Looking to heaven and the rosary for peace, proposals of the PopeThe Rosary in the light of St. John Paul IIThe intense devotion of Pope Francis to the Virgin Mary is an obvious fact for anyone who has followed his pontificate and his previous life trajectory. However, on rereading with a certain calmness some of the Holy Father's homilies in exceptional situations that have occurred and are occurring in the world, one difference can be appreciated: the consecration or the explicit and solemn recourse to the Virgin Mary occurs in a special way in situations of war, warlike situations, and not in others.
For example, in the historical extraordinary moment of prayer at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, on Friday, March 27, 2020, in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica, in truly uncertain times for humanity, the Pope appealed directly to Jesus, who was asleep in the boat in the gospel scene while the storm raged, but there were no allusions to Mary.
Nor was there any special reference to Our Lady on Thursday, December 31 in the Vatican Basilica, in a homily by the Pope read by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, on the eve of the Solemnity of St. Mary, Mother of God, in which a homily on January 1 was announced, which is not included in the Vatican websitesprobably due to the dramatic moments of the pandemic.
Consecration of Russia and Ukraine
It took President Putin's speech on February 24, 2022, in which he announced "a special military operation" in Ukraine, in short, the invasion and the war, with its devastating consequences, for Pope Francis to announce on March 15, a few days later, the consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
What had been a request of many faithful and pastors in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine will take place on Friday, March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, during the Celebration of Penance to be presided over by the Holy Father at 5 p.m. in St. Peter's Basilica, informed Omnes. The same act, on the same day, would be performed in Fatima by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, papal almoner, as envoy of the Holy Father.
The Omnes report placed the announcement and the consecration itself on March 25 in the context of the apparitions of Fatima, sanctuary where Pope Francis had already been on May 12 and 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady, whose image is represented, as in Lourdes, with a visible rosary in her hands.
Indeed, during her apparition of July 13, 1917 at Fatima, during the First World War, Our Lady asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart, stating that, if this request were not granted, Russia would spread "her errors throughout the world, promoting wars and persecutions of the Church".
The rosary, a resource for peace
"Pray the rosary every day, to achieve peace for the world and an end to war," Sister Lucia recounted in her Memoirs about the Virgin Mary's message, who eventually revealed also: "I am the Lady of the Rosary," the visionary wrote.
And on March 25, 1984, in spiritual union with all the bishops of the world, St. John Paul II entrusted all peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This solemn and universal act of consecration responded to the request of Our Lady in her apparition to the little shepherds, Sister Lucia said. And the truth is that after the consecration, the Berlin Wall began to crumble.
In its second visit to FatimaOn August 5 of this year, in the midst of World Youth Day in Lisbon, Pope Francis insisted on recourse to the Rosary. "Let us pray, because Fatima is a school of prayer. Now, as at the time of the apparitions, there is also war. Our Lady asked them to pray the Rosary for peace. She did not ask it as a favor, but, with maternal solicitude, she indicated: 'Pray the Rosary every day to achieve peace in the world and the end of war'. Let us therefore unite our hearts, let us pray for peace, let us consecrate the Church and the world anew to the Immaculate Heart of our most sweet Mother".
Our Lady's requests
It is not superfluous to recall some words of Our Lady at Fatima, in the apparition of July 13. In the context of what was called the secret of Fatima, in its first part, the vision of hell, Our Lady recommended to the children: "Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially when you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for your Love, for the conversion of sinners and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary".
"The war will end," Our Lady continued. "But if you do not stop offending God (...), a worse one will begin." Later, on October 13, Our Lady would tell them, "Always continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is coming to an end and the soldiers will soon return to their homes". And the war ended the following year.
The smoke of the devil
It is said that in a private audience, St. John Paul II asked the following question to an ecclesiastical personality: Have you ever seen the devil? Surprised, the interlocutor answered: "Not yet! But I have perceived its smoke many times". The Holy Father answers with deep conviction: "So have I!". Then, taking a deep breath, he repeats the promise of Genesis: "Sed Ipsa conteret" (But she, the Most Holy Virgin, will conquer!)" (Manuel Fernando Sousa e Silva, The Little Shepherds of Fatima, HL, 2008).
In a interview by Fabio Marchese Ragona, Pope Francis has reiterated that the devil always tries to attack everyone and sows tares, also in the Church. The journalist comments that it has been said by several people that Benedict XVI suffered the devil's attack, but that he resisted well. St. Paul VI said in 1972 that the smoke of Satan had entered the temple of God. Can the devil also act in the Vatican and attack the Pope, he asks.
The Pontiff responds: "Certainly, the devil tries to attack everyone, without distinction, and he tries to strike especially those who have more responsibility in the Church or in society. Jesus also suffered the temptations of the devil, and let us think also of those of Simon Peter, to whom Jesus said: 'Depart from me, Satan'. In the same way, the Pope is also attacked by the evil one. We are men and he always tries to attack us. It is painful, but in the face of prayer he has no hope".
Rosaries in the Holy Land and Rome
In recent weeks, the Pope has encouraged the praying of the rosary not only for peace, but also for the SynodThe Synod of Bishops of the Synod of Bishops, as in the intention of October through the Pope's World Network of Prayer. Thus, on October 7, Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod, led a so-called torchlight rosary in St. Peter's Square.
And rosary initiatives for peace are multiplying in the wake of the serious conflict in the Holy Land between Israel and Palestine. The initiative of the Cardinal PizzaballaThe Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has called Tuesday a day of prayer and fasting for the Holy Land and has been accompanied by Pope Francis, bishops and faithful. Christians and also in Rome, by the Cardinal Vicar of the Pope, Angelo De Donatis, who said: ".... the Pope's vicar, Angelo De Donatis, has said: "....We pray the rosary to ask God for peace in the Holy Land".
