''Sacro vergente anno'', (also called ''Carissimis Russiae populis''), is a 7 July 1952

Apostolic Letter Ecclesiastical letters are publications or announcements of the organs of Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority, e.g. the synods, but more particularly of pope and bishops, addressed to the faithful in the form of letters. Letters of the pop ...

of Pope Pius XII to all people of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, issued on the feast of saints

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wit ...

, "Apostles to the Slavs". In it the Pope consecrates all the people of

to the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...

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The Pope remembered that after he solemnly declared the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

taken up into heaven, many wrote to him, asking that he may dedicate the whole Russian people to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin. He was grateful for this request, since he had a special affection for the great people, who, while separated from him, continued to fight for its Christian identity with all means and great courage. The Pope reviews 1000 years of relations and difficulties and describes the humanitarian efforts of his predecessors,

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

and Pope Pius XI for the needy and hungry populations of the Soviet Union. During the war, he himself would not utter one word, which could have been used unfairly, and despite strong pressures, he never approved a war against

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a ...

in 1941. However, he will not remain silent, when religion, truth or justice are at stake, since it is his deepest wish, that nations are ruled not by military might but justice. Everybody must fairly admit that he was impartial during the last war. Now, that the war is over, it is his duty to speak out and to condemn communism, but this does never mean, that the Church rejects those who err. The Pope has great confidence in the people of Russia but is anguished about the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

hostility towards religion in general and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in particular.The Pope laid the groundwork for a collaboration between East and West Christianity against militant atheism. In closing he consecrated the peoples of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary: "...as a few years ago we consecrated the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mother of God, so now, in a way very special, we consecrate all the peoples of Russia to the same Immaculate Heart," The Pope reminds the

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

people, that the

is always victorious. The

gates of hell ''The Gates of Hell'' (french: La Porte de l'Enfer) is a monumental bronze sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the ''Inferno'', the first section of Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy''. It stands at ...

will never prevail, where she offers her protection. She is the good mother, the mother of all, and it has never been heard, that those who seek her protection, will not receive it. All error and atheism will be overcome with her assistance and divine grace.Sacro Vergente 12

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Sources

* Latin Original of Sacro Vergente: ''PIUS PP. XII, Epist. apost. Sacro vergente anno de universae Russorum gentis Immaculato Mariae Cordi consecratione, d universos Russiae populos'' 7 iulii 1952: AAS 44(1952), pp. 505–511. * Richard Cardinal Cushing, ''Pope Pius XII,'' St. Paul Editions, Boston, 1959 *

Alberto Giovannetti Alberto Giovannetti (1913 – 1989) was an Italian priest of the Catholic Church who worked in the Roman Curia and served as the first Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations from 1964 to 1973. Biography Alberto Giovannetti was b ...

, ''Pio XII parla alla Chiesa del Silenzio, Editrice Ancona, Milano, 1959, German Translation, Der Papst spricht zur Kirche des Schweigens,''Paulus Verlag, Recklinghausen, 1959

External links

''Sacro vergente anno''
{{Pope Pius XII, state=collapsed Persecution of Catholics during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII Mariology Pope Pius XII apostolic writings Catholic Church in Russia Holy See–Soviet Union relations 1952 in the Soviet Union 1952 documents 1952 in Christianity

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