last half-century than ever before in recorded history. Russia, where abortion was first legalized in 1920, still has the highest abortion rate in the world per capita. With a population of 143 million, there are 1.2 million abortions per year.
Sr. Lucia, the eldest and longest surviving seer at Fatima, wrote Cardinal Carlo Caffarra over thirty years ago, telling him that “a time will come when the decisive battle between the kingdom of Christ and Satan will be over marriage and the family.” At his talk at the Rome Life Forum, Cardinal Caffarra said that the time she foretold to him has come.