If it is our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, or some saint in heaven who appears to souls already foreseen from all eternity to be, in their turn, `angels' of the Most High _ angels in the sense of `messengers,' - it is always the Holy Ghost to Whom this activity is attributed.
There is no supernatural activity in created nature that does not have its source in the Holy Ghost. Sensing the revival of this authentic teaching of the Church, the devil has hastened to deceive many into accepting illusions for reality. This explains the sudden explosion of religious aberrations claiming to be inspired by the `Holy Ghost.' Among the most common has been the so-called `Charismatic Movement' which was ostensibly `blessed' by Paul VI and eagerly embraced by the false Polish mystic, Karl Wojtyla, alias `Pope John Paul II." There are, however, many others.
Now, whatever is of God cannot contain within it the slightest hint of error or disobedience, because God is Truth and God is Love. Whatever is done in the name of religion must necessarily conform to this eternal law if it has its origin in the Godhead.
Without a doubt, God is forced in a way to use imperfect instruments to communicate with His creatures. Nevertheless, these imperfect instruments are perfected by His grace so that the genuine message intended by Him would not be misunderstood, falsified, or otherwise corrupted by the intelligent being to whom and through whom the message is communicated.
Although God is able to choose whomsoever He wishes to be the instrument of His communications, experience shows that He does follow a particular pattern. First of all, God does not use as instruments of His communications heretics, schismatics or public sinners who have been excommunicated.
Even in the case of St. Paul who was an adamant heretic of the Babylonian sect of the Pharisees, we find this to be true.
Despite the obvious fact that Saul was a zealous and dedicated adherent to the sect of the Pharisees which he sincerely believed to be true, he first had to undergo a process of conversion and divine preparation before he became the `Apostle of the Gentiles.'
St. Augustine did not become the great Doctor of Grace while he was a degenerate follower of the Manicheans. It was necessary to first purge him of his errors and false lifestyle before the grace of God inundated him.
The Church, guided by the Holy Ghost, teaches that heretics and schismatics have the devil as their teacher. The Church addresses Satan through the mouth of the exorcist: "The unquenchable fire of hell was prepared for you and your angels: Because you are the chief of condemned murderers, you are the author of incests, you are the head of sacrileges, you are the master of the worst deeds, you are the teacher of heretics, you are the inventor of all obscenities." (Rite of exorcising those obsessed by a demon).
Is it an accident _ a coincidence _ that John Paul II is lauded as the "man of the century" because he promotes capitulation to the enemies of Christ which his supporters call "pacifism;" that he promotes religious indifference which the enemies of Christ call "respect for other religions;" that he promotes a denial of doctrine and discipline which his supporters call "willingness to admit error"?
When almost the entire world unites its forces to continually praise and exalt one man who has used the papal office to spread the errors of Modernism so acceptable to the Church's avowed enemies, it is time to awaken from the spiritual sleep, shake off the shackles of indifference and mediocrity and stand firmly for Christ or for the Antichrist. Karol Wojtyla has made his choice: and for this reason is lauded by his hidden masters of deceit as the "Man of the Century."
The patient reader may wonder at this apparent diversion from the topic of this writing. This will become clear as the reader follows the true doctrine of the Church concerning the workings of God's grace in the world. Especially is this true when various persons either claim to have messages from God or who defend those messages that are clearly from God.
Our main object here is to bring attention to the orthodox apparitions of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima.
It was at Fatima that the Blessed Virgin Mary identified herself to the three children, Francesco, Jacinta and Lucy, as the "Lady of the Rosary."
We can dispense with all the accustomed preliminaries that establish the veracity of the apparitions. This has been done admirably and confirmed by the Church.
Let us go to the very heart of the matter in order to save ourselves precious time. Also, we will not get lost in a maze of footnotes and documentation stemming from different `experts.' As far as we are concerned, the only `experts' are the children themselves and the legitimate teaching authority of the Church. Apart from these two authentic sources, all the rest are nothing more than repetitious commentary or controversial bickering.
What did the Blessed Mother say to the children? First of all, it is clear from the testimony of Sister Lucy that all the children were not witnesses to everything that occurred at the scene of the apparitions.
13 May 1917: First Apparition.
The Blessed Virgin speaks to the children:
"Do not be afraid. I will do you no harm."
"I am from heaven."
"I have come to ask you to come here for six months in succession, on the 13th day, at this same hour. Later on, I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here yet a seventh time."1
"Yes you will" _ response to Lucia's question: "Will I go to heaven, too?"
"She will go also." _ in response to Lucia's question: "And Jacinta?"
He will go there too, but he must say many more Rosaries." _ in response to Lucia's question: "And Francisco?"
To the question about two girls who had died recently, friends of Lucia's who used to come to her home to learn weaving from her eldest sister, the answer came:
"Yes, she is." _ Answer to the question whether Maria das Neves was in heaven.
"And Amelia?"
The answer: "She will be in purgatory until the end of the world."
Amelia, according to Lucia, was about 19 or 20 years of age.
"Are you willing to offer yourselves to God and bear all the sufferings He wills to send you, as an act of reparation for the sin by which He is offended, and of supplication for the conversion of sinners?"
"Then you are going to have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort."
"Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war."
13 June 1917: Second Apparition.
"I wish you to come here on the 13th of next month, to pray the Rosary every day, and to learn to read. Later, I will tell you what I want."
Concerning the cure of a sick person:
"If he is converted, he will be cured during the year."
Lucia asks that she and her two companions be taken to heaven. Our Lady answers:
"Yes. I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you are to stay here some time longer. Jesus wishes to make use of you to make me known and loved. He wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart."2
Lucia asks if she is to stay alone. The Blessed Virgin answers:
"No, my daughter. Are you suffering a great deal? Don't lose heart. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God."
13th July 1917: Third Apparition.
"I want you to come here on the 13th of next month, to continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our lady of the Rosary, in order to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war, because only she can help you."
Lucia asks the Lady to tell them who she is. The Blessed Virgin answers:
"Continue to come here every month. In October, I will tell you who I am and what I want, and I will perform a miracle for all to see and believe."
"Sacrifice yourselves for sinners, and say many times, especially whenever you make some sacrifice: O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary."
"You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light,3 know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father.
"To prevent this, I shall come to ask the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays.4 If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world. In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved; etc. …Do not tell this to anybody. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.
"When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us , save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need." 5
Lucia asks the Blessed Virgin if there is anything else required of her at this time. The Virgin Mary answers:
"No, I do not want anything more of you today."
13 August 1917: Fourth Apparition.
"I want you to continue going to the Cova da Iria on the 13th, and to continue praying the Rosary every day. In the last month, I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."
A certain sum of money had been spontaneously collected by the people and Lucia is perplexed as to what should be done with it. The Virgin Mother answers her:
"Have two litters made. One is to be carried by you and Jacinta and two other girls dressed in white; the other one is to be carried by Francisco and three other boys. The money from the litters is for the `festa' of Our Lady of the Rosary, and what is left over will help towards the construction of a chapel that is to be built here."
Lucia asks for the cure of certain people.
"Yes, I will cure some of them during the year."
"Pray, pray very much, and make sacrifices for sinners; for many souls go to hell, because there are none to sacrifice themselves and to pray for them."
13 September 1917: Fifth Apparition.
"Continue to pray the Rosary in order to obtain the end of the war. In October Our Lord will come, as well as Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Carmel. Saint Joseph will appear with the Child Jesus to bless the world. God is pleased with your sacrifices. He does not want you to sleep with the rope on, but only to wear it during the daytime."
Again a request for cures.
"Yes, I will cure some, but not others. In October I will perform a miracle so that all may believe."
13 October 1917: Sixth Apparition.
"I want to tell you that a chapel is to be built here in my honor. I am the Lady of the Rosary. Continue always to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end, and the soldiers will soon return to their homes."
Again, questions and requests for cures. We do not know what the questions were and the Blessed Virgin does not seem to address them.
"Some, yes, but not others. They must amend their lives and ask forgiveness for their sins."
"Do not offend the Lord our God any more, because He is already so much offended."
Sister Lucia then comments upon what took place after these last words of Our Lady of the Rosary:
"Then, opening her hands, she made them reflect on the sun, and as she ascended, the reflection of her own light continued to be projected on the sun itself.
"Here, Your Excellency, is the reason why I cried out to the people to look at the sun. My aim was not to call their attention to the sun, because I was not even aware of their presence. I was moved to do so under the guidance of an interior impulse.
After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands. When, a little later, this apparition disappeared, I saw Our Lord and Our Lady; it seemed to me that it was Our Lady of Dolors (Sorrows). Our Lord appeared to bless the world in the same manner as St. Joseph had done. This apparition also vanished, and I saw Our Lady once more, this time resembling Our Lady of Carmel."
Quotations are taken from "Fatima in Lucia's Own Words" _ Sister Lucia's Memoirs" Imprimatur, Fatima 13 May 1976 +Albertus, Bishop of Leiria.
In an appendix of this booklet, Sister Lucia recounts an apparition (13 June 1929). The Blessed Virgin appeared to her and said:
"The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourselves for this intention and pray."
Later, exactly when is not told, Our Lord complained to Sister Lucia:
"They did not wish to heed my request. Like the King of France, they will repent and do it, but it will be late. Russia will have already spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars, and persecutions of the Church; the Holy Father will have much to suffer."
These then, as appearing above, are the words spoken by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, to Lucia.
Very few Catholics have paid any attention to these requests of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Very few pray the Rosary daily according to the requests of the Blessed Virgin. Wars have come and wars have gone; we are still in a state of war in many places of the globe; some declared; others undeclared. What difference does it really make? Death and destruction are the fruit of one and the other. Violence is a universal social event. Paganism and Satanism reign side by side with `mainstream' heretical sects; Communism _ according to official statements _ has been destroyed, while people with common sense worldwide know that this is nothing but a cruel and ugly lie. Communism has changed its name to `Democracy' because it has reached that universal power foretold by the Blessed Virgin.
There is a confusion deliberately spread concerning the identification of the `Holy Father' to which allusion is frequently made. It is clear that the Popes who reigned during the wars were Pope Pius XI and Pope Pius XII. These Holy Fathers suffered greatly during their lives. Even though they are beyond the range of the slings and arrows that would inflict more suffering upon them, their holy memories are tainted by the authors of all the evil that the sins of mankind have unleashed.
There are those who lament that Pope Pius XII did not reveal the third part of the secret of Fatima. They lament that near the end of his pontificate, a dreadful silence seems to have descended upon the message of Fatima.
Who knows the real reasons for this silence and apparent failure of Pope Pius XII, the last legitimate Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, to sink into silence on this subject?
Remember that Pope Pius XII was carrying on an immense struggle within the Vatican against heretical Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops. He was carefully isolated by many of the means of reaching the people. With hindsight, we can easily surmise what machinations took place in the Vatican itself by the determined forces of evil to destroy the Church from within.
We should not be hasty to condemn Pope Pius XII who, together with those legitimate Popes proceeding who were the true great men of this century.
The full secret of Fatima was to be revealed no later than 1960. We all awaited this moment with great anticipation. One might say, we all held our breath; we did not dare to speculate on the contents of that secret.
Why was it not revealed? Pope Pius XII died in 1958. The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in 1846 at La Salette, France warned the world of what would take place in the future as the logical consequence of the evils growing in intensity and extension daily.
Pope Leo XIII, after a vision of the future in which he saw the frightful condition of the Church, composed a prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.
In that prayer, Pope Leo XIII mentions the infiltration of the enemies of the Church into the highest position of the Church, namely, the papacy. Subsequently, under pretext of abbreviating the prayer because of its length, this portion of the prayer was suppressed.
The same is true of the attempt to suppress the already recognized apparitions of the Blessed Mother at La Salette. If you were to read the history of the apparitions at La Salette, you will not find in most books that frightful prediction that Rome would lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist. You will find it in a little, almost unknown, pamphlet. This sad cowardice only proves that certain `historians' take liberties even with God. This pamphlet is still available through The Seraph.
People who have read that portion of the Fatima message which has not been made public merely talk around its contents.
Nothing can be more absurd than the suggestion that the reason for not making the third portion of the secret known to the world is to avoid frightening the faithful. What could be more frightening than what we already know from the Scriptures concerning the end of the world?
The secret is no longer a secret to those informed Catholics who, judging all things in the light of their supernatural faith, and comparing the "New Pentecost" to the "Old Pentecost of nineteen centuries of Catholicism, find that there is an insurmountable gulf between the two. They need no special revelation to conclude that the Chair of Peter has been occupied by precursors of the Antichrist ever since the death of Pope Pius XII.
Only those who refuse to accept the conclusions of the tragic apostasy keep muttering about Fatima and the third secret. They keep pretending to a hypocritical loyalty to a "Holy Father" whom they know is nothing of the sort. Their lip-service is nothing more than window-dressing to avoid isolating the masses of superficial Catholics whose knowledge as well as their practice of the faith is extremely superficial.
These types have no concern for the doctrines of the Church other than promoting themselves in the name of devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.
Some even go so far as to proclaim themselves some kind of `official' center of `Fatimaism' which they have elevated far above everything else the Church teaches with supernatural authority. Belief in every private apparition -_and this means Fatima, too _ is permitted by the Church after the Church has made a serious investigation of the matter. The Church does not elevate the content of private apparitions to the level of doctrine to be believed with the same supernatural faith as truths revealed through public revelation.
Upon close examination, it can be shown that almost every one of those individuals or groups of individuals who promote such fervent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, pay little or no heed to dogmas and discipline of the Church.
And this is the foundation for suspecting all those Fatima-promoters: They are in flagrant opposition and disobedience to that Church authority which they publicly claim to respect, honor and obey.
It is a mystery how these people can give themselves all kinds of pious titles _ prefixes and suffixes _ and usurp the teaching authority of Bishops and still have us believe that they are serving God, Christ, the Blessed Mother and the Church.
Let us consider some of the individuals involved in promoting the message of Fatima. They speak only half-truths. And half-truths are more dangerous than outright falsehoods. We would have them speak the full truth and bravely accept the consequences.
So much is propagandized of the author's dealing with the Fatima apparitions than with the consequences of the messages themselves.
A "Brother Michael of the Blessed Trinity" has authored several volumes on the Fatima apparitions. But, has anyone taken the trouble to inquire as to who this "Brother Michael of the Blessed Trinity" is? What are his credentials as a Roman Catholic?
"Brother Michael of the Blessed Trinity" is a gifted young man, without a doubt. But, we all know that being gifted is not the criterion for orthodoxy. There are many gifted individuals who have started their own sects. Is "Brother Michael" one of these?
Consider the following: This young man belongs to an organization founded by Rev. George de Nantes of France. Rev. de Nantes has written much on the problems that have hit the Church like an earthquake. But, there is something peculiar about Rev. de Nantes: He has accused the occupants of the Chair of Peter of heresy, schism and scandal. He has printed his accusations far and wide, has collected a sizeable number of disciples who willingly support his ideas and his lifestyle.
He fails, however, very badly in his logic. He paints himself as some kind of dedicated martyr, while boldly and blindly lashing out at those whom he nevertheless considers legitimate occupants of the Chair of Peter.
Rev. de Nantes forgets the elementary principles of sound philosophy, such as the metaphysical Principle of Identity, which states that `Whatever a thing is, it is.' This principle expresses the self-evident truth that a `being, whatever it is, is identical with itself.'
Then, there is the Principle of Contradiction which states that `A thing cannot be something and yet not be it at the same time under the same respect.'
Then, there is the Principle of Excluded Middle which states: `A thing either is or is not'; `Everything must either be or not be'; `Any attribute must be either affirmed or denied of any given subject'; `Two contradictories cannot be false together'; `One of two contradictories must be true'.
Therefore, on the simple basis of right thinking, Rev. Georges de Nantes ought to examine his premises and their conclusions.
Rev. Georges de Nantes was suspended from his priestly functions by his local Bishop. He was the parish priest of a country parish in the Diocese of Troyes. But, according to his own words: "…suspended by the Bishop of Troyes since the 25th August 1966, I have been deprived of the right to celebrate Mass or to preach, in the diocese where I live."
According to that statement, Rev. de Nantes has not offered the Sacrifice of the Mass for thirty-one years! This means that he has deprived himself of the supernatural graces flowing from the Sacrifice and the Sacrament for all these years. It also means that the young men whom he has gathered around himself in his extra-canonical community of "The Little Brothers of the Sacred Heart" have not received the Sacraments for all the time they have been associating with Rev. de Nantes. May we assume that this is the same case with all the other men, women and children associated with Rev. Georges de Nantes?
This is indeed a very strange and peculiar sense of obedience! Or, is it? It would appear that Rev. de Nantes has not read the Quo primum which he could readily find in the front of any Latin altar missal. Suspension is a punishment for some kind of wrong. What did he do to deserve such a radical punishment that has deprived him of the Sacraments for himself and for others during a period of thirty-one years _ and how much longer?
Rev. George de Nantes prepared and presented (?) to Pope Paul VI a book with the most unusual title: "A Book of Accusation _ To Our Holy Father Pope Paul VI by the Grace of God and the Law of the Church Sovereign Judge of All Christ's Faithful We Present a Complaint against Our Brother in the Faith, Pope Paul VI on Account of Heresy, Schism, and Scandal."
That is quite a title! The only people who read this book of complaints were his followers and others who wondered what this man is all about. Having failed to receive any recognition for this first attempt, Rev. Georges de Nantes produced a similar book addressed this time to Karol Wojtyla. The title repeats the same accusations against John Paul II as in the first book against Paul VI. There is a slight difference between the frontispiece in these two books. In the first one, as noted above, Rev. de Nantes refers to "Our Holy Father Pope Paul VI" and again addresses his complaint against "Our Brother in the Faith, Pope Paul VI." But, in the second book of accusation, Rev. de Nantes first addresses the recipient of his complaint as "Our Holy Father Pope John-Paul II" and then says "Against Our Brother in the Faith, Karol Wojtyla."
One wonders at this because these two individuals are both addressed as `Pope' in the beginning, and then only one is referred to as `Our Brother in the Faith Pope Paul VI" while the other one is referred to as "Our Brother in the Faith, Karol Wojtyla.
We also note that while in the first BOOK OF ACCUSATION the author of that book, Rev. de Nantes, is only `complaining,' in his reference to that first book he is more firm in his judgment: "In the same way and for the same serious reasons which made me decide to produce a BOOK OF ACCUSATION against Pope Paul VI for heresy, schism and scandal ten years ago, and to take it to him myself in the company of many and worthy persons on 10th April 1973 _ a book from which I retract nothing today and which I make it my duty to present to you officially as an eternal witness to the faith of the people of God against the heresies, schisms and scandals of that fatal pontificate _ so I am led to formulate the same accusations against Your Person _ accusations hitherto unheard of in the Roman Church despite my unworthiness and nothingness, for even more serious reasons and in still worse circumstances. Though this SECOND BOOK OF ACCUSATION may appear to be a repetition of the first, which is understandable given the fact that you declare yourself to be the spiritual son and continuator of Paul VI, adopting and continuing what I imputed to him as heresy, schism and scandal, it is in fact more grave than the first accusation. For what in Paul VI were daring hypotheses, spectacular innovations, empty words, in a word heteropraxy, with you is a reinforced block of philosophical theses, projects and desires strictly defining a categorical heterodoxy."
Rev. de Nantes drops a bomb on Karol Wojtyla: "It must be said to your face, Most Holy Father, that your religion is no longer that of the Roman Catholic Church, Christ's unique Church, whose Head you are. Your religion is the religion of man who makes himself god and not the religion of God, the Son of God, Who made Himself man. For the one excludes the other."
Hopefully, this small excerpt from the Rev. de Nantes writings will be enough to show the glaring contradictions and inconsistencies of this man who allegedly is loyal to the Roman Catholic Church.
He has addressed "Pope Paul VI" as the "Sovereign Judge of all Christ's faithful." He has addressed "Pope John-Paul II" as the "Sovereign Judge of all Christ's people." He precedes this judgment with another one: He states that John-Paul II is "Our Holy Father" by the grace of God and the law of the Church! Yet, on the very first page of his Book of Accusation, he clearly identifies Karol Wojtyla as a heretic!
Dear reader, please bear with me as we both struggle through this maze of amazing contradictions.
Either Karol Wojtyla is a usurper of the papal throne, or he is a legitimately elected Pope. The terms exclude each other: Either ~ or. He cannot be both at the same time. But, Rev. de Nantes is clearly combining that which cannot be combined: He is saying that God has chosen a heretic to be Head of the Church; he is saying that the Law of the Church sanctions heretics as Heads of the Church. That this can be the only conclusion is shown by Rev. de Nantes' statement: "By the grace of God and the Law of the Church." Karol Wojtyla is, according to Rev. de Nantes, the `Holy Father' _ more than that, Karol Wojtyla is Rev. Georges de Nantes' `Holy Father' because he says in the boldest of print "OUR Holy Father".
But how, we ask, can the same man whom Rev. de Nantes declares to hold a different religion from that of the Roman Catholic religion be the Head of the Roman Catholic Church?
What `law' is Rev. de Nantes invoking in order to justify his categorical judgment? Is there a Law of the Church known only to Rev. de Nantes who claims to have spent his many years of priesthood studying theology? If he speaks of theology by stating that heretics can become `Holy Fathers' and this by the grace of God, then perhaps we are wrong for insisting that Rev. de Nantes show us that law of the Church whereby a heretic can be legitimately elected as visible Head of the Roman Catholic Church.
We are not familiar with such a law either of grace or of canon. We are familiar, on the other hand, of such laws of the Church that declare a heretic to have resigned any office he may be holding in the Church and this because he is a heretic (Canon 188); we are also aware of the law of the Church which excommunicates heretics: "All apostates from the Christian faith and all heretics and schismatics: (1) are ipso facto excommunicated; (2) if after due warning they fail to amend, they are to be deprived of any benefice, dignity, pension, office, or other position which they may have in the Church, they are to be declared infamous, and clerics after a repetition of the warning are to be deposed." (Canon 2314).
These are the laws of the Church with which we are familiar and judge to be applicable to John Baptist Montini and Karol Wojtyla. We are further excused by the law of the Church from having to await any kind of declaration.
It would seem that Rev.Georges de Nantes has become a law unto himself. He speaks of some kind of `law' that permits a heretic to be a Pope; he speaks of some kind of theology that would have God choose a heretic to be the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth.
He speaks of heretics as being `brothers in the faith' and yet he is not accepted by these `brothers in the faith.' Because Rev. de Nantes and his followers makes appeal to the `law of the Church,' we consider it of great importance to inquire as to who has given Rev. de Nantes the authorization to found a Religious community within the Roman Catholic Church? We assume that his assurance that he is Roman Catholic would include the obligation to recognize legitimate authority higher than himself. Yet, this is not evident from any of his writings.
What value, then, can be placed on the theological works of Rev. Georges de Nantes and that of his disciple, "Brother Michael of the Blessed Trinity"? Even though 99% of what men like Brother Michael research and print may be true and correct, we stand awestruck that he would not have just as much solicitude for his own standing in the Roman Catholic Church. By publishing religious works without approbation of a current Bishop, Brother Michael places himself in the same position of disobedience as Mr. Nicholas Gruner who copiously employs the labors of Brother Michael.
Now, it is expected that Mr. Nicholas Gruner would become disturbed at the knowledge that his ordination to the priesthood is invalid because like Anglicans, he has been ordained in the Modernist Church according to the Ritual of the Modernist Church.
And just as the Anglicans whose ordinations were declared null and void by legitimate Popes of the Church, so too, the ordination of men like Nicholas Gruner are null and void.
It is clear from the ceremony of his `ordination' that Nicholas Gruner is of the apostate Church. Attempting to hide the fact that Nicholas Gruner was being ordained before the Protestant table by obscuring the once main altar in the background with shrubery only adds to the suspicion of deliberate deceit. Having changed the ritual of ordination as did the Anglicans, all that can be said is that Nicholas Gruner might be an Anglican `priest' in the sense that Buddhists also have priests.
When the Blessed Virgin asked for the consecration of Russia by the Pope and all the Bishops united to him, she could not have meant an Anti-pope surrounded by traitorous Anglican-style `bishops'. If we poor humans with our limited intelligence can figure these things out, do we honestly believe that God and the Blessed Virgin Mary are doomed to be ignorant dupes of the Antichrist?
The consecration of Russia cannot be made because the Chair of Peter is vacant. It is occupied by a usurper. Whether there will ever be another valid and legitimate Pope before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ remains to be seen.
We may be assured that Satan and his human agents will not remain idle, but will do all in their power to frustrate any intelligent and legitimate election of a true Pope and true Bishops. It would seem that the better part of wisdom is not to make rash judgments nor to make generalizations. Presently, this is the greatest area of activity on the part of those who style themselves "traditionalist".
Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and fidelity to her requests at Fatima are only a part of being a true Roman Catholic. There can be no such thing as `faithful schism' nor `schismatic faith'. There can be no such thing as the absurd invention of a "material pope" as opposed to a "formal pope." Such nonsense thinly disguises nothing more than the distance folly will betake itself to hide its fear.
We have taken the time and the pains to inform our valued readers as to the content and implications of the apparitions of our Blessed Mother at Fatima. We have attempted to show that devotion to the Blessed Virgin cannot go any other way than loyalty and obedience to legitimate authority in the Church. Since the obvious heretics have no authority even though they occupy our buildings, it is essential to remain in the true Faith to unite oneself with that true authority that yet remains in the Church.
1 This `seventh time' refers to the 16th of June, 1921, on the eve of Lucia's departure to Vilar de Oporto. The Apparition in question had a personal message for Lucia, which she did not consider necessary to relate here.
2 Because she was in a hurry, Lucia omitted the end of the paragraph which, in other documents, reads as follows: "I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and those souls will be loved by God like flowers placed by me to adorn His throne."
3 This was the aurora borealis on the nigh of January 25 to 26, 1938, which was unusual, and always regarded by Lucia as the God-given sign which had been promised.
4 On 10 December 1925, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Lucia. She said: "Have compassion on the Heart of your most holy Mother, covered with thorns, with which the ungrateful men pierce it at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them."
"Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me."
5 This short prayer is the subject of some controversy which will be taken up later. It has already been dealt with in a previous article in The Seraph.
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