Vatican News reported that Pope Francis consecrated Russia and the Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart on Friday, March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation commemorating the Angel Gabriel’s appearance to inform Mary of her sacred role in bringing the infant son, Jesus Christ, into this world.
The Act of Consecration was prayed during the “24 Hours for the Lord” Lenten penitential service in St. Peter’s Basilica, when Pope Francis prayed profoundly and asked all Bishops and Priests to join him spiritually in this prayer of consecration.
This prayer was broadcast across Vatican News channels – radio, website, YouTube, and Facebook – with English-language commentary.
On Palm Sunday, parishioners worldwide, through an entreaty of Pope Francis to the Church’s Bishops, received a copy of the text for “Act Of Consecration To The Immaculate Heart of Mary For Russia and Ukraine.”
From the bishops to each parish priest came the full text, originally written in Latin, in Italian, and translated into many languages.
I now write as a devout follower of the power of prayer, especially the beseeching of peace and harmony for all of humankind.
Named “Mary” from birth, I have always experienced the treasure derived from any degree of association with the historic Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
There was another Mary – of Bethany – who was an intellectual and loyal interlocutor who epitomized Jesus’ understanding and actions on behalf of women against the horrible ravages inflicted upon them since Creation.
The interaction of Jesus with Mary, his Mother, and with Mary of Bethany inspired Him to include women, all women, in the path to spiritual enlightenment and salvation from the errors and deceits of the material world.
In my faith-based envisioning of Jesus and the power of Christian prayer, his unrivaled spiritual strength, courage, and resilience have constituted the bedrock or foundation of intercession.
The historic Jesus time-and-time again displayed a rigorous intellect, a capacity to learn, and a powerfully astute analysis of Roman hegemony and the hypocrisy of the Sadducees and Pharisees of his day.
His condemnation of that hypocrisy, along with greed, corruption, and the evils of slavery and all forms of bondage and political oppression have empowered His spirit throughout time and throughout the world.
I say these things because the “Consecration” by Pope Francis, while faithful to doctrine, errs grievously in terms of attributing responsibility for the evil perpetrated by Putin and the actors in his war against the people of the Ukraine, to us, the Catholic reader.
“ . . . we have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars.
“We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young.
“We grew sick with greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns.
“We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons.
“We stopped being our neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters.
“We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!”
Therein lies the error – freedom-loving Christians have not participated in the horrors of Putin’s war and his mutilations, rape, executions, immolation, destruction, and ravaging of the environment.
Quite the opposite has occurred. We Christians, joined by Jews, Muslims, and Agnostics worldwide, have condemned and will continue to condemn, as a righteous confrontation, Putin’s genocide and crimes against humanity.
We pray for the immediate end of Putin’s war and the cessation of the irreparable damage to the people, patrimony, and land of the Ukraine.
And we pray volumes for Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, a Jew, and for the totality of aid from the world’s free nations to oust the evil Putin’s army and henchmen marauders from his homeland.
Yes, Dear Pope Francis, the Ukraine is under the protection of the “Virgo Orans,” “The Praying Virgin,” whose sacred mosaic rests aloft in the chancel of the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Kyiv, installed in the 11th century by Yaroslav I.
There is another image of Blessed Mary and the Christ Child, according to CATHOLIC EXCHANGE dated March 14, 2022, which has become the ideal of Marian icons, never again to be attained by later artists.
It was created by a Byzantine monk around 1132 for Prince Mstislav of Kiev [Kyiv]. It came to Ukraine circa 1134 and was placed in Vyshhorod, where a beautiful shrine was built to house it.
This is why Ukrainians honor her as Our Lady of Vyshhorod. In 1155, Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky attacked Ukraine. Before he demolished Kiev, he took the valuable icon from nearby Vyshhorod and moved it to Vladimir, a city in the north.
The icon survived centuries of wars. In 1395, it was transferred to Moscow. But the Madonna of Kiev showed that neither the frame of the painting nor the gallery walls could limit its power.
According to tradition, St. John of Damascus taught that an icon is not only the image itself but the presence of the portrayed Saint. This presence has made itself known through miracles and answered prayers in another way in the town of Hrushiv.
Based on demonstrable miracles, the church in Hrushiv became a “free zone” within Ukraine. It is unknown from where Priests of the underground Church came out of hiding to celebrate Holy Mass for the crowds of people.
In time, the crowds began to receive messages from the Virgin Mary. One of them occurred on May 14, 1987: “Ukraine, my daughter! I pray for you, for your children, for your future. There will come a time when your people, so in love with God, will gain independence and become a salvation for those who keep their faith in Jesus Christ.”
At the same time, the Blessed Mother’s words were cautionary: “Many will come as false messiahs and prophets. Therefore, I warn you, stay awake and be careful. Happy are the lives of those who are without transgressions and keep God’s commandments.”
Certainly, let us pray for the consecration of the Ukraine and for the immediate release from the miserable plight of the people – families, friends, and fellow citizens.
And let us hold Putin responsible for these crimes against humanity and pray for the end to Putin and his war, a true and righteous “Act Of Consecration To The Immaculate Heart of Mary” for the Ukraine and Russia.
Mary Brown, adjunct professor of Latin at Saint Joseph’s University and a parishioner of Saint Margaret of Antioch Roman Catholic Church, is the longtime Executive Director of The Classical Association of the Atlantic States.
