During a ceremony Friday at St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis offered up a special prayer for Ukraine and Russia in connection with a Marian prophecy that’s over 100 years old.

The pope called on members of the church hierarchy, along with believers around the world, to join him in the consecration of Ukraine and Russia before an estimated crowd of 3,500 — an act triggered by a 1917 apocalyptic vision of Mary to three children in the Portuguese city of Fatima.  

The ceremony was the latest effort by Pope Francis to bring about peace after Russia’s invasion last month of neighboring Ukraine.

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Pope Francis said the consecration of Russia and Ukraine was “not a magic formula but a spiritual act,” and spoke of the need for Mary’s intercession in the wake of the Russian invasion.

“It is an act of complete trust on the part of children who, amid the tribulation of this cruel and senseless war that threatens our world, turn to their Mother, reposing all their fears and pain in her heart and abandoning themselves to her,” the pope added.  

Consecration refers to the solemn dedication of something to a special purpose or setting it apart. The ceremony took place on March 25, which coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation. It recalls the visit of the archangel Gabriel to Mary, informing her she would be the mother of Jesus.

The Vatican had announced on March 15 that Pope Francis, following a request from Catholic bishops in Ukraine, would consecrate Russia and the former Soviet republic to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Fatima story involves Portuguese siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto and their cousin Lucia. The three children claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them six times, revealing to them three secrets. The first two described hell and predicted an end to World War I, the start of World War II and the rise and fall of Soviet communism. The visions were the focus of a movie in 2020, just as the planet was dealing with the pandemic.

In the year 2000, the Vatican revealed that the long-awaited third secret had been the 1981 assassination attempt on former Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s. The pope later forgave the shooter, Mehmet Ali Agca.

Lucia, who eventually became a nun, said Russia would be converted, presumably to Catholicism, and that peace would reign if the pope consecrated the country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. John Paul II fulfilled that prophecy during a Mass in 1984, although he never specified Russia in the prayer. The text of Francis’ prayer corrected that omission, saying, “Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the church and all humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine.”

Once again on Friday, the pope condemned the ongoing war and the humanitarian crisis that has stemmed from it.

“In these days, news reports and scenes of death continue to enter our homes, even as bombs are destroying the homes of many of our defenseless Ukrainian brothers and sisters,” he added.

Clemente Lisi is a senior editor and regular contributor to Religion Unplugged. He is the former deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.