December 8, 1991, marked the official end of the Soviet Union

Zenit Agency: As a Russian and a Catholic, what does the word "Fatima" evoke to you?

Bishop Kondrusiewicz (1): "It evokes many, many things. After Sister Lucia's death, we celebrated a special Mass. I myself met her three times. The first time was in 1991 in Coimbra (central Portugal). She could not believe that there was an archbishop in Moscow! For her, this was a sign that the promise of Fatima was being fulfilled. She was really moved. She told me that she was praying for "all Russia", for all Christians. And she asked me to pray for Christian unity. She gave me a rosary she had made herself, and a picture of Our Lady of Fatima to bring to the Patriarch of Moscow. I did so and the Patriarch accepted it.

Then, in 1996, we started a pilgrimage for all of Russia with Our Lady of Fatima.

I met Sister Lucia for the last time in 1997. She asked me to pray for Christian unity. In Russia, every 13th of the month, there is a torchlight procession and prayer. For us Catholics during the Soviet regime, the message of Fatima was a source of hope. Everything was dark, but Mary had said, "My Immaculate Heart will triumph and Russia will be converted."

The officials who signed the end of the Soviet Union on December 8, 1991, were probably not aware of the great significance of that day: it was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception!"

Excerpt from an interview given to Zenit agency on March 15, 2005 (Translated)

Enciclopedia Mariana

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Archbishop of Minsk in Belarus, due to age limit, on his 75th birthday, January 3, 2021.