1917 was perhaps one of the most defining years for most of human history. In secular history, the communist Bolshevik revolution kickstarted this year, commencing the sordid and gruesome Soviet Union reign of the Marxist/Communist dictators of Vladimir Lenin first and Joseph Stalin later, resulting in millions of people who perished either due to starvation or the inhumane Gulags within the dictatorship of the said communist leaders.
And in Catholic history especially, this year is considered a landmark year, because of the event that predicated the revolution: The Fatima apparition of our Blessed Mother Mary in Portugal (Those interested in a brief background on the apparitions of the Fatima story can click here).
Unknown to most mainline Catholics. the Fatima miracle is also controversial for a few reasons. The first of the reasons are that, not everybody is convinced that the treatment to the instructions by our Lady were correctly followed. The second reason is that not everybody is convinced that the Fatima messages were completely or accurately delivered and interpreted, especially that of the 3rd secret. For reasons of brevity, I will limit myself to address the former issue in this blog.
During the 1917 apparitions, which spanned six occasions from May to October, and “in the third of Her six apparitions at Fatima, on July 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin told the three shepherd children that She would return later to ask for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. Our Lady emphasized the importance of this request, which was accompanied by a dire warning:
If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. 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.”
Our Lady then appeared to Blessed Sister Lucia in 1929 again asking for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. It suffices to say that there was an urgency in the Fatima messages by Our Lady to consecrate Russia. Instead, what followed seems to have been a disobedience to providence for political reasons by Pope John Paul II. This wouldn’t be the first time that Our Lady’s instructions were disobeyed. Earlier in 1944, when Sister Lucia had written down the third secret, Our Lady had instructed her that this should be “revealed to the world not later than 1960”. Pope John XXIII & Pope Paul VI seemed to have disregarded the instructions, choosing not to reveal the third secret. While the third secret of Fatima was finally revealed by Pope John Paul II in either 1978 or 1981 (yes, even this aspect is debated), the consecration of Russia was not done in line with the instructions from Our Lady, which was required to be done only for Russia alone – Pope John Paul II consecrated the ‘entire world’ in a move which was not in sync with the crux of the Fatima message.
Not only was the consecration to be done only for Russia, it was also instructed by Our Lady, that the consecration was to be done by all the bishops in the world, as Sister Lucy’s full message was apparently not transmitted to the Pope by the Nuncio. Following the suggestion of the Bishop of Fatima, the Nuncio failed to mention the requirement that the world’s bishops participate in the Consecration.
In 1984, Pope John Paul II during the consecration prayer referred to Russia as “the peoples of which You Yourself are awaiting our consecration and confiding”. Thus Pope John Paul II did not name Russia because of the geo-political ramifications of the time. A Cardinal described as “one of the Pope’s closest advisors” admits to a Vatican magazine editor that he advised Pope John Paul II to not make mention of Russia in any consecration ceremony because it would offend the Russian Orthodox (Church).
Subsequently, it is learnt that Sister Lucia was silenced (thanks to the virtue of ‘obedience’, a tool now weaponized to silence most mainline Catholics in the 21st century who have an innocent, but disproportionately ultramontane notion of obedience), with instructions from senior Vatican officials to publicly state that the consecration of Russia was already done and over with. Subsequently, letters signed by Sister Lucia contradicting her previous statements that the Consecration of Russia has not been done, were also released. These were later learnt to be fakes. There are also mentions of a lookalike of Sister Lucia being implanted, with a book titled “The Impostor Sister Lucy: The True Story of Our Lady of Fatima” by Mike Mains (which I am yet to purchase and read). How far this is true, again will need to be gleaned; But the way things stand, one can conclude that what happens at the Vatican, stays within the Vatican.
Pope Leo XIV was elected in May of this year 2025, which marks the 108th year since the commencement of the Fatima miracles in 1917. There is a lot which can be undone by Pope Leo XIV in a single act. If the act of the consecration is done correctly (or re-done, depending on the narrative) in accordance with the instructions of Our Lady, this will be a sign of providential grace. As specified by Our Lady,
The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted (therefore, in the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph).
So the conversion of much of the world, especially Russia, and the period of peace promised will only happen based on the correct consecration of Russia. If not, life will go on as usual in the Vatican II-Synodal strain of things, until it is time for Divine intervention to set humanity right in a chastisement that was promised in yet another connected apparition involving Sister Agnes Sasagawa (Our Lady of Akita).
May Our Lady of Fatima continue to pray for the Church and our Pope. May the seers of Fatima intercede for our current vicar, and may Archangel Michael pray and defend our Pope from all the wickedness and snares of the malignant enemy.
Ave Maria
References: All references to the above information cited in context with Our Lady of Fatima can be found at The Fatima Center. (refer link https://fatima.org/the-complete-fatima-timeline/ )
