Hundreds of people gathered at the Chapel of the Apparitions, in the Shrine of Fátima, Portugal, to witness the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to Our Lady.
The event took place on 25 March, at precisely the same time as in Rome, though whereas Pope Francis inserted that consecration into a penitential service, the celebration in Fátima occurred in the context of the recitation of the Rosary.
The Portuguese episcopate was present for the consecration, which was presided over by Papal envoy Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.
The cardinal, who was recently in his native Poland and in Ukraine distributing Papal aid to refugees, said he brought with him “the image of the martyred people of Ukraine”.
The bishop of Leiria-Fátima, José Ornelas, said the aim of the consecration was to help find paths to a peaceful solution to this war, but underlined the dignity shown by Ukrainians “fighting for freedom”.
“We need to take a strong position” said Ornelas, who is also head of the Portuguese Bishops Conference. “This means finding non-military solutions, helping the victims of this conflict and finding ways to establish a sustainable peace for the future”.
The President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, also travelled to Fátima for the ceremony, which he described as “a most important call for peace”, adding that “Pope Francis has done everything he possibly can” to try and end the war. Further steps, he concluded, could be taken by the Christian Churches present in Ukraine and in Russia. “Dialogue between them is crucial, and could open a door to dialogue between politicians”.
The Fátima message is intimately related to Russia. When she appeared to three shepherd children, in 1917, Our Lady warned that if the world did not repent “the errors of Russia” would spread. Russia, she added, should be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart, which in the end would “triumph”.
Several Popes consecrated the World to Mary, in response to this appeal, but for diplomatic reasons left out the actual word Russia in the formula of the prayer. The consecration which took place on 25 March was the first in which the country’s name was explicitly mentioned, and comes in response to a request from the Ukrainian Catholic bishops, which was first made in 2014, when Russia occupied Crimea and the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk rose up against the pro-Western government in Kyiv.
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