Une Minute avec Marie
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On Friday, October 13th, the 100th anniversary of the last appearance of Fatima, Afghanistan was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Kabul, by Father Giovanni Scalese, Superior of the Catholic Mission in Afghanistan established there in 2002.
The only Catholic church in Afghanistan is a chapel in the Italian Embassy. It was there that the consecration of Afghanistan, “the heart of martyred Asia,” to the Immaculate Heart of Mary took place, after a Rosary and a Mass. Participating in the ceremony were a Catholic chaplain of the NATO base (a Czech Dominican) and some military personnel, the first Deputy head of mission of the Italian Embassy, the Sisters of the Mission, and the faithful from embassies and other international institutions.
The fact that the country is Muslim in its totality is not a problem. As the text of consecration says: "The Afghans do not belong to our flock, but they are our brothers and your sons; they too have been redeemed by the blood of your Son. ... May the consecration to the Immaculate Heart help us to live our time in a more conscious way and in total availability to the will of God."