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Did You or Did You
Not?
In The Fatima Crusader issue 75, we noted that Father
Guerra, Rector of the Fatima Shrine, did not reply to the urgent messages from
our columnist, Christopher Ferrara, which were sent on Nov. 10 and Nov. 23,
2003.
To bring you up to date on that correspondence, we publish below
the complete correspondence, including Rector Guerra’s reply more than two
months later.
As you can see, to the very simple question, "Did you or did you
not make those statements attributed to you," the Rector essentially replied,
"I could not tell you whether I said those scandalous things or not because I
needed more than two months to think about it."
From: Christopher A. Ferrara
Date:
November 10, 2003 12:57:52 AM EST
To: reitoria@santuario-fatima.pt
Subject: Your reported statements
Msgr. Guerra:
I am an American journalist who writes for several publications,
including Latin Mass Magazine. I am inquiring whether the statements attributed
to you in the following article are accurately quoted. Your prompt reply would
be greatly appreciated.
Christopher A. Ferrara |
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Christopher A. Ferrara
November 21, 2003
Msgr. Luciano Guerra
Rector,
Fatima Shrine
By fax: 011-351-249-53-9605
Dear Msgr. Guerra:
This is a
follow-up to my email of 10 November 2003, in which (concerning an article I am
writing for two Catholic journals) I inquired about the accuracy of certain
statements attributed to you in the local press concerning the conference "The
Present of Man - The Future of God" held at the Fatima Shrine in October. These
statements include the following:
"The future of Fatima must pass
through the creation of a shrine where different religions can mingle. The
inter-religious dialogue in Portugal and in the Catholic Church, is still in an
embryonic phase, but the Shrine of Fatima is not indifferent to this fact and
is already open to being a universalistic place of vocation."
"The very fact that Fatima is the
name of a Muslim and Mohammed's daughter, is indicative that the Shrine must be
open to the co-existence of various faiths and beliefs."
To repeat my previous inquiry: Do you
deny that you made these statements?
I am also seeking your official
responses to these questions:
- Do you absolutely exclude for the
future any permission for inter-religious ceremonies to be conducted on the
grounds of the Fatima Shrine, either inside or outside the Basilica, or in the
new structure to be built near the Basilica?
- Do you absolutely exclude for the
future any permission for religious ceremonies or observances of any kind
conducted by non-Catholics on the grounds of the Fatima shrine, either inside
or outside the Basilica, or in the new structure to be built near the
Basilica?
- Do you agree or disagree with the
statement of Archbishop Fitzgerald after the conference in Fatima to the effect
that the Fatima shrine has "an inter-religious dimension" on which the
conference you hosted was an "ongoing reflection"?
Since you did not deny the
statements attributed to you as set forth in my Nov. 10 e-mail, I have gone to
press on the article I wrote. However, I wish to give you every opportunity to
provide answers to these questions so that, if necessary, I can print your
response in a subsequent article on this topic.
Sincerely yours,
Christopher A. Ferrara |
From: Centro de Comunicação Socia
<ccs@santuario-fatima.pt>
Date: January 21, 2004 10:37:54 AM
EST
To: C.A. Ferrara@
Subject:
Communiqué
Santuário de Fátima -
Reitoria
Dear Sir,
Following a piece of news,
which in our opinion was very tendentious, and which appeared in the newspaper
"Portugal News", regarding the Congress on God and the Shrines, which was held
in this Shrine of Fátima in October of 2003, you wrote us a
communication which we couldn't then answer because it looked to us that the
matter deserved a deeper reflection.
We apologize for
this delay and want you to know that you may look up, in the official site of
the Shrine of Fátima www.santuario-fatima.pt the communiqué that
the Rectory published regarding that matter.
I raise up a
prayer to Our Lady, asking Her for the grace that all Christians, as well as
all non-Christians, make a serious effort in the area of understanding and
dialogue, which are the conditions absolutely necessary to obtain the peace
that was highly promised in the Message of Fátima.
With my best regards, The Rector,
Fr. Luciano Guerra |
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