Pope Leo XIII consecrates the human race to the Sacred Heart (1899)

Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Annum sacrum on 25 May 1899, declaring 1900 a Holy Year and directing the consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart. Influenced by Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, the Pope decreed the consecration for 11 June 1899, requiring Roman Catholic churches to implement the Prayer of Consecration.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The devotion to the Sacred Heart views Jesus's heart as a symbol of God's love. Sister Mary of the Divine Heart, a noble from the Droste zu Vischering family, reported visions requesting the consecration of the world. Her confessor wrote to Pope Leo XIII in 1898, prompting the Pope to commission theologians to examine the petition based on revelation and tradition.

Annum Sacrum. Annum sacrum, published on 25 May 1899, is an encyclical concerning the consecration of the whole human race. It anticipated the Holy Year declared for 1900. The document included an Act of Consecration, influenced by Mary of the Divine Heart and responding to demands received over twenty-five years.

Declaration and Implementation. Following a positive theological investigation, Leo XIII decreed the consecration of the entire human race for 11 June 1899. The decree followed the publication of Annum sacrum and the examination of the petition from Sister Mary of the Divine Heart.

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Sources

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