ROME (AP) — Pope Francis prayed for peace at a ceremony on Friday. The ceremony reminded us of a century ago apocalyptic prophecies about peace and Russia, triggered by the illusion of the Virgin Mary towards the children of three peasants in Fatima, Portugal. 1917.
Francis invited bishops, priests, and ordinary believers from around the world to pray for dedication. This prayer began with Francis entering St. Peter’s Basilica in front of an estimated 3,500 people and ended with Francis sitting alone in front of the statue of Madonna. So he solemnly sought forgiveness for humanity to “forget the lessons learned from the tragedy of the last century, the sacrifices of millions of people who fell in two world wars.”
“Free us from war and protect our world from the threat of nuclear weapons,” he prayed.
This service is Francis’ latest in rallying prayers for the end of the war, while maintaining open options for dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and its influential leader, Patriarch Kirill. It was an initiative. Francis has not publicly blamed Russia’s invasion by name, although his accusations of the war in Ukraine are becoming more and more angry.
Prayer rituals were of great spiritual importance to many Catholics and a source of attraction for others. It deals with some of the more controversial aspects of the Catholic faith: Madonna’s asserted vision, revelation of hell, Soviet communism and the death of the Pope, and whether the prophecies are contained in the so-called “Fatima Secrets”. Question about whether it has already been achieved.
To defeat the universal nature of the event, the Vatican translated the prayer text into three dozen languages. Retired Pope Benedict XVI joined the Vatican Gardens from his home. The Papal Legate celebrated the simultaneous service at the Shrine of Fatima.
Our Lady of Fatima dates back to 1917. According to tradition, Portuguese brothers Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and their cousin Lucia, said that the Virgin Mary appeared to them six times and revealed three secrets to them. The first two explained the apocalyptic image of hell, foretold the end of World War I and the beginning of World War II, and predicted the rise and fall of Soviet communism. The children at that time were 7 to 10 years old.
In 2000, the Vatican City disclosed the long-awaited third secret, explaining that on May 13, 1981, it foretold an attempted assassination of St. John Paul II at St. Peter’s Square.
According to Lucia’s subsequent writings, which became a nun and died in 2005, if the Pope and all the bishops of the world dedicate Russia to “Maria’s Immaculate Heart,” Russia will be converted and peace will rule. Probably. Lucia later claimed that John Paul had fulfilled the prophecy during the Mass on March 25, 1984, on Friday, just 38 years ago, even though he had never identified Russia in prayer. did.
The Francis prayer text corrected the 1984 abbreviation. “Therefore, to the Mother of God and our Mother, your Immaculate Heart, we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church, and all mankind, especially Russia and Ukraine.” It has been done. He added, “Acknowledge that the war is over and peace is spreading all over the world.”
Francis, on his godly Friday, the act of consecrating Russia and Ukraine to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, “even when the bomb is destroying many homes of our defenseless Ukrainian brothers. Sisters said that it was a “spiritual act, not a magical formula” that was happening. “
From inside the cathedral, Ukrainian Holy See Ambassador Andrie Jurash tweeted gratitude for his service, stating that “it is another attempt to protect (Ukraine) from the war of the devil.”
Russia’s Italian ambassador Sergei Razov defended Russia’s “special military action” in Ukraine earlier that day, and last month’s reference to Moscow’s nuclear arsenal was not a threat, “Russia’s national security. Is at risk. “
For some traditionalist Catholics, Francis’ Russian pronunciation in prayer and his invitation to join him by all bishops around the world fulfill the original Fatima prophecy. .. Some have complained about including Ukraine, while Russia’s first call for “conversion” (probably a conversion to Catholicism) may have been a priority of the Catholic Church in 1917, but now it is Vatican. Some said it was not the focus of the evangelization project.
Shortly after Francisco announced plans to pray for the consecration, Patriarch Kirill said he had invited the Russian Orthodox Church to pray to the Mother of God. Cyril called for peace, but apparently justified the aggression by calling Russia and Ukraine “one person” and describing the conflict as a “metaphysical” battle.
Rev. Stefano Caprio, a former Russian missionary and professor of Russian history and culture at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, said Kirill was not the most hawkish of the Russian patriarchs and probably confronted the official line of Kremlin. He said he was under pressure.
However, in a comment to reporters this week, Caprio said that the Catholic and Orthodox prayers offered on Friday have some important ambiguities.
“The problem is that these are two different interpretations: Madonna in favor of peace and Madonna in favor of war,” he said.