24 countries were consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

On Wednesday, March 25, 2020, on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, 24 countries were consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus in a ceremony presided by Cardinal Antonio dos Santos Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, at the famous Portuguese Marian shrine. The Prelate asked Mary to “free us from the pandemic that is afflicting us.”

The ceremony of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary took place behind closed doors in the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary at the Shrine of Fatima on the evening of Wednesday, March 25th. After reciting the Rosary at the Shrine of Fatima, Cardinal Antonio dos Santos Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Fátima, pronounced a solemn act of consecration:

"In this singular hour of suffering, receive those who perish, encourage those who consecrate themselves to You and renew all the universe and humanity. ... Assist your Church, inspire the leaders of all nations, listen to the poor and the afflicted, inspire the humble and the oppressed, heal the sick and the sinners, lift up the listless and the despondent, free the captives and the prisoners, and deliver us from the pandemic that is afflicting us."

These are the 24 countries that were consecrated on March 25th: Albania, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Kenya, Mexico, Moldova, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, East Timor, and Ireland. Since then, other countries have joined: England, in particular, with its rededication as the dowry of Mary that took place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham on Sunday, March 29th.

Adapted from: Vatican News

Adelaide Patrignani - Vatican City