The Consecration of Russia to Mary: A Biblical Perspective
Pope Francis announced on March 15, 2022, that he will consecrate both Russia and Ukraine to the “Immaculate Heart of Mary”. The consecration will take place on March 25, 2022, during the Celebration of Penance in St. Peter’s Basilica, with the consecration also being performed on the same day in Fatima, Portugal by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.
This will not be the first time a sitting pope has consecrated the nation of Russia to Mary. Several popes before Francis have also performed this ceremony, though the validity of those consecrations remains highly debated within the Catholic Church.
Where did the practice of consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary originate?
The act of consecrating Russia to Mary has its origins in the 1917 Marian apparition of Fatima, Portugal, known as “Our Lady of Fatima”. In that year, near the end of World War I, claims were made by three Portuguese shepherd children, named Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta, that Mary had appeared to them in Fatima. There Mary is reported to have revealed a request she would make in the future that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart in order to prevent further war and to usher in world peace.
“In the apparition of July 13, Our Lady warned the three seers that if people did not stop offending God, He would punish the world ‘by means of war, hunger and persecution of the Church and of the Holy Father,’ using Russia as His chosen instrument of chastisement. She told the children that ‘to prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart’ and promised that, by this single public act, Russia would be converted and peace would be given to the world.” 1
Mary is also said to have warned that if her request for Russia’s consecration was not obeyed “Russia will spread its errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated.” 1
For more on this apparition of “Mary” at Fatima and Biblical concerns related to the Gospel, please refer to a previous post I wrote: “Our Lady of Fatima: Another Gospel?”.
The fulfillment of Mary’s promise to request that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart is believed to have occurred on June 13, 1929, in Tuy, Spain during her appearance to Sister Lucy, one of the three shepherd children to whom she had first appeared in 1917. During this apparition, Mary proclaimed, “the moment has come for God to ask the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart. By this means, He promises to save Russia.”
Has Russia already been consecrated to Mary?
There is an ongoing debate within the Catholic Church regarding whether the exact conditions of Russian consecration have been met, although several popes have undertaken to consecrate Russia to Mary throughout the years. The Society of Saint Pius X (District of the USA) has this to say on their official website:
“…In response, Popes Pius XII (1942), John Paul II (1984) and Francis (2012) consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart, with Pius XII also specifically consecrating “the peoples of Russia” in 1952. However one can dispute that a valid consecration of Russia, fulfilling the requirements of the apparition at Tuy, has been carried out since the consecration has never been performed in union with all the Catholic bishops of the world as was requested, and that the specific mandate “Consecration of Russia” is not expressed verbatim in the wording.” 2
The Fatima Center makes this assertion:
“The Blessed Virgin’s request for the Consecration of Russia remains one of the most controversial aspects of the entire Fatima Message. While several popes have undertaken consecrations of the world since the request was made public (including Pope John Paul II in 1982 and 1984), sadly, none of these have fulfilled the specific requirements of Our Lord and Our Lady’s requests.”
Many Catholics are undoubtedly still waiting for a genuine consecration of Russia to occur.
Will Pope Francis fulfill Our Lady of Fatima’s request?
“In repeated visits to Sister Lucy, Heaven’s King and Queen have insisted that it is Russia (and Russia only) that is to be the object of this public act of obedience and prayer. In addition, Our Lord and Our Lady have indicated that the Holy Father is to be joined in the act of consecration by all the Catholic bishops of the world on the same day and at the same time in their respective dioceses.” 1
Considering the quote above, it would seem that this coming consecration may not meet the requirements laid out by Mary regarding how Russia is to be consecrated to her. It also seems that the March 25th ceremony will not be done in concert with all Catholic bishops around the world. There will, therefore, most certainly be continued disagreement and debate over this consecration as well.
Is consecrating Russia to Mary Biblical?
This should be the single most important question on this issue for Christians.
The bottom line is that the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and indeed, the very idea of Mary’s Immaculate Heart, do not have a foundation in the Bible. This is not simply an argument from silence, because, there are innumerable Scriptures that such doctrines and practices go against. (I outlined many such Biblical concerns with Our Lady of Fatima in the previous post mentioned earlier).
Think on the following Scriptures and reflect on whether God would truly ask or approve of His people giving such devotion to anyone other than Himself.
“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” [Exodus 20:1–4]
“Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” [Isaiah 43:10–11]
“Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.” [Hosea 13:4]
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’” [Luke 4:8]
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” [John 17:3]
“As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” [1 Corinthians 8:4–6]
Regarding the claim made by the apparition at Fatima that “she” can and does promise salvation to all who devote themselves to her, and that she can and will save Russia, consider these verses:
“Jesus saith unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’” [John 14:6]
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12]
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” [1 Timothy 2: 5–6]
“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” [1 John 5:11–13]
In light of the above Bible verses, and many others, the most crucial and obvious problem which should be abundantly apparent to Christians, is that consecrating anyone or anything to another human being (living or dead) rather than to God is unacceptable. This is not mere opinion; it is Biblical fact.
To consecrate someone is to set them apart or sanctify them for a religious or divine purpose. In the case of Russia, it would be an entire country, and rather than the country being set apart as holy to God, it would be set apart as holy to Mary.
Christians should note as well that the Bible doesn’t give us any indication that we even have the mandate and authority to set an entire country apart for God for its conversion and subsequent salvation. Accepting or rejecting God is, according to Scripture, a personal decision each human being is responsible for. No one can make that choice for anyone else; the Gospel must be heard and believed by each person individually in order for them to be saved. Salvation is not something that is achieved by the pope, or any other religious leader, on behalf of others and perhaps even without the people’s knowledge or against their will.
I know that many Catholics will dismiss Biblical concerns because Catholics are not “Sola Scriptura” and because Church tradition is seen as equal to the Bible. However, if Church tradition so very clearly goes against Scripture, a choice must be made, either to uphold the Bible or to uphold Church tradition. If the two plainly disagree, they cannot both To insist otherwise is nothing more than cognitive dissonance.
The issue of Our Lady of Fatima’s request for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart must furthermore be understood in the broader context of the entirety of the claims this apparition made. More about these claims can be found on The Fatima Center’s website, which is a Catholic source. (I think it’s important to use actual Catholic sources, and not simply sources critical of Catholic doctrine when studying and researching this and other related topics, but I urge caution and hope that all Christians will test every claim against the word of God.)
The most important factor to note is that the being who appeared in Fatima in 1917 claimed to be able to promise salvation to all who devoted themselves to her and that Jesus Himself wished to “establish” such devotion to her “Immaculate Heart.” The following are several of the noteworthy statements Mary is said to have made during her appearances to the shepherd children at Fatima.
“Yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you, Lucy, are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you in order to make Me known and loved. He wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. To whoever embraces this devotion, I promise salvation; those souls will be cherished by God, as flowers placed by Me to adorn His throne.” 3
“‘You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” 3
“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.” 3
Rather, the Bible is clear that true peace only comes from Jesus Christ.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” [John 14:27]
“Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:4–7]
We dare not take any honour, glory or praise away from the Lord to put on another. He alone is worthy of all. He alone is our Mediator and Saviour.
Let your hope be found in Him.
References
