Our Lady of Fatima Warned Us About:

The Dangers to
the Faith and to the
Life of the Christian
by Father Nicholas Gruner, B. Comm., S.T.L., S.T.D. (Cand.)

Note: This is an edited excerpt of a speech given in Cleveland on

Saturday, June 6, 2009. That was the 65th Anniversary of D-Day
— the day of the bloody battle to land the Allied armies in France
and in which tens of thousands of soldiers were killed, wounded
or maimed for life. All of this was terrible and yet so unnecessary.
Yet what is coming in the near future is much worse — if we don’t
finally accept and embrace the only Peace Plan that will work, Our
Lady of Fatima’s Message. But above all, today, the dangers to the
Faith are even greater and to save your soul, you should read this
article and be aware of what the enemy has done already to attack
your Faith and your salvation.

O
ur Lady told the at that time that this conse-
seers at Fatima that cration was requested, but it
the First World War was known to the Popes by
would soon end, but if man 1930-31. But the consecration
did not change, then God didn’t take place and we saw
would punish the world with the consequences: 55 million
more war, famine, persecu- dead, most of them Catholics
tion of the Church and of the or Protestants. Our Lady says
Holy Father. To prevent these that war is a punishment for
punishments, Our Lady said sin.
She would come to ask for the But how did the Second
Consecration of Russia and World War come about?
for the Communion of Repa- The book Towards World
ration on the first Saturdays. Government — New World
World War II Could Have Order, by Deirdre Manifold
Been Averted describes a conversation in-
Most people didn’t know volving the representative
of the international bankers

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that took place on January 25, and into Germany and then
1938. From that conversation to the East. Stalin wanted the
one could deduce that was second front and Roosevelt
the day the Second World gave it to him. Consider all
War began. Pius XI was the these people who died, on
Pope. And this representative both sides, all for naught.
of international bankers was The Second World War, by
on trial for his life. All of those the way, has not yet been de-
who were on trial for their life clared over. It was agreed that
that day — in that show trial Germany would be divided
— were executed by Stalin, for 40 years and in 1989, it
except for this one man. was reunited according to
And this man explained to that agreement. But while we
Stalin’s representative who it were looking at the war on
is that really runs the world, the battle front, we were dis-
and that if Stalin wanted to tracted from the war on the
stay in power, he would have home front, which both do-
to take his orders from these mestically and in the Church
international financiers. The was being lost.
conversation was recorded by Our Lady said, at Fatima,
the translator and published “Only I can help you.”
after the war in Spain. Deirdre I have been accused of tak-
summarizes the conversation ing things too literally. But
and it is quite frightening to Saint Augustine tells us that
read what these people think, when you interpret Sacred
and how they reason. But you Scripture, the first rule is to in-
can see that this man’s dia- terpret it literally, unless there
bolical cunning was followed is something that is contrary
and is being followed to this to faith or reason to indicate it
day. is not meant literally. But with
There were tens of thou- every passing day, reason and
sands who died on the beach- my knowledge of what goes
es of Normandy 65 years ago, on only confirms my convic-
and that attack was called for tion that Our Lady of Fatima
by none other than Joseph is meant to be taken literally.
Stalin. The Russians wanted And yet we have a living
to take over Eastern Europe, Cardinal who told the previ-
and they couldn’t do it if the ous Pope not to take Our Lady
Allies were to move from Italy

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 “O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee
most profoundly and I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood,
Soul and Divinity of the same Son, Jesus Christ, present in the
tabernacles of the world, in reparation for all the sacrileges, outrages
and indifferences by which He Himself is offended. And through the
inifinite merits of His most Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.”
...Prayer the Angel taught the three children of Fatima, Autumn, 1916

http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr93/cr93pg3.pdf
too literally. That’s disastrous tual prediction of the present
advice. We saw a significant Holy Father’s death.
disaster with World War II, The part that has been kept
but that’s only a small portion hidden is the part that would
compared to what’s coming enable us to prevent that from
if we don’t listen in time, and happening. Unfortunately,
listen literally. most people don’t know it.
My talk is about: The But then-Cardinal Ratzinger,
Dangers Threatening the in 1984, tells us the part that’s
Faith and the Life of the hidden is about, among other
Christian. That title comes things, “the dangers threaten-
from what our present ing the Faith and the life of
Holy Father has said is con- the Christian”.
tained in the Third Secret. It’s easy enough to under-
Pope Benedict, when he was stand the dangers to our lives
Cardinal Ratzinger, was but I will run out of time just
asked directly and explicitly, describing the dangers to
“Have you read the Third the Faith. The solution to the
Secret?” He said, “Yes.” He problem is to hear the radi-
went on to explain, on further cal call for conversion. But let
questioning, that: us focus now on the dangers
“It is a radical call for con- threatening the Faith.
version. It concerns the dan- Why is it so important to
gers threatening the Faith be concerned about the
and the life of the Christian, dangers threatening
and therefore (the life) of the
the Faith?
world.”
To save our souls we have
That part of the Secret has the obligation to keep the
yet to be released to us. Faith. The Faith is not just an
The execution of the Pope indeterminate or vague con-
beneath a wooden cross on cept; the Faith is very well
the hillside outside a half-ru- defined. Faith is an infused
ined city is part of the Secret, supernatural virtue that each
but it is not the most dramatic of us has received at the mo-
part. And it won’t be under- ment of our baptism. But
stood sufficiently unless the this infused virtue does not
rest is known. I believe what always remain in every bap-
has been released is an ac- tized soul. We see that in

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many cases, it has been lost. There is a Prophecy
Some people are not aware of of the Present Danger
their obligation to preserve it. We must keep ourselves
Each of us has the obliga- aware that there is a Fatima
tion to preserve our Faith prophecy which tells us that
from the moment of our bap- today (that is now in 2009)
tism until the moment we we are in danger of losing our
die. We won’t have Faith in Faith; that there are dangers
Heaven because there we will threatening the Faith of ev-
see God face-to-face. But until ery Catholic on the face of the
that moment, we must keep earth.
the Faith. Anyone who is not Catholic
Pope John Paul II alluded doesn’t have what the Church
to this danger to the Faith in defines is the Faith because
1982 when he said, the Faith is a supernatural
“Can the Mother Who, virtue that empowers us to
with all the force of the love believe all things that God
that She fosters in the Holy teaches. A heretic believes
Spirit and desires every- many things that a Catholic
one’s salvation, keep silent believes. A heretic, unlike an
when She sees the very bas- apostate, denies one or a few
es of their salvation under-
articles of the Faith. An apos-
mined?”
tate rejects it all.
He then answers his own St. Thomas points out
question by saying, that a heretic really doesn’t
“No, She cannot remain si- have the Faith, otherwise he
lent.” would accept everything that
But the Pope did not ex- God teaches. But because
plain what are the bases of he chooses to not accept this
our salvation. The first one or that dogma he has only a
is our Faith. It is impossible kind of opinion that in many
to please God without the ways agrees with the articles
Faith. The Faith alone is not of the Faith. But because the
enough, but the Faith is abso- heretic rejects some dogmas,
lutely necessary for our salva- his belief is not based on
tion. And if the Faith is taken Faith whereby a man believes
from us, we cannot be saved everything God teaches is
unless we regain the Faith. true because the faithful soul

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knows that God who is all on grace for any goodness
Holy cannot tell a lie and God we have and that we depend
who is all knowing cannot be on it from instant to instant.
mistaken. But when I read Tanquerey,
There are some Catholics, it was a consolation to me to
perhaps many of us, who be- realize that I was not alone
lieve things that are contrary in my mistake. We have an
to the Faith. But we are in ig- obligation, however, to point
norance; we don’t know that out that we have to believe
certain things are against the the Catholic Faith whole and
Faith. If we knew what the entire.
Faith taught, we would im- In fact, that’s what the
mediately accept its doctrine. Athanasian Creed says,
The Necessity of Grace “Whoever wishes to be
I found myself in that po- saved must before all else
sition once while studying adhere to the Catholic Faith.
He must preserve this Faith
theology. When I read the
whole and untarnished; oth-
Council of Trent on the ne- erwise he shall most certainly
cessity of grace, I realized perish forever.” (“Quicúmque
that the opinion I held about vult salvus esse, ante ómnia
grace was incorrect. I was opus est, ut téneat cathóli-
what the theologians would cam fidem: Quam nisi quisque
call a semi-Pelagian. But the íntegram inviolatámque ser-
fact is, as Tanquerey points váverit, absque dúbio in aeté-
out in his 1920 book on the- rnum períbit.”)
ology, almost all present-day As this is a Creed of the
Catholics have semi-Pelagian Catholic Church, it is a doc-
ideas. They think that some- trine that a person must be-
how they can be good on lieve in order to be Catholic.
their own or that any good The Faith is in Danger
they have is not through the
In fact, the Secret tells us
grace of God. You need to
where some of the dangers
know that it is easier for you
come from. We already know,
to stay alive without breath-
of course, from the teaching
ing oxygen than it is for you
of the Saints and the Doctors
to be good without grace.
of the Church where the dan-
Most Catholics don’t under-
ger to the Faith comes from. It
stand our total dependence
comes in part from our pride.

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 <

The Fatima Center puts The Secret Still Hidden in Italian (Il
Segreto Ancora Nascosto) on bookstands in front of the Vatican and
throughout Rome and elsewhere in Italy as part of the Target: Rome
Campaign.

http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr93/cr93pg3.pdf
It also comes from our sloth. us, again, “Only Our Lady of
I think it’s St. Thomas who the Rosary can help you,” you
tells us that the people in the are very safe in taking that
age before Antichrist fall be- literally, because She means
cause of their sloth. Sloth is it literally. One of Her prom-
one of the seven capital sins; ises to St. Dominic is that the
it is very little understood to- Rosary will overcome vice,
day. But I want to first of all decrease sin and overcome
point out some of the dan- heresy. So if we recite and
gers to the Faith in our time. pray the Rosary sincerely and
We know that the Third perseveringly, Our Lady will
Secret concerns the period see to it that, if we have fallen
of Church history after 1960 into heresy, She will pull us
and before the triumph of the out of it.
Immaculate Heart of Mary. The first thing we should
We know, therefore, we are in be concerned about is our
that period; we know that we own personal salvation. But
are faced with these dangers. it’s not just our own salvation
Our Lord poses a question, that’s in danger: it’s that of our
followed by a statement. He brothers and sisters and rela-
asks, “When the Son of Man tives and friends; of everyone
returns, do you think He will around us.
find faith on Earth?” He ap- We must Resist the Devil
pears to be talking about our Part of the reason that sloth
time. The statement He makes is the sin of this age, is that
is as follows: “that even the today we don’t realize the
elect would be deceived (at necessity to resist evil. You
that time) if it were possible.” may have heard the story of
None of Us Know That We the holy Curé of Ars: One day
Are Among the Elect a man went to Confession
The dangers to the Faith to him and the next day he
are so insidious that even the returned to hear Mass and
elect would be deceived, if it the Curé said, “You must
were possible. The tricks and go to confession.” He said,
stratagems of the devil would “Father, I went to Confession
cause everyone to lose the yesterday.” “You must go to
Faith if God were to allow it. Confession.” This was a pious
So when Our Lady says to
Continued on page 51

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Dangers to the Faith At a certain moment, the
Continued from page 10 leader would say “now” and
four of them, the closest four,
man, a man going to Mass ev- would put one finger under
ery day and trying hard to the armpit and one under the
save his soul. And the Curé knee of the person and try to
was telling him he had to go lift him like a feather. I was
back to Confession. pretending to watch televi-
So what had he done? He sion as this was unfolding in
was invited to a social gather- my presence, and I remem-
ing – a party of some sort – in bered the story of the Curé
his neighborhood, and there of Ars, but I said nothing be-
was a séance held there. He cause I thought that perhaps
didn’t know that was going this had to do with something
to happen. He did not partici- I didn’t know about natural
pate; he realized it was wrong forces, but it seemed that this
to participate in séances. So was beyond natural forces.
what was his sin? The Curé St. Alphonsus gives a rule
said “You didn’t resist.” That which says:
was his sin. “All things happen by
I found myself in similar God’s direct intervention, or
circumstances one day about by natural causes, or by dia-
thirty or forty years ago. I bolical causes.”
was at a social gathering and God could send a good an-
I went downstairs to the base- gel to do something, but God
ment for a moment and there acts for a purpose. He doesn’t
I was older than all the other just put on a magic show.
young people present. They Since this was not a reli-
were my cousins and they gious context and the thing
were downstairs, while the being attempted seemed
rest of the older members to me beyond the power of
of the family were upstairs. nature, I thought it may be
They started to play this diabolical, but I reserved
game in which one person my judgment and said Hail
would sit in a chair and the Marys and asked the Blessed
others would walk around Virgin, “If this is not of God,
him with their hands on his don’t let it happen.” So for
head, and they were all to 45 minutes they tried it. The
think of death. leader, I found out after-

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wards, had succeeded every have been deceived. And it’s
other time, but not that time. painful to learn that you have
These kinds of games can been deceived. We must ex-
lead to actual demonic pos- amine the evidence dispas-
session. But because I was sionately.
there and said the Hail Marys Each of us can sometimes
asking Our Lady to prevent be deceived when it comes to
it, I don’t think I can be ac- intellectual things. A painter
cused of not resisting. But the or a writer puts part of him-
important thing is to learn self into his work. We do the
that we have to do more than same with our thought pro-
be participants or non-par- cesses. Sometimes we are so
ticipants; we must positively attached to our thought pro-
be on God’s side or we may cesses that we will not ad-
well end up guilty of sin. And mit we made a mistake. The t
if we are there, and we see Secret tells you that there are
something like that happen, three sources of this decep-
we must at least resist inter- tion going on to this day. I
nally, if nothing else. he
Apostasy Today
an
Dangers from Sources Begins at the Top
Gr
We Don’t Suspect So what does Father wh
There are dangers to the Kramer say? He refers to
AN
Faith. They are happening all Cardinal Ciappi, who tells us
as
around us. Some dangers are that “in the Third Secret it is
obvious and are described in foretold, among other things,
good standard books, and I that the great apostasy in the
hope I touch upon some of Church begins at the top.”
R
them. But I want to focus on Cardinal Ciappi died in 1996
gr
the dangers to the Faith that and he wrote that in 1995, a
pr
come from sources we don’t year before he died. Father
wh
suspect. Kramer met Cardinal Ciappi
T
The previous issue of The just two weeks before he
pr
Fatima Crusader (#92) contains died. Cardinal Ciappi was the
18
an interview with Father Papal Theologian for Pius XII,
T
Kramer in which he tells us John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul
se
dangers to the Faith described I, and part of the pontificate
of John Paul II. an
in the Third Secret of Fatima.
Some of this is shocking be- He was the Papal
cause all of us at some point Theologian to five succes-

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sive Popes, and he speaks From that conversation, we
as a theologian. So when he know that the Third Secret,
says “the great apostasy” he warns against the change in
means the great apostasy pre- the liturgy, explicitly.
dicted in Sacred Scripture. Is there any other evidence
It’s the one foretold by Saint of that? Pope Pius XII, when
Paul in the second letter to the he was still Cardinal Pacelli,
Thessalonians. said: “I’m worried by the
In the second chap- Blessed Virgin’s messages
ter, St. Paul is telling the to Lucy of Fatima. This per-
Thessalonians not to fear sistence of Mary about the
that the Antichrist was pres- dangers which menace the
ent at that time because the Church is a divine warning
Antichrist cannot come until against the suicide of altering
the great apostasy takes place. the Faith in her liturgy.”
So Cardinal Ciappi is telling Here, Pius XII, before he
us that the Third Secret tells became Pope, telling us that
us that the great apostasy is in the Blessed Virgin (Our Lady
our time. The Third Secret is a of Fatima) warned us to not
prophecy; we know that from alter the Faith in the liturgy;
Cardinal Ottaviani. He told that to do so would be an act
us that he had read the Secret of suicide for the Church.
and that it is a prophecy. We Now Pope Benedict has
have Sister Lucy’s words tell- been taking part of the un-
ing us that it will “become published Third Secret of
clearer” in 1960. A proph- Fatima to heart and trying
ecy becomes clearer when it to correct things without re-
starts to be realized. So we vealing the actual text of the
have a prophecy that begins Secret. He has written the
to be realized in 1960: that the Motu Proprio, regarding the
great apostasy in the Catholic Traditional Latin Mass given
Church begins at the top. on the seventh day of the sev-
The Third Secret and enth month of the seventh
the New Mass year of this millennium, but
unfortunately, with all the
What Father Kramer tells
good will of His Holiness,
us is that a Cardinal who read
he has not yet done enough.
the Secret spoke to Father
Many bishops still refuse to
Döllinger who is a priest
free the Tridentine Mass.
friend of Father Kramer’s.

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 Why the Rite of Mass approved rite.
is Important One of the definitions of
My conversion to the Latin the Faith (in the Council of
Mass came in Rome because Trent) says: (“Si quis dixerit,
I was in St. Mary Major and receptos et approbatos Ecclesiae
had just heard a Novus Ordo catholicae ritus in sollemni sac-
Mass. It was very well done ramentorum administrataione
for the Novus Ordo: respect- adhiberi consuetos aut contemni,
ful, reverent and so forth. aut sine peccato a ministris pro
Then the bell rang for another libito ommitti, aut in novos alios
Mass. My classes were not go- per quemcumque ecclesiarum
ing to start for another hour, pastorme mutari posse: anath-
so I thought, “I can go to an- ema sit.” (See Dz. 856 or D.S.
other Mass.” 1613) “If anyone shall say that
Then this other priest came the received and approved
out and one could see that rites of the Catholic Church
the Traditional Latin Mass he accustomed to be used in the
was saying was far superior solemn administration of the
to the Novus Ordo Mass in its sacraments may be disdained
beauty and reverence. I had or omitted by the minister
no idea then that the Secret or without sin and at pleasure,
the Message of Fatima spoke or may be changed to other
about the Mass. new ones by any pastor of
Father Kramer’s book, The the churches whomsoever: let
Suicide of Altering the Faith him be anathema.” He is a her-
in the Liturgy, points out etic; he doesn’t have the Faith.
that the Council of Florence, You will find that in Session
which took place from 1438 7, Canon 13. (See Dz. 856 or
to 1445, insists that the Faith D.S. 1613)
requires that the Church hold Since 1969, we have had
onto the received and ap- a new rite replacing the old
proved rites. In other words, rite. And the argument was
it’s not enough for a rite to that a Pope from the past can’t
be approved for it to replace impose his will on a Pope in
the liturgy of the Catholic the future. What about Quo
Church. It has to be the re- Primum? That is the docu-
ceived (meaning from the ment that Pope St. Pius V is-
previous generations) rite. So sued when he published the
it has to be the received and Missal of 1571. In it he says

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“no one (not a Cardinal, a or modified at any time, but
religious superior, a bishop remains always valid and re-
— no one) has the authority tains its full force.” (Here the
to prevent a Catholic priest Pope speaks with the charism
(obviously, in good standing) of infallibility.)
from saying this Mass.” The Third Secret of Fatima
He was not saying that be- Confirms the Catholic
cause he was more important Dogma on the Mass
than were his predecessors.
Now, apart from the dog-
What he was saying was that
matic Faith, which we can
this rite of the Mass, which
study, we also have the voice
I am identifying as the “re-
of prophecy. As St. Paul tells
ceived and approved rite”,
us in First Thessalonians, “Do
is the rite that by the Divine
not despise prophecy. Do not
Faith itself no one, not even
extinguish the spirit.”
a Pope, can change for a new
Treating Our Lady’s
rite.
Message at Fatima as if we
To quote Pope St. Pius V di-
can take it or leave it amounts
rectly:
to a de facto despising of
“Furthermore, by these
prophecy. We have both the
presents (these laws), by
Dogma of the Faith and the
Apostolic Authority, We
prophecy of Our Lady saying
grant and concede in perpe-
“Don’t change the Mass.”
tuity that, for the chanting
We may have very wise, or at
or reading of the Mass in
least very intelligent, men in
any church whatsoever, this
the Vatican, but look at what
Missal is hereafter to be fol-
they have done to the Church
lowed absolutely, without
these past 40 years. When Our
any scruple of conscience or
Lady says it is a suicide to al-
fear of incurring any penalty,
ter the Faith in the liturgy, She
judgment, or censure, and may
should not be ignored.
freely and lawfully be used.
I understand in this city of
(emphasis added) ... we like-
Cleveland, as in the city of
wise [by apostolic authority]
Buffalo, in Boston, in every
statute and declare that no
place, the diocese is closing
one whosoever is to be forced
churches one after another
or coerced to alter this Missal
and selling them off. For
and that this present docu-
what? For worthless paper,
ment cannot ever be revoked
called money, which will go

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up in smoke if it hasn’t al- ment. It’s God’s worst punish-
ready done so. And our fore- ment. St. John Eudes, in his
fathers and their forefathers book, The Priest: His Dignity
have sweated and labored and Obligations, cites the pas-
and sacrificed and skimped sage from Jeremias 3:15.
for generations to pass on St. John Eudes explains that
these churches to us. The fruit Jeremias speaks for God and
of changing the Mass is that says, “If you, My people, will
instead of 70% of Catholics turn back to Me, God, then I
going to Mass each Sunday, will send you pastors after
now we have 20%. My own heart.” That is, if
And so you have these big, you turn back to God by your
empty, beautiful buildings, lives, by your penance, then
which are not being used God will send good priests to
and which the government take care of your souls.
is squeezing more and more, St. John Eudes explains that
at least in the province of passage and he says, “On the
Quebec where I come from. other hand, if you do not turn
Years ago, I could see that back to God, then what’s go-
they were selling the church- ing to happen to you is God
es to pay off so-called debts will send you bad pastors;
to the state. pastors who will not shep-
Our Lord said give to Caesar herd your soul, who will lead
what belongs to Caesar and you to Hell. That is the worst
give to God what belongs to chastisement that God has.
God. Those churches belong And when He is angry with
to God; they shouldn’t be giv- His people, that’s what He
en to Caesar for filthy money does.”
or anything else. But what is You can read this for your-
happening? We have changed selves in St. John Eudes’ book,
the Mass; we have committed pages 9 and 10.
the act of suicide. When you read Sister
Bad Priests: Lucy’s interview with Father
God’s Punishment Fuentes in 1957, she alludes
to the Third Secret when she
I know we didn’t do it per-
says we won’t know the text
sonally, but we in some way
until 1960. She also alludes
are responsible, for St. John
to a passage in the Secret that
Eudes explains that God
talks about there being bad
sends bad clergy as a punish-

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pastors. it isn’t. There is such a thing
The first way to stop the as a council, and there is such
wholesale stealing of our a thing as an evil council. I be-
churches is to pray and make lieve we have had one other
sacrifices for our pastors, so evil council in the history of
that God sends us good pas- the Catholic Church.
tors. God can remove a bad But let us, first of all, define
pastor by taking away his life what evil means, and then
or his health, or by God con- how this council qualifies as
verting him. But the choice is an evil council. Evil is the lack
God’s. of something that should be
And if the pastor will be there.
converted, that’s great. But Some of the simplest con-
if not, God will remove him cepts are the hardest to un-
and send you pastors after derstand. Let us use an ex-
His own heart. So in that ample to explain the concept
sense the pastors we have, and the definition of the word
and the decisions they have “evil”. A stone cannot see, but
made over the last 40 years, we don’t call a stone blind.
are in part, if not all together, But we call a man who cannot
a reflection on the Catholic see “blind”. What is the dif-
Faithful. ference between a stone that
“An Evil Council” cannot see and a man who
cannot see? A man, by his na-
Cardinal Ciappi tells us the
ture, is meant by his Creator to
primary content of the Secret,
see. So if a man is incapable of
but Father Kramer reveals
sight, we call that man blind.
to us how the dangers to the
There is something lacking
Faith have come about. First
that should be there. And he
there are the changes in the
suffers a physical evil. In a
Mass, but the Second Vatican
moral evil, there is also some-
Council is also mentioned in
thing lacking that should be
the Secret. I don’t know if it
there. That is what a sin is: a
is mentioned by name, but it
lack of something that should
says “there will come an evil
be there. That’s evil.
Council.”
So how can we say that a
Many Catholics might find
Catholic Council could be
it hard to say that a council can
evil? Our Lord tells us “By
be evil. They might say that’s
their fruits you shall know
a contradiction in terms, but

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 “Let your speech be, ‘Yes, yes’; ‘No, no’; and whatever is
beyond these comes from the evil one.”— Matt. 5:37

them.” We have the explana- things in such an ambigu-

tion of Pope Pius VI, in 1794, ous way that it confused
when he condemned the things that before then had
Synod of Pistoia. The Synod been clear. And the fruit of
of Pistoia was a gathering the Synod of Pistoia was to
of bishops in northern Italy. confuse the minds of the
It wasn’t sanctioned by the faithful. And so the Pope
Pope, but it wasn’t evil for pointed out that this synod
that reason alone, because was evil because its fruit was
Popes have sanctioned and evil; because its documents
agreed with synods after they were lacking something that
have taken place. So the lack should have been there.
of the Papal initiative to call If a lawyer draws up a
it was not in itself enough to contract between two people
call it evil. and uses language that is am-
Why was it evil? Because biguous or, worse, equivocal,
the Synod of Pistoia taught (ambiguous means it’s not

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clear, but equivocal means So it’s implicit that in other
the same words can be in- places, maybe everywhere
terpreted in opposite senses) else, but certainly in other
and he wants to be paid, the parts of the Church, the dog-
parties might say, “You don’t ma of the Faith will not be
deserve a nickel because you preserved.
drew up a document which is And why is that? Because
unclear; which, in fact, is go- we have the Council making
ing to start a war between the ambiguous pronouncements.
contracting parties because Those ambiguous pronounce-
you haven’t made it clear. The ments would be condemned
purpose of the document is to by Pius VI, as he condemned
say clearly unambiguously, the Synod of Pistoia.
what in fact it is that the par- Fatima Speaks of an
ties to the contract are, in fact, Evil Council
agreeing to bind themselves
Father Kramer points out
to do for each other.”
that Cardinal Ratzinger told
If this is true for a lawyer
his friend (Father Döllinger)
drawing up a contract be-
that the Secret of Fatima talks
tween two parties, it’s also
about an evil Council that
true for a document com-
will take place in the Church.
ing out of a general Catholic
There we have two dangers
Church Council, like Vatican
to our faith. So what is our
II. If the document itself al-
defense? One is to go to the
lows misinterpretation by
Latin Mass. And the second is
even the best willed and best
to ignore the teaching of the
trained men, then the docu-
Second Vatican Council. You
ment itself is evil. It lacks
don’t ignore it when it teaches
something that should be
what the Church has always
there — namely clarity —
taught, but go to the primary
and that’s what we have in
sources where it is taught in
the Second Vatican Council.
better language and more au-
And that’s what Our Lady
thoritatively.
speaks about in the words of
So is it possible for the elect
the Secret which we do know,
to be deceived? Our Lord said
in Her own words:
“if it were possible.” Here
“In Portugal, the dogma of we have a very well known
the Faith will always be pre- Council attended by almost
served...” every bishop in the Catholic

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Church, but the result has erate, then we can be held
been confusion, loss of faith less culpable for that igno-
and loss of practice. We can rance or for the sins that fol-
begin to understand why the low. But it even then does not
Secret has not been released. necessarily mean we are held
The Message of Fatima tells guiltless. So it’s not a solution
us that our very foundations for us to be ignorant of the
are being undermined, and dangers to the Faith. On the
Our Lady cannot maintain other hand, I’m reminded of
silence because the Catholic the words of the Psalms that
Faith is being endangered; say “charity and truth have
therefore our salvation is be- embraced, justice and peace
ing endangered. That’s why have kissed”.
She gives us the Third Secret There are two things:
and that is why we continue there’s charity and there’s
to publish and talk about it, truth. We can be focusing on
because it’s important for our the truth and lose charity, and
salvation. we can sometimes focus on
I understand that some- charity, but not have it found-
times people find this hard to ed in truth. When St. Paul
listen to. Sometimes people tells us “to rebuke and entreat
feel that ignorance is bliss, but in all doctrine ...” he follows
it’s not the case in this matter. the word “doctrine” with
If you’re not informed, you the phrase “and patience.”
can be deceived. Charity is patient; that’s the
Badly Informed Faithful first quality. And it’s easy
Don’t Recognize Apostasy enough for those who have
put all the work into under-
Many of the faithful are
standing the doctrine to lose
so badly informed that they
patience.
don’t even recognize aposta-
So we must neither keep
sy and heresy and schism, so
ourselves in ignorance, so
they’re misled.
that we can maintain our pa-
St. Thomas Aquinas tells
tience, nor so focused on the
us that if we are ignorant, we
truth that we forget patience
can have more guilt if our ig-
and charity. So that’s why Our
norance is deliberate. We are
Lady again tells us “Only She
more guilty of our sins if we
(Our Lady of the Rosary) can
choose not to know the truth.
help you.”
If our ignorance is not delib-

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 God Chose Us to Live in statement that the secret con-
this Time cerns “the dangers threaten-
We are in very difficult wa- ing the Faith and the life of
ters. We did not choose to live the Christian and therefore
in this time; God chose us to (the life) of the world.”
live in this time. It is, never- Because the dangers to the
theless, the best of times and Faith are not recognized and
the worst of times: the best resisted, people lose their
of times because St. Teresa Faith, the salt loses its flavor.
of the Child Jesus envied us. Then Catholics get trampled
She wanted to live in our time underfoot, killed. And when
because she said there will be there’s nothing left to avert
great saints in our time. God’s anger, then the whole
We have great challenges world is chastised. And that
and we’re called upon to rise is what we are facing, be-
to the occasion. Let us thank cause the dangers to the Faith
God for Our Lady’s Message have not been recognized and
of Fatima and Her offer of many have already fallen.
help. Lucy tells us there is Let us continue to pray
greater power given to the for our own salvation, but
Rosary today than in ages remember that Our Lady
past, because of the difficul- says “many souls go to hell
ties and dangers to the faith. because they have no one to
But let us not be ignorant of pray for them and make sac-
the dangers. rifices for them.” Let us pray
and make sacrifices for sin-
Be Courageous: it is Up to
ners so that they regain their
Each One of You
faith. As long as they don’t
Our Lord says of us “You have the Faith, they can’t pray
are the salt of the earth. And and sacrifice for themselves.
if the salt loses its flavor, So how many souls are saved
what good is it then but to be depends on each one of you.
thrown out and trampled un- It’s a great mystery, Pope Pius
derfoot?” And when there’s XII tells us, that the number
no salt to season the rest of of souls saved depends on
the world, then why should how well Catholics cooperate
God not chastise the rest of with God’s grace. God Bless
the world? This brings us you. |
back to Cardinal Ratzinger’s

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