Has Russia been consecrated or not?

In her appearance to three children at Fatima, Our Lady requested that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart by the Pope and the bishops of the world. It is a common allegation among the RadTrads -- among them CAI's Robert Sungenis, Christopher Ferrara, and the suspended priest Fr. Nicholas Gruner ¹ -- that the Pope never followed through in said consecration, and is complicit in a conspiracy to cover up "The Third Secret".

Robert Sungenis' conspiracy-laden interpretation is that the assassination attempt on the Holy Father on May 13, 1981 was, contrary to the interpretations of some, not a fulfillment of the 'Third Secret' but rather "was permitted by God as a message to the pope that he has NOT fulfilled the Fatima prophecy, and as a result, he [along with all the pontiffs since Pius XI] is under God's judgment."

Participants in both sides of the debate marshal various letters and statements from Sister Lucia -- the last surviving recipient of the Fatima vision -- to support their position. Following 9/11, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with Sister Lucia in which she confirmed that "consecration desired by Our Lady was made in 1984 [by Pope John Paul II], and has been accepted in Heaven" (the veracity of which is, in turn, questioned by John Vennari).

Now, Radtrad Watch publishes yet another interview with Sister Lucia with the abundantly-credentialed Dr. Frederick T. Zugibe, M.S., M.D., Ph.D., FCAP,  FACC,  FAAFS in 2002, in which she -- perhaps tiring of the constant inquiries -- again confirms: "It was done! The Holy Father willed it. It was done, and you can tell your friends that it was done."

Further rebuttals to Sister Lucia from the RadTrads are no doubt forthcoming.

1. RadTrads have of course denied the suspension of Fr. Gruner as well -- see "Yes, Virgina, Fr. Gruner is suspended, by Peter Vere & Shawn McElhinney The Wanderer 6/3/03.