10 Points to note in the Pope’s consecration prayer

Right away, the prayer expresses the faith of the Church from the first centuries, shared by East and West. We address Mary as "Mother of God," the Theotokos, the title affirmed for her at the Council of Ephesus in 431.

The Holy Father gives a line-up of the iniquities that have so severely wounded our world, and some in particular that are of special concern to the Pope. He speaks of the world wars, and the communion of nations; Francis has often expressed his hopes that organizations of the international community could be a force for peace and justice.

He laments the dashed dreams of youth - another of his favorite themes - and the tendency of nations to be individualistic, thinking only of their own interests.

He speaks of the suppression of innocent lives, perhaps an echo of how deeply he feels the sin of abortion, and our lack of stewardship of God's creation.

Perhaps one of the points that Pope Francis has most tried to emphasize for the Church is that God is always ready to forgive, that he "never tires" of forgiving. This is mentioned again in the consecration prayer.

The Holy Father repeatedly reminds us that Mary is the best of mothers, present in every situation. "You never cease to guide us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace"; "You remind us that God never abandons us"; "You are ever with us; even in the most troubled moments"; "In every age you make yourself known to us," etc.

While the consecration brings special attention to Our Lady of Fatima, the consecration prayer also refers to other of her advocations. Notably, her message at Guadalupe is quoted:

Similarly, the prayer makes mention of one of the Pope's favorite devotions, affirming, "You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times."

While there are countless titles of affection and devotion for Our Lady, the Pope mentions these 6, with specific requests, including "protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons."
Star of the Sea,
Ark of the New Covenant,
Queen of Heaven,
Queen of the Rosary,
Queen of the Human Family,
Queen of Peace.

The prayer is grounded in the Word of God, noting Mary's prayer at Cana and lamenting, "in our own day we have run out of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded."

It speaks of the consecration Jesus himself made, of John, and through him, all of us, to Our Lady, at the foot of the cross. "At this hour, a weary and distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ."

And the prayer concludes with a reminder that Mary is the glory of the human race, a woman like us: "You once trod the streets of our world; lead us now on the paths of peace. Amen."

For the Pope who has written an encyclical about how all humans are brothers and sisters, children of a common Father, this prayer is an occasion to emphasize that even in war, we are still "Fratelli tutti" - brothers, all.

Here, he does this simply by noting the great devotion that Russians and Ukrainians have for Our Lady:

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