Flashback: The Consecration of Russia is Not Accomplished
For over 70 years, Sister Lucy of Fatima has maintained constancy on the exact conditions Heaven demanded for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to bring about the conversion of "that poor nation". But according to a communiqué issued on December 20, 2001, by the Vatican Information Service (VIS), that's all changed. The VIS reports of an alleged interview with Sister Lucy by the Vatican's Archbishop Bertone wherein, contrary to more than 7 decades of unchanging testimony, Lucy now allegedly declares "the consecration that Our Lady desired was accomplished in 1984 and was accepted by Heaven".
It Doesn't Add Up
Faced with this response, Archbishop Bertone did not ask the obvious questions that reason demands. For starters: if the 1984 Consecration of the world (with no mention of Russia) fulfilled the desire of Heaven, then where is the conversion of Russia that the Message of Fatima promised since 1917? This question must be asked -- and answered -- before any reasonable person can lay down his arms in the struggle for the proper Consecration of Russia, a nation that shows no signs of converting to the Catholic Faith.
The Latest Reported News of Sister Lucy by John Vennari
"Gently Debunked the Fatima Cult"
The interview between Sister Lucy and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was held on November 17, 2001, says VIS. In the report, Sister Lucy denies rumors that she has received new revelations from Our Lady, especially regarding the September 11 tragedy. When asked about the Third Secret of Fatima and those who claim we've not received it all, she reportedly says "everything has been published, no secret remains".
The question of the Secret will be left aside for the moment, there is one point, however, that casts doubt on Sister Lucy's purported words. If Bertone's Sister Lucy "confirms everything written" in the June 26 document, it means that Sister Lucy now indirectly confesses that the vision of the Secret may not have come from Heaven but might have been fabrications out of her head. Statements such as this seem a bit too self-serving for Fatima revisionists in the Vatican. It also threatens to undermine the credibility of the seer herself.
The 1984 Consecration
The VIS then refers to the question of Pope John Paul II's 1984 Consecration of the world. Sister Lucy reportedly stated that the consecration desired by Our Lady was accomplished in 1984 and accepted by Heaven. Yet Archbishop Bertone, who traveled all the way to Portugal to give us a "clarification" never asked Sister Lucy the obvious question: "Why do you now say that the consecration of the 'world' satisfies the demands of Heaven when for the last 70 years you insisted, without wavering, that Our Lady did not ask for the Consecration of the 'world', but 'Russia'"?
Over Half a Century of Consistency: Russia Must be Consecrated by Name
The consistent testimony of Sister Lucy is clear and forthright. The collegial consecration requested by Heaven is the Consecration of Russia, not the world, which must be done by the Pope in union with the world's bishops on the same day. Fast forward 30 years to 1982, Sister Lucy's testimony remains steadfast. On March 19, 1983, Sister Lucy met with the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Portalupi, Dr. Lacerda, and Father Messias Coelho. During this meeting, Sister Lucy confirmed that Pope John Paul's Consecration of 1982 did not fulfill the requests of Our Lady. She said: "The Consecration of Russia has not been done as Our Lady had demanded it. I was not able to say it because I did not have the permission of the Holy See."
Nearly Two Decades Later: No Sign of Conversion
Nineteen years after the Consecration, Russia is a decadent country with no sign of a rebirth in Catholic life. Russia now boasts the highest abortion rate in the world and a climbing rate of divorce, immorality, and homosexuality. Worse yet, it's a leading world center for the distribution of child pornography. Clearly, these harrowing realities starkly contradict the notion of a Russia that has been converted as Our Lady of Fatima promised as the fruit of the proper consecration.
Conclusion: The Unanswered Questions
The discrepancy between Sister Lucy's historically consistent statements and this new account from Archbishop Bertone doesn't add up. We are faced with another Vatican "clarification" that raises more questions than it answers, while jeopardizing the integrity of Sister Lucy's lifetime of unwavering testimony. Until we see the conversion of Russia unfold as Our Lady promised -- a rejuvenation of faith, a reformation of morals, and a time of peace -- we must conclude that the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as She specified, has not yet been accomplished.