At least two bishops requested a worldwide novena leading up to Pope Francis’ consecration of Russia and Ukraine.
The Holy See announced on March 15 that Pope Francis will consecrate both Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 5 p.m. local time in Rome on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation.
Our Lady of Fatima requested during her 1917 apparitions that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart. The Holy See and Sr. Lucia said Pope St. John Paul II’s 1984 consecration fulfilled her requests.
However, the Ukrainian bishops asked Pope Francis to renew this consecration.
“Someone was telling me that Pope John Paul II had already entrusted Russia and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and this is true,” Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki of Lviv, Ukraine told CNA.
“But Our Lady of Fatima in 1917 said that the consecration would be followed by a time of peace. That time of peace is over now, so we need to repeat the act of consecration of Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
Ukrainian Bishop urges novena ahead of consecration
Ukrainian Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki invited the faithful worldwide to join him in a novena of preparation for the consecration.
“For this ceremony we want to prepare our people with a novena that will start on March 17,” he said.
“We are calling all Christians in Ukraine to join this novena, and we would be very grateful if the whole Church around the world would join us in prayer for this intention.”
The archbishop said he will lead the nine-day novena.
Here’s his statement from the official diocesan website:
In the statement, Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki also references the Five First Saturdays devotion Our Lady requested within her Fatima messages.
“I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturdays of the month,” Our Lady said. “If My requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace.
“If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions against the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated.”
Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan also urged praying a novena prior to the consecration.
Here’s his prayer below:
Our Lady of Fatima, please pray for us!
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[See also: Our Lady’s Alleged Ukrainian Apparitions: Her Little-Known 20th C. Prophesies]
[See also: How to Practice Our Lady of Fatima’s Forgotten Call to the 5 First Saturdays Devotion]