My sisters and brothers, our Holy Father, in response to numerous requests by the people of God, desires to entrust the nations at war to the special care of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, he intends to “carry out a solemn Act of Consecration of humanity, and Russia and Ukraine in particular, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” In Rome, at this hour, during a Celebration of Penance, it is most fitting to join in prayer here at our cathedral.

In his letter to bishops, Pope Francis affirmed, “This Act of Consecration is meant to be a gesture of the universal Church, which in this dramatic moment lifts up to God, through His Mother and ours, the cry of pain of all those who suffer and implore an end to the violence, and to entrust the future of our human family to the Queen of Peace.” Inviting all God’s holy people to gather together on this day, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, we “raise a heartfelt choral plea to Mary our mother.”

Today, I join Pope Francis with priests, deacons, women and men religious, and all people of faith and good will throughout the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama here at the Cathedral of St. Paul and on livestream, to express our solidarity with this plea for divine assistance. “At this dark hour, the Church is urgently called to intercede before the Prince of Peace and to demonstrate her closeness to those directly affected by the conflict.” With Pope Francis, “I [too] am grateful to the many people who have responded with great generosity to […] appeals for prayer, fasting and charity.”

May we link our hearts and minds together with fellow Christians around the world, praying for peace, an end of war and violence, a restoration of forgiveness and mercy, and a resolution of differences through respectful dialogue and conversation. With hearts softened by the love of God, may we take to heart once again the message of “peace on earth and good will to all” through the Prince of Peace.