Pray for the conversion of Russia
Amidst the savage invasion of Ukraine, recall Mary’s prophecy that Russia will bring peace
In 1917, the Virgin Mary was reputed to have appeared to three young children near Fatima, Portugal. Among the things Mary told the children was that Russia would spread “its errors” around the world and that they should pray for the conversion of Russia. The last of Mary’s six apparitions took place a few short weeks prior to the Russian Revolution which brought not mere “errors” but the global spread of communism, mass starvation and the brutal suppression of freedom.
Catholics have no religious obligation to believe that these or any other apparitions occurred or to believe the content of the messages. The potential for human error or outright fabrication in understanding such messages is too high to make them articles of belief.
Nevertheless, popes over the past 105 years have attached a high degree of credibility to the Fatima prophecies. After he recovered from an assassination attempt in 1981, Pope John Paul II visited Fatima and placed the bullet that nearly hit his heart in the crown of a statue of Mary.
Although the “secrets” Mary told the children have created frenzied speculation and widespread curiosity, the popes have taken them seriously and the Vatican has even issued statements about their contents. People assumed the secrets had all been realized with the assassination attempt. But when Pope Benedict XVI visited Fatima in 2010, he said, “We would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete.”
One unfulfilled aspect is that of the conversion of Russia. Church attendance in Russia is extremely low even though most people, including dictator Vladimir Putin, declare an allegiance to Russian Orthodoxy. At this time, we should be praying, not only for Russia’s conversion, but also for the protection of the people of Ukraine. It is no exaggeration to declare the Russian invasion of Ukraine to be Satanic. Prayer is the best protection we can offer.
All events have a spiritual element. This is true of both global events and everyday occurrences in our lives. It doesn’t mean that God or the devil causes them; it does mean that events have a depth that goes beyond ordinary sight. We can never give a certain interpretation of the spiritual meaning of events.
Still, we should keep in mind the Russian Orthodox belief that Moscow is the “third Rome.” Rome was the centre of the Christian world until the northern tribes we refer to as barbarians invaded and sacked the city in 395. The centre then shifted to Constantinople which, even today, remains the symbolic hub for most of the Orthodox world. The exception is Russian Orthodoxy which claims primacy for Moscow since Constantinople, now Istanbul, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.
Connected with this claim is the belief in Holy Rus’. Holy Rus’ is a theological claim, not a political one. It is a spiritual homeland in this world for God’s chosen people. It is also a call to Russia to be holy in its words and actions.
Dimitry Shishkin, a Russian Orthodox priest, writes, “First and foremost, (Holy Rus’) is the multitude of Orthodox people who in one way or another lived in or were in contact with our Russian land, wove its history, language, traditions and culture. The multitude of people who to the best of their ability served God in this life on earth with zeal and self-denial, endured to the end, and now dwell with God.”
Holy Rus’ is indestructible, but it can develop through the growing faith of Orthodox people wherever they live, Shishkin wrote.
When the communists took power in 1917, their goal was not only to destroy czarist Russia, but also Holy Rus’. They surely drove the churches underground. The faith of the people, however, remained alive.
Holy Rus’, as a non-political, spiritual entity, apparently has little significance for most Russian Orthodox believers and even less for the Orthodox who belong to other non-Russian churches. Still, it appears to have some connection with Mary’s call for us to pray for the conversion of Russia. A converted Russia, so the prophecy goes, will be the source which will draw all nations to the Lord and from which a long period of world peace will emanate.
In the current crisis, such a possibility seems ludicrous. Russia is waging a savage, evil war against a nation which seeks freedom and prosperity. This is one reason to pray – so that the unlikely conversion does indeed take place.
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