VATICAN CIY (LifeSiteNews) – The Vatican has clarified that the “Act of Consecration” of Russia and Ukraine will take place at 6:30 pm Rome time, on March 25.
As part of his letter addressed to bishops, signed March 21 and released March 22, Pope Francis re-iterated how “the Act of Consecration will take place in the context of a Celebration of Penance to be held in Saint Peter’s Basilica at 5:00 p.m., Rome time. The Act itself will take place about 6:30 pm.”
JUST IN: #Vatican sends letter from #PopeFrancis & Act of Consecration of Russia & Ukraine to bishops. It reads: “Therefore, Mother of God & our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust & consecrate ourselves, the Church & all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.” pic.twitter.com/AMSasMiw4O
— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) March 22, 2022
“This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through His mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace,” wrote the Pope. “I ask you to join in this Act by inviting the priests, religious and faithful to assemble in their churches and places of prayer on 25 March, so that God’s Holy People may raise a heartfelt and choral plea to Mary our Mother.”
Earlier today, the text of the consecration was released by the Vatican. The passage of consecration itself reads: “Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.”
On March 18, the Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis had “invited” the bishops of the world to join him in making the act of consecration.
The Holy See made its initial shock announcement March 15, revealing that Pope Francis would consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, following a heartfelt appeal made to the Pontiff from Ukraine’s Catholic bishops. The bishops begged the Holy Father to consecrate Russia and Ukraine “as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima,” to bring an end to the current conflict.
Following the Vatican’s March 15 announcement, Catholics across the world issued calls for the bishops to join the Pope in making the consecration, in order to fill the request of Our Lady of Fatima. Ukrainian Catholic prelates revealed they would join the Pope and called on brother prelates around the world to do likewise.
Meanwhile, Bishop Athanasius Schneider has composed a prayer to be said every day in preparation for the consecration, noting that the consecration would be “a powerful instrument for Divine Providence to pour out those special graces which the Church and the world so urgently need.”
The full text of Pope Francis’ letter to the bishops is found below:
Dear Brother,
Nearly a month has passed since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine that is daily inflicting immense suffering upon its sorely tried people and threatening world peace. At this dark hour the church is urgently called to intercede before the Prince of peace and to demonstrate her closeness to those directly affected by the conflict. I am grateful to the many people who have responded with great generosity to my appeals for prayer, fasting, and charity.
Now also in response to numerous requests by the people of God, I wish in a special way to entrust the nations at war to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As I announced yesterday at the conclusion of the Angelus prayer, on 25 March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, I intend to carry out a solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, and Russia and Ukraine in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Since it is fitting that we should invoke peace with hearts renewed by God’s forgiveness, the Act of Consecration will take place in the context of a Celebration of Penance to be held in Saint Peter’s Basilica at 5:00 p.m., Rome time. The Act itself will take place about 6:30 pm.
This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through His mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace.
I ask you to join in this Act by inviting the priests, religious and faithful to assemble in their churches and places of prayer on 25 March, so that God’s Holy People may raise a heartfelt and choral plea to Mary our Mother.
I am sending you the text of the prayer of consecration, so that all of us can recite it throughout that day, in fraternal union.
I thank you for the attention you will give to this request and for your ready cooperation. With great affection, I bless you and the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care. May Jesus protect you and the Holy Virgin watch over you. I ask you, please, also to pray for me.
Fraternally,
Franciscus.
From Saint John Lateran, 21 March 2022.