Advincula to lead Mass as Manila joins Pope’s consecration of Russia, Ukraine to Mary

The Archdiocese of Manila will join Pope Francis’ consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 6 p.m. today.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will lead the Eucharistic celebration and consecration together with apostolic nuncio to the Philippines Archbishop Charles Brown at the Manila Cathedral, according to the communications office of the archdiocese.

The Mass will coincide with the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord and will be broadcast live via the Facebook pages of the Manila Cathedral and Santísimo Rosario Parish.

UST will not have its own event, but UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel told the Varsitarian that Thomasians should participate in the consecration.

Pope Francis’s consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a  “gesture of the universal Church” to end the violence and suffering of innocent people caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We chose to ignore God, to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons,” the Pope’s consecration read.

“We stopped being our neighbor’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the garden of the earth with war, and by our sins we have broken the heart of our heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!” it added.

Three popes have consecrated Russia to the Immaculate heart: Pope Pius XII, Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will also join in the consecration.

“Even if Europe is relatively far from the Philippines, we have every reason to be apprehensive about these global developments. We are conscious of the fact that, in just the past few years, the peace and security of some of our own national territories have been among our major domestic concerns, especially in the West Philippine Sea, where an ally of Russia has already set up its own military installations, despite all our protestations,” CBCP president Pablo Virgilio David of Caloocan said in a March 17 statement.

“This is now turning out to be the more important global context that should determine the way we will choose a new set of leaders for our country in the coming elections. This too we must pray very hard for,” he added. Allyssa Mae C. Cruz and Allainne Nicole C. Cruz with reports from Ma. Alena O. Castillo