Pope Francis on March 25 consecrated Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Catholic bishops from around the world have already announced they answer his request for them to join him in the consecration.
March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, and a solemnity on the church calendar. The celebration took place in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica at 5 p.m. local time. Pope emeritus Benedict XVI joined in the consecration. Though some reports speculated he would be in the basilica, Crux has been able to confirm that the retired pontiff won’t be there. Instead, he joined from the Mater Ecclesia monastery where he has lived since leaving office.
On the same day Francis leads the penitential Lenten service, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, lead a similar act of consecration at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal.