Many people ask, "Why has not Pope John Paul II yet obeyed the extremely urgent and essential command of Our Lady of Fatima to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a solemn public way together with all the Catholic bishops?" Mr. Hamish Fraser, editor of Approaches magazine, and internationally recognized expert on Communism as it relates to current affairs in the Catholic Church answered this question. Mr. Fraser explains why in this light of current events and recent history the Pope needs our prayers to obtain very extraordinary graces before he can do his duty to order all the Catholic bishops to consecrate Russia.

It is the omission of Vatican II to condemn Communism which has led to the situation today where many bishops now support Communist-inspired movements and groups. The bishops' own Justice and Peace Commissions actively promote Communist fronts. Many of these bishops are against any group or person who is anti-Communist.

Our Lady of Fatima's message condemns these actions and attitudes of such misguided bishops.

However, the bishops in turn would rather oppose Our Lady of Fatima than convert away from their errors. Hence the Pope is faced with an almost impossible situation, yet the Consecration of Russia by the Pope and all the Catholic bishops is the only real solution to the many problems facing the Church and the world. The Pope needs extraordinary courage in face of these facts. The Pope more than ever needs our prayers. The text of his address at the Symposium follows.

Mr. Hamish Fraser, an expert on Communism, is a loyal son of the Catholic Church for close to 40 years. He thinks clearly and speaks forthrightly. He is here addressing the International Fatima Rosary Crusade Symposium held in Vatican City on November 24, 1985. For other pictures of this event, see “Your International Fatima Rosary Crusade at Work” in this issue.

Essence of the Message

       The essence of the Message of Our Lady of Fatima was spelled out by Her on July 13, 1917 when She said: "In the end My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, it will be converted, and a certain period of peace will be granted to the world."

       Then on June 13, 1929, according to Sister Lucia, "Our Lady then said to me, 'The moment has come for God to ask the Holy Father to make, in union with all the Bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart.'"

       Moreover, so as to remove any doubt whatsoever, in the wake of the Holy Father's act of consecration at Fatima on May 13, 1982, when interviewed in the presence of the Lisbon Nuncio, who was accompanied by two distinguished Portuguese Theologians, Sister Lucia emphasized that the consecration demanded by Our Lady of Fatima must be:

The Holy Father's Awareness

       Concerning one thing at least there is no possible room for doubt: The Holy Father's awareness of the need for the collegial consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart. For already (as from May 13, 1982) within two years he has three times consecrated the world to Mary's Immaculate Heart; and on the third occasion (March 25, 1984) he requested the Bishops to join with him collegially in making the Act of Consecration.

       Moreover, on each occasion he indicated that he realized that the Consecration demanded by Our Lady had yet to be made.

       I am also informed that yet another Act of Consecration may be expected on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8, 1985) to mark the end of the Extraordinary Synod.*

       Let no one therefore pretend that the Collegial Consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart is not very much in the mind of the Holy Father.

* Pope John Paul II on December 8, 1985 at the closing of the Synod again Consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This, like his previous three similar acts of consecration, did NOT fulfill the command of Our Lady of Fatima to consecrate specifically Russia in a solemn public way with all the bishops of the world.

Why No Consecration So Far?

       Given on the one hand the Holy Father's anxiety concerning the Collegial Consecration of Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart, and on the other hand the scandalous hostility elicited by the Holy Father's request for episcopal participation in the Consecration of the World to Mary's Immaculate Heart on March 25, 1984,² it can be inferred, with moral certainty, that one thing in particular has so far prevented the Holy Father from ordering the Bishops of the Universal Church to join with him in collegially consecrating RUSSIA to Mary's Immaculate Heart; his fear that to do so might well provoke formal schism. Which fear is of course grounded in his realization that material episcopal schism is already widespread in various parts of the world.³

       Of that more, later. Meanwhile we draw attention to the all too significant fact that, at a time when the Bishops are obsessed with the notion of collegiality, nothing rouses many of them to greater fury than to be reminded that the Queen of Heaven has demanded that, together with the Holy Father, they COLLEGIALLY consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart.

Why the Bishops Resent Fatima

       There are several reasons why so many Bishops quite literally see red whenever The Message of Fatima is mentioned.

(1) Communism Is 'Intrinsically Evil'

       First of all is the fact that Our Lady of Fatima has made it clear that unless Her demands are met "RUSSIA WILL SPREAD ITS ERRORS (i.e. COMMUNISM'S ERRORS) THROUGHOUT THE WORLD." Not, be it noted the errors of Mr. Botha of South Africa; of President Marcos of the Philippines, of the 'Contras' in Nicaragua; of General Pinochet in Chile or of President Reagan, the bogy men of the majority of Episcopal Commissions for Justice and Peace - not their errors, but the errors of Russia dominated by Communism, which the Church has defined as being 'intrinsically evil.'

       In other words, the first and foremost reason why Fatima is intolerable to so many Bishops and why they also intensely resent Papal authority, is that whereas prior to Vatican II the Popes had consistently condemned Communism as 'intrinsically evil', since Vatican II most episcopal conferences now appear to act on the assumption that it is not Communism but anti-Communism in any shape or form that is 'intrinsically evil'.

       Why has this change of Episcopal attitude dated from Vatican II? It is primarily because of the Rome-Moscow Agreement which assured the Kremlin that if Russian Orthodox observers were sent to Vatican II, Communism would not be discussed at the Council. Nor was it. Indeed, despite a demand from a quarter of the Council Fathers, Vatican II was not permitted even to reaffirm what had hitherto been the consistent teaching of the Popes: that is, that Communism is 'intrinsically evil.'

       IT IS BECAUSE of this CRIMINAL omission that after the Council it became possible to pretend that Communism had become licit and to do so in the name of the Council. This criminal omission is why it became possible to advocate an alliance of Catholics and Communists and even to espouse a 'Theology of Liberation' that is simply revolutionary Marxism in a 'Christian' disguise.

       In short, if so many bishops detest the message of Our Lady of Fatima it is because its reference to Russia's errors condemns the policies of virtually all Episcopally-approved "Justice and Peace Commissions" and also of Catholic "Development Agencies" such as CAFOD (England), SCIAF (Scotland), Trocaire (Ireland) and CCFD⁴ (France). For these organizations today provide 'the revolution' with a basis for the kind of 'popular front' which it was at such pains to engender against the determined opposition of the pre-conciliar Church; a 'Popular Front' which everywhere promotes subversion by mobilizing Christians, particularly Catholics, in support of the Revolutionary Cause, but particularly in such areas as the Philippines, South Africa and Central America which Moscow is determined to destabilize in order to foster its imperialist ambitions.

(2) Fatima Condemns New Catechetics

       A second reason why Fatima makes so many Bishops see red is that whereas in many Episcopally approved catechetical texts, hell is scarcely even mentioned, and certainly not as something to be taken very seriously, Our Lady of Fatima found it necessary to give the three young seers a most frightening vision of hell.

(3) Fatima Condemns Sex Education

       Likewise, whereas, ignoring both Humanae Vitae and Familiaris Consortio which stress the necessity for modesty and chastity as well as the grave sinfulness of contraception, many Bishops have imposed most questionable forms of 'Sex Education' some of which border on pornography, on the Catholic Schools for which they are responsible. Our Lady of Fatima went out of Her way to emphasize the need for strict fidelity to the Church's moral teaching, and in particular the need for both modesty and chastity, telling Jacinta, youngest of the three seers: "The sins which lead most souls to hell are sins of the flesh."⁵ As Jacinta herself subsequently reported: "The Mother of God wants more virgin souls bound by the vow of chastity. Woe to women wanting in modesty."

Treason by Nuncios, etc.

       To be perfectly blunt, if so far the Holy Father has not found it possible to fulfill the demands of the Queen of Heaven, it is because he realizes that, as a consequence of policies pursued by Post-conciliar Nuncios and Apostolic delegates he has now to contend with a host of modernist Bishops who are Catholic in name only.

       For that reason there is only one means whereby the Holy Father could now fulfill the demand of Our Lady of Fatima. He would be required to ORDER all Bishops to join him in collegially consecrating Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart ON PAIN OF DEMITTING OFFICE FORTHWITH IN THE EVENT OF THEIR REFUSING TO DO SO.

Need For a Showdown

       However, quite apart from making the Bishops comply with the demands of Our Lady of Fatima, some such showdown with insubordinate bishops is indispensable in order even to begin the restoration of Catholic order in Mother Church. For as things are, whatever the Pope says is more or less completely ignored. In the words of a young priest I know (who was most probably merely paraphrasing the mind of his Bishop): "The Pope's just a stupid old man who goes all over the world talking a lot of nonsense to which no one pays any attention."

       Such priests, such bishops, are not going to take seriously anything the Pope merely says. Papal authority will get through to such men only when the Holy Father unfrocks at least one prestigious recalcitrant prelate - Cardinal Hume for preference - as spectacularly as an officer cashiered for treason in the face of the enemy is publicly disgraced before his regiment.

       Alas! Given the mood of disaffection which is now so widespread throughout the Universal Church, quite phenomenal moral courage would be required on the part of the Holy Father to have a showdown with the Bishops, either individually by unfrocking a prestigious prelate, or by ordering them collegially to join him in consecrating Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart.

       Indeed, it is doubtful if any Pope in history has ever been confronted with circumstances so prejudicial to the exercise of Papal authority as now exist in the wake of Vatican II. Certainly, no one who fully understands the present situation would be so foolish as to upbraid or in any way belittle the Holy Father because so far he has not found it possible to do what is manifestly necessary in order to restore Catholic order.

       And this despite the fact that such action is manifestly necessary. It is imperative because the longer material schism is tolerated the more intractable will the Bishops become, for each day they are becoming ever more greedily accustomed to having their cake and eating it; that is to having all the advantages of material schism with none of the disadvantages of formal schism.

       Moreover, the longer material schism (disobedience to the Pope in serious matters) persists the greater the likelihood of the Bishops being able to take their flocks with them in the event of formal schism.

       However, the fact that a decision is necessary does not make it any easier to take. Consider the analogous position of a ship's captain faced with the need to discipline some of his officers who, with no evident dissent on the part of the rest of the crew or passengers, have hijacked his ship when it is already all but on the rocks.

       Under such circumstances, it may be humanly impossible to do what is necessary to prevent the ship - in this case Peter's Barque - from falling into enemy hands.

       Under such circumstances, only extraordinary graces from God can enable a man even to do what is, strictly speaking, his duty. Nor is this by any means true only of the Pope. It very frequently happens even to the humblest of mortals - such as rank and file soldiers or policemen ordered to do something which means almost certain death - when heroism, even heroic sanctity, may be the only alternative to conviction of cowardice.

Need to Pray for the Pope

       That is why it is so necessary not to criticize but to pray for the Holy Father, that he may have the grace to do what he may well find to be humanly impossible. Which is precisely what Our Lady of Fatima wants us to do.

       For Sister Lucy warned us that God will permit the Grace of the Collegial Consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart only when a sufficient number of us are complying with the Message of Fatima which insists above all that we do the penance of fulfilling the duties appropriate to our state in life. But no matter what one's state in life, it is quite impossible to be truly Catholic without praying continually for the Pope.

... and for Ourselves

       However, quite apart from its being our DUTY to pray for the Pope, we have no option but to do so if we are concerned about the future of our civilization; that is, if we are concerned about our children and our children's children. For unless Russia is collegially consecrated to Mary's Immaculate Heart as demanded by Our Lady of Fatima and thus converted before it is too late, as Our Lady of Fatima has warned us we may expect to experience a devastating chastisement without precedent in human history. Which chastisement is not only merited but indeed long overdue on account of the wholesale massacre of the unborn and the present so scandalous epidemic of unnatural vice; both of which derive from the permissive society of our time.

Vanity of Disarmament Talks and
Summit Conferences

       Let there be no illusions about peace being possible through the unilateral disarmament canvassed by many of our Bishops or as a consequence of dialogue with the Kremlin at no matter how many "Summit Conferences." For Communism is pledged to make war - the class war - on the non-Communist world which, it insists, must be "liberated" from "capitalist-Imperialism" so that once the entire world has been conquered by Communism there may be what Communism calls "peace." That is why, in the Communist perspective, war is the path to peace, and why in the Communist idiom 'peace' means 'war.'

Consecration Only Remedy

       And so shall it continue to be until Russia has been converted. For only then will it cease to be an instrument of subversion and brutal aggression. Only then, by becoming a powerhouse of the Christian Apostolate, will it instead become the main force for peace in the world. But this presupposes its being collegially consecrated to Mary's Immaculate Heart, which will become possible only when the Holy Father has the supernatural strength this requires. That is why we must pray for the Pope.

Footnotes:

1 'Fatima May 13, 1982, What Actually Happened?', The Fatima Crusader Issue 16.

2 CF. 'March 25, 1984 Consecration in retrospect', Supplement to Approaches No. 85.

3 Cardinal Gagnon Report, "Laity Should Help to Get Bishops to Obey Pope, Says Archbishop Gagnon", The Fatima Crusader Issue 15.

4 "Comite Catholique Contre la Faim et Pour le Developpement" i.e., The "Catholic Committee Against Hunger and For Development.''

5 Fatima: The Great Sign by Francis Johnston, Tan Books and Publishers, page 5.

6 Fatima: The Great Sign, page 84.

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