F THE ATIMA CRUSADER ISSUE 104 WINTER See Photo Caption on Back Cover.

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1 F THE ATIMA CRUSADER ISSUE 104 WINTER 2013 See Photo Caption on Back Cover

2 Father Gruner speaks to the European Union Parliament About the Message of Fatima for World Peace On Tuesday, October 23, Father Nicholas Gruner and Christopher Ferrara, accompanied by participants of the Rosary Procession and a statue of the Virgin Mary, were welcomed into the European Union Parliament at Strasbourg, France to explain the motion put forward for the Consecration of Russia and subsequent world peace. The Fatima Center s presentation was sponsored by Members of the European Parliament Mario Borghezio and Lorenzo Fontana. Following are the addresses to the European Union Parliament. At the end of the addresses, questions were posed by Members of Parliament and by the Press. Mr. Borghezio: Iwould like to thank you all for your presence. We re starting the long awaited Press Conference on the Message of Fatima and on the reasons for this resolution of ours a copy of which will be given to all of you which has been signed by my colleague, Mr. Fontana, and by myself, and to which various other colleagues have given their approval. [See the Motion on page 19 of this issue.] I would like to thank also the Vice President of the European Commission, Mr. Tajani, who asked me this morning to convey his greetings to you. I will now give the floor to my colleague, Mr. Fontana, who signed this written declaration along with me. I would like to underline the importance of this initiative, which ideally goes back to the symbol of the European Union flag, those 12 stars which are usually forgotten but are also a Marian traditional image and have a very important spiritual and meta-political significance for those (like us) who have at heart the Christian roots of Europe. Today, this initiative is particularly significant in the light of the Message of Fatima, which will be better explained by the two illustrious speakers we have here today. I will now give the floor to my colleague, Mr. Fontana. 2 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

3 From left, Members of European Parliament Lorenzo Fontana and Mario Borghezio, who sponsored Father Gruner s motion to the European Parliament assembly for the Consecration of Russia; Father Gruner speaking and Christopher Ferrara, who also addressed the Parliament regarding the current dangers their countries are in and that Fatima is the ONLY solution. Vera Cecillon, one of our Paris volunteers, holds the statue of Jesus and Mary. Mr. Fontana: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Mr. Borghezio for involving me in this initiative. I believe that the Message of Fatima is one of the most important messages for all mankind. It is not by chance if all the last Popes were all strong devotees of Our Lady of Fatima! What we re trying to achieve today is a very positive way to promote world peace, because the current crisis is linked to the crisis of morality in Europe (because let s admit it Europe is affected by a widespread atheism and immorality), and is also partially due to the current crisis of the Church, which has been so evident in the last years. I will now give the floor to our two Fatima experts, who I would like to thank for being with us today. By the way, I ve been in Fatima myself and I m particularly devoted to Our Lady of Fatima. Mr. Borghezio: I would like to welcome an Italian member of the House of Parliament, Mr. Polledri of Piacenza, who authoritatively represents all the Catholics of our political movement, Lega Nord. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Father Gruner who as you all know is the founder of the Association Madonna di Fatima Onlus (Association of Our Lady of Fatima). Thank you, Father Gruner, for the honor of The Fatima Crusader Winter

4 your presence here today with us. Father Nicholas Gruner: I will let Chris Ferrara speak first, since he has written several books on the Message of Fatima. I will speak after Mr. Ferrara. Christopher Ferrara: My name is Christopher Ferrara. I m a Civil Attorney in the United States in the field of Religious Liberty and I m here today to support this initiative for a motion before the EU Parliament, expressing what I hope will be the sentiment of this governing body that it would be a wise and prudent decision to ask the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Why do I, as a Civil Attorney from the United States, come before this body to make such an unusual request? Of what possible concern could the Message of Fatima be to the European Parliament? Well, Our Lady appeared at Fatima in 1917 to explain precisely why Her apparitions were of importance, not only to the Church, but to the world. She came to ask in particular for the Consecration of Russia so that there would be peace in the world. And why in the year 1917? If you take history as a film and reverse it to the year 1917, you will see what Our Lady was talking about when She said that the errors of Russia would spread throughout the world, unless Her requests at Fatima were granted in particular, Her request for the Consecration of Russia. The prophecy of Fatima is of consequence to the European Union because it was confirmed in a way that anyone with any prudence can see that it verifies the authenticity of the Message. In fact, She said to the three seers of Fatima that She would come to perform a miracle on October 13, 1917 so that everyone, even non-believers, would be able to place credence in the prophecies that She made during the apparitions, including the Message She gave on July 13, 1917, the great Secret of Fatima, which is in three parts. In the first two parts of the great Secret, the authenticity was confirmed by the Miracle of the Sun on October 13, She prophesied precisely the following events: 1. The coming end of World War I; 2. The beginning of World War II. 3. The spread of the errors 4 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

5 of Communism throughout the world. 4. The raising up of wars and persecutions against the Church. 5. The suffering of the faithful and the Holy Father. Ultimately, She said that if Her requests for the Consecration of Russia and other things She requested were not granted then there would take place the annihilation of nations. And these prophecies would come to pass, one after the other, with complete accuracy. And, as I say, the prophetic content of the Message was confirmed by a miracle and witnessed by 70,000 people in Portugal on October 13, The sun left its place in the sky, plunged toward the crowd of 70,000 people, many of whom converted on the spot, in terror at this spectacle. The event was witnessed 20 miles distant from the Cova da Iria where the event took place. People who were not even expecting the event witnessed it. People who did not believe atheists, skeptics who had come to mock the Apparitions, saw the Miracle of the Sun. The New York Times reported this miracle. There was even a Hollywood movie dedicated to the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima which is being sold to this day on Amazon.com. This is recognized as an authentic historical event by secular historians. Our Lady provided this miracle to authenticate Her prophecy which calls for the Consecration of Russia, and specifically Russia, to Her Immaculate Heart so that the events which came out of Russia, the errors that have spread from Russia, will be rolled back in a most miraculous fashion. And we are here today to ask that this body consider endorsing the motion to petition the Pope whose obligation it is to perform the ceremony together with all the Catholic bishops of the world to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The Message of Fatima is not just some private apparition. We have not only the Miracle of the Sun, but the approval of one Pope after another, who have attested to the authenticity of this message. And what will happen if the Consecration of Russia is not accomplished? Well, if the errors of Russia that have spread throughout the world since 1917 can be summed up The Fatima Crusader Winter

6 as the abandonment of God and His love; if, as John Paul II said in his apostolic exhortation in 2003, Ecclesia in Europa Europe now suffers from a silent apostasy then the miraculous result which will follow from this consecration will be a reversal of that situation. As Pope Benedict XVI said in his Advent address to the Roman Curia in 2010 by the way, this is not me speaking, this is not some crazy group of traditionalist Catholics speaking, this is what the Pope, himself, said in 2010: The very fate of the world is at stake, moral consensus is collapsing, our institutions are collapsing. We face an economic, moral, social and familiar crisis. Everyone can see this not just Catholics and it was Our Lady Who said that if Her requests were granted, if Russia was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart, it would be a triumph for Her Immaculate Heart. As Antonio Socci, the great Italian writer and intellectual, has put it: There would be a radical transformation for the overthrow of the mentality which has dominated the modern world and has produced this state of silent apostasy that Pope John Paul II lamented not long before his death. So we come here today to ask this Parliament, as a matter of prudence, whether you believe or not, to call upon the Pope and the bishops to conduct this Consecration of Russia, which would be a ceremony of public dedication of the nation of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary involving perhaps 5 minutes of the Pope s time and the time of the bishops who would participate with him in this ceremony. We have a miracle confirming the authenticity the Miracle of the Sun. We have a prophecy that came true to the letter in a most miraculous way, after Our Lady appeared at Fatima. Even if you are a non-believer, simple proofs could indicate that there is nothing to lose from attempting this gesture. So we call upon the European Parliament to declare its conviction that the Pope and the bishops in obedience to the requests of the Madonna of Fatima for the salvation of Europe and the Western world which is on the brink of an apocalypse perform this ceremony and that the European Parliament should 6 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

7 Some of the beautiful stained glass windows and the pipe organ in the gothic Cathedral of Strasbourg. 2. Father Gruner giving Holy Communion during his Traditional Mass at the Strasbourg Cathedral. 3. Three Members of the EU Parliament (MEP) and their assistants, together with Father Gruner and Christopher Ferrara in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral, before starting the Rosary procession to the Parliament building. 4. MEP Mario Borghezio, Father Gruner with the statue of the Virgin Mary and MEP Elisabetta Gardini. 5. (From left) MEP Lorenzo Fontana and MEP Mario Borghezio introducing Father Gruner and Christopher Ferrara to the Parliamentary Meeting. Note the EU flag with 12 stars (see page 61 about the flag.) 6. Dr. Bastori (left); Italian Parliament Deputy Massimo Polledri; and MEP Mario Borghezio alongside the posters advertising the arrival of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue to the Parliament assembly. indicate its strong request that the Consecration of Russia should be done. Thank you. Father Nicholas Gruner: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming and thank you for your attention. I have been promoting this Message of Our Lady of Fatima for 35 years now, and it is a very simple message. I spent before that 12 years in university and I understand that intellectuals find it difficult to realize that sometimes these things which are so simple are in fact true. The Fatima Crusader Winter

8 I have often wondered and asked Our Lady why She doesn t find somebody else other than me to do this work. There are 409,000 Catholic priests but I am the only Catholic priest in the world, as far as I know, who promotes the Fatima Message full-time. I suspect it s because God wishes to use the weak of this world in order to confound the strong, in order to show forth the strength of God. This will be Our Lady s victory, not Father Gruner s. It is about Her request for the Consecration of Russia. St. Augustine tells us that God, in His goodness and His greatness, has great charity towards each one of us and wants to give us great things. However, because we are sinners, He finds it difficult to give it to us because we will become proud. And so, St. Augustine tells us that God has a dilemma. How is He going to give us these great gifts when we don t deserve them and we re going to become proud because we received them? And St. Augustine tells us in The City of God book which indicates how the city of man is to be built according to the city of God that God has found a way to give us these gifts and that way is through the merits and the intercession of the saints. Thus God will give these gifts only through the merits and the intercession of the saints. Now, to have some idea of how great a saint the Blessed Virgin is, St. Alphonsus Liguori tells us that it is a great thing for a person to live a good enough life to be able to save his own soul he says that is what just men do but, he says, it is a greater thing for someone to live so well that they have enough merits to be able to save other souls besides themselves. And that, he says, the canonized saints have done. Then he says, the greatest of all things is for someone to have lived so well as to have merited enough to save all souls and that human person to achieve this greatness is only the Blessed Virgin Mary. God wants to establish in the world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and He will not give us these graces of world peace that we do not deserve, He will not give us the grace of prosperity that is going to elude us very soon, if we don t turn to God for help, except and only through the Blessed Virgin. 8 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

9 God wants Her to get the credit for it. That is why, when Sister Lucy asked Our Lord in 1936, why He would not convert Russia, why He would not bring about peace, except for the consecration, Our Lord said: Because I want My whole Church to recognize that consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that My Church will place devotion to the Immaculate Heart beside devotion to My Sacred Heart. And so people have tried many ways Popes, bishops, diplomats; all sorts of ways have been tried anything else but the one indicated by Our Lady of Fatima. The present Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has already sent a delegation to Moscow to ask them if they would mind if the Pope would do this consecration. Unfortunately, the emissary they sent did not understand the Message well enough. It is not a criticism of Russia, this consecration; it is a blessing for Russia and a blessing for the world. Why would not a consecration of the world be sufficient? Because, as Sister Lucy of Fatima has explained, Russia is a well defined territory. So when the consecration of that specific country is accomplished and the people see the change in Russia, they will recognize it relates exactly to the Pope and the bishops act of consecration. And therefore they will recognize it as being a triumph of the Immaculate Heart. So that is why a general consecration is not sufficient. In fact, Pope Pius XII, in 1942, consecrated the world on October 31 and again on December 8. Our Lord told Lucy that for that consecration, He would shorten the days of the Second World War as He referred to it, He would shorten the days of the present distress. And in 1943, on Ash Wednesday, Our Lord again spoke to Lucy and said that God was pleased with the consecration of the world but that peace would not come from that, but only from the Consecration of Russia. In 1952 Our Lady spoke to Sister Lucy of Fatima again and said: Tell the Holy Father I am still awaiting the Consecration of Russia; without that consecration, the world cannot have peace; without that consecration, Russia cannot convert. How that is, we have written books; I would like to have The Fatima Crusader Winter

10 brought these books for the Press or for the Members of Parliament. I m happy to give them to you in various languages. Obviously, in a few minutes it s hard to explain all these things as well as 35 years of research on the subject. But I would like simply to say that the consecration is not against Russia but rather it is a gift of grace that will affect the whole world. In 1931, in August, Lucy was praying in the chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe, asking for the conversion of Spain, of Portugal, of Europe, of Russia and of the whole world. And so Our Lord spoke to her and said: I m very pleased with your prayer, ask this also of My Mother. He then dictated two prayers. The first prayer He dictated was: Sweet Heart of Mary, be the salvation of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world. The second prayer He dictated was: By Thy pure and Immaculate Conception, O Mary, obtain for me the conversion of Russia, Spain, Portugal, Europe and the whole world. God knows the whole world needs conversion, not just Russia. So it s not against Russia; but nevertheless, as Lucy has explained, in God s providence, man proposes and God disposes. God has His own plans for the nations of the world; each one plays its own role. In the case of Russia, Lucy tells us: Many times, the Blessed Virgin Mary told me and my cousins Jacinta and Francisco that Russia is the instrument of chastisement chosen by Heaven to punish the whole world (for its sins) unless we obtain beforehand the conversion of that poor nation. Unless we obtain the conversion of Russia, Russia will dominate the whole world. Russia will enslave the whole world unless we have this consecration. On the other hand, Russia will be an instrument of blessing for the whole world if it is consecrated. By becoming blessed, becoming consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, it becomes an instrument in Her hands to bring peace to the whole world. There is no third alternative to this request. Many people know about Fatima; they know that She appeared to three children; She asked for the prayers of the 10 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

11 Rosary. That is true, but there is much more to Fatima than just the prayer of the Rosary. There is much more to Fatima than just the exhortation to be good. That is also true. But what is also important for us is that there is a prophecy and requests. And the prophecy is that if these requests are granted, Russia will be converted and the whole world will be at peace. Now these prophecies that are talked about by Our Lady are not just talked about in the Message of Fatima. They are talked about in Sacred Scripture. We are told in the book of Isaiah, for example, that they will turn their swords into ploughshares. That is, the instruments of war, whether they be a sword or a gun or a missile or an atomic bomb or whatever it is; these things which we spend over a trillion dollars a year on. One trillion dollars a year is being spent on armaments not only in Europe but all around the world, including the so-called Third World countries. This will all change with the simple act and prayer of only 5 minutes. The Consecration of Russia is an event that will change the course of history and that historians, looking back centuries from now, will note that the moment when this changed was the moment of the Consecration of Russia. But unless the Consecration of Russia is done, we will see a war like mankind has never seen before the part of the Third Secret that has not been revealed to you talks about this as well. The Third Secret of Fatima is still being hidden by the Vatican. That is another subject which we do not have time for here; I can answer any questions on that, but very simply, these things are spelled out quite explicitly. Today is the Feast of Saint Anthony Mary Claret, who founded the Congregation for the Claretian Fathers. One of his spiritual sons is Father Alonso, the greatest expert on Fatima. He has written 24 volumes with more than 5700 documents on Fatima. These volumes, to this day, are still hidden by the Vatican and by the Bishop of Fatima. If we have everything, why are they not giving this to us? It is because the Message of Fatima is, in turn, an event that is of worldwide importance, the most important event of the 20th Century, authenticated by the most stupendous miracles ever seen. Yet, most people don t The Fatima Crusader Winter

12 give enough attention to this because they don t even know the request for the consecration or the consequences of not listening to it. I would like then to say that it is a special grace that God wants to give to us, but He will give it only through the consecration. All of us have family, all of us have friends people who are suffering from drugs or someone who is in prison, others who are fighting at home this peace is promised to the whole world, including our families, our friends, our communities, as well as within our cities and our countries. As Christopher Ferrara has previously pointed out, the Pope said on December 22, 2010 that the forces of security are such that because of the loss of moral values they will not be able to resist the violence and the complete social turmoil that is about to erupt upon the world. He compared our present day to the time in history when the Roman Empire fell apart and then bands of marauders and various vandals, and so forth, destroyed all that was in civilization. We went into the Dark Ages after that. This is the time that we are faced with now unless we have the consecration. It s the same thing today we ve given conferences on Fatima and we have had economists speak to us saying that the financial situation today is the same as it was before World War I. And the only (human) way out of the financial situation is to have war. We see that the American dollar, for example, is about to lose its status as the world s currency and there are Americans telling us that war is the only way they can stop themselves from losing their dominance. This is what the attack on Iran is all about. What we need to see is that only God can deliver us from this and God will not deliver us except though this Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And so we need to recognize the moment we are at. Our Lord wept for Jerusalem because He saw that they did not recognize the moment that they were at. These things I can explain at any great length or short length that you need, but I understand we only have a few minutes so I would like to point out then that the consecration despite that the Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, says that it has been done it has not been done. 12 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

13 Our Mother of Perpetual Help In this Image of the Blessed Mother, She is seen holding Jesus protectively and consoling Him. God sent His Mother to Fatima with a Message of consolation and hope for mankind IF the Pope and the bishops obeyed Her command to consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. If the consecration of the world done in 1984 was the consecration that Our Lady asked for, then 30 years later we should have peace. We are no closer to peace than we were in In fact, we are further away. If we consider the war against the unborn, for example, it waged the death of over one billion babies worldwide. The greatest amount of casualties the world has ever seen is the war against the unborn and this war continues, as do the wars in the Middle East. And they are talking about them escalating into one great war it is something that could happen at any time. There is only one solution. It is not just my opinion; it is what the Message of Fatima says. It s unequivocal and there is no other way around it. And so I urge the Members of Parliament and I urge the members of the Press to bring this motion or declaration of the Parliament to the Pope because he wants to do this but he has many pressures against him not to do the consecration. He needs public support for doing the Consecration of Russia in time, before it s too late for all of us. If there are any questions here from the Press we will be happy to take them. Christopher Ferrara: I would like to add a comment. I think it is appropriate that we come here before a political body to seek a declaration regarding the Consecration of Russia because there has been, within the Catholic Church, a political struggle by forces within the Vatican apparatus who have done everything in their power to prevent the The Fatima Crusader Winter

14 explicit Consecration of Russia by name. There have been revelations by high-ranking Cardinals that Pope John Paul II was persuaded by his advisors for political, ecumenical and diplomatic reasons to abandon any explicit Consecration of Russia because it was imagined that mentioning Russia by name in the ceremony would be a provocation of the Soviet leaders. As if the Virgin Mary, Who is known to Catholics as the Virgin Most Prudent, was somehow less prudent than Vatican diplomats. And so we come here before this political body with a request to essentially help us break through the political log jam as we say in America taking place right now in the Vatican between those who are trying to prevent the Consecration of Russia by name and those who have attempted to obtain it for more than 80 years, especially during the pontificate of John Paul II and this present pontificate. The Pope has indicated recently, in response to a publicity campaign in Italy and specifically targeting Rome, the necessity of perhaps revisiting the issue of the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart. In the meantime, in response to Father Gruner s campaign, he explicitly consecrated the nation of Italy to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the midst of an economic and social crisis that has many Italians worried. And the reason the Pope responded by his public consecration of Italy to the Immaculate Heart was that because of our publicity campaign, the Vatican was besieged with comments from the Italian public, many of whom are not even believers, for a consecration of Italy. So this is also a matter of simple prudence on the part of people who may not have religious faith but who at this point during a social, economic and moral crisis in Europe are willing to try anything. That s the reason we are here today. Whether or not you believe in the Catholic Faith, whether or not you believe in this particular Marian apparition which again, has been confirmed by a miracle and the absolute accuracy of its prophecies ask yourself: What has Europe, what has the Western world got to lose by asking the Pope to perform this ceremony together with the world s Catholic bishops, which would require only 5 minutes of their time that could change world history? 14 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

15 Mr. Borghezio: I would like to stress once again the importance of this initiative, which is of the highest level. Father Gruner is the most famous expert on the Message of Our Lady of Fatima, but I would like also to remember the importance of the other speaker [Christopher Ferrara], who perhaps by virtue of his humility did not say that he is also President of the American Catholic Lawyers Association! They are therefore two very important speakers! Speaking of important persons, I would like to thank and welcome other Members of the European Parliament who have just reached us: Elisabetta Gardini, Mr. Silvestri (who was the first one to sign our initiative) and Mr. Morgagni. If the journalists want to ask their questions Journalist (from ANSA): I would like to ask you, what do you expect from this written declaration and how many signatures you hope to obtain? Mr. Borghezio: I would like you to ask your questions directly to the two experts, so I think this question of yours should be answered by them. Father Nicholas Gruner: I hope that all 700+ members of Parliament would sign this declaration, but any signatures would be an advantage to no declaration whatsoever. I have heard that we already have at least a dozen, I don t know the exact count, but with the point being that the message is becoming political when it shouldn t be in the first place. Of course, we take politics in the larger sense of the common good in which we talk about things of common interest. This is political in a sense that it s about the common good of the people of Europe, of the people of France, of Germany, of Spain, of Italy, of the whole world. It s for the common good. And by having such a declaration, it would help, it would give support which I believe is there. As I said, I have worked at this for 35 years, I have written to the bishops of the Catholic Church for the last 20 years, about ten times a year. The Secretary of State of the Vatican says that the bishops would not obey the Pope in consecrating Russia; however, I know differently. They write to me and say they will obey. They say this will be offensive to Russia. It should not be offensive to Russia. It s a blessing The Fatima Crusader Winter

16 for Russia and, as such, saying this publicly in this public body would be something that I think could be understood. It s not picking on Russia but, rather, picking out Russia for a blessing. It s not because we are better than anybody else, it s because this is a request from Heaven that is why. So by giving this moral public support, we hope to achieve the Consecration of Russia. We hope to bring about world peace and to bring about the solution to the financial problem which has beset Europe as well as North America, as well as the whole world. If it s not evident to everyone yet it will be evident very shortly from what I can tell. I have studied economics for five years and I think I have learned a few things there, and I think it s quite evident what s going to happen. However, the main benefit to be derived from the Consecration of Russia is that we are going to have world peace; and the second benefit, even better still, is that many souls will be saved. If we don t have the Consecration of Russia, many souls will be lost for all eternity. We have a lot of pain. I have seen movies about the Second World War asking, why does God permit this? God is trying to stop the destruction and pain that is about to befall all of us. God is trying, through this poor instrument and others, to bring this to your attention; but if we don t act on it, we don t have God to blame, but ourselves, for not having the peace we could have had but still to this day could have if we will act and speak up and do our part. Mr. Borghezio: As far as my involvement is concerned, I have only answered to the strong request for the Consecration of Russia which emerged from a very important congress, organized in Rome in May, which lasted for a week. I didn t know this reality, which is extremely important, represented by an archipelago of groups and apostolates which are working all over the world to promote and spread the prophecies and the Message of Our Lady of Fatima, seeking for the involvement of the political world and to obtain political decisions on the matter. I believe that this Message has come at the right time. Just think about all the signs of war and the terrible economic and financial disaster which is looming over the world and is obviously very scary for any person with a minimum of common sense! 16 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

17 Member of European Parliament, Mario Borghezio (left) introduced Father Nicholas Gruner (right), who explained to the Parliament Assembly about Our Lady of Fatima being the ONLY solution for world peace. Here, he explains the necessity of endorsing the Motion put forward requesting the Holy Father to consecrate Russia. See the Motion on page 19. I would say that these two aspects [war and economic crisis] should be sufficient to make us optimistic about the results of this initiative (obviously, I m talking about an optimism of good will and hope). Mr. Fontana: May I add just one thing, very quickly? I don t know how many people will sign our resolution; but I hope, obviously, that many will sign it. And we all know that God moves in mysterious ways. However, our true objective here is the Consecration of Russia! There are too many facts here to be considered coincidences: The apparitions occurred in 1917 and finished in October of that year, the month when the Russian Revolution started. Was it a coincidence? I don t think so. Then we should not forget that the Soviet Union collapsed on December 8, 1991; so there must be a link of some sort, because December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Something particular links Our Lady to Russia, and therefore, a consecration of such a beautiful country like Russia would surely harm no one, but would actually bear very positive fruits for all of us. Mr. Borghezio: By the way, today an authoritative colleague of ours reminded me that today, October 23, is the anniversary of the Budapest Revolt, in which many Hungarian patriots died The Fatima Crusader Winter

18 while fighting for their freedom. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union, and I wish to remember those martyrs as well. There is a final question by the journalist Mr. Andrea Costa. Journalist Andrea costa: I just wanted to know if you are planning to ask for a private audience with the Pope? Father Gruner: I had an appointment to speak with the Holy Father, it was John Paul II at the time, but that same day they said that the Pope was sick. So the appointment was canceled only to see him very fit and healthy the day after! In any case, it seems that the Vatican does not want to hear about this subject! Until now, there has been no single question about Fatima to which I couldn t answer properly. This is due not only to my knowledge of the matter, but also because the answer often comes to me as soon as I hear the question. Many are unaware of the fact that the current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has created a special Commission on Fatima, which has been operating at least since Not a single member of this Commission has ever contacted me so far, despite the fact we have printed and published a lot of articles and essays on this matter. As I said, the Vatican does not want to hear this truth, because it goes against the strategy of the Secretary of State. We wrote about this openly: In 1962 the Vatican signed an agreement with Moscow, the so-called Metz Pact, a formal agreement signed by the Secretary of State in 1962 which forced the Church not to condemn the errors of Russia anymore. Until now, the Church has not denied or confirmed this agreement, whose existence, however, we ve proven indisputably. The Message of Our Lady of Fatima goes directly against this Vatican-Moscow Agreement. I m willing to speak to the Pope and to the Secretary of State, but on the condition that, afterwards, I will be free to speak because to defend and uphold the truth is our only defense. This is the only condition I have. Mr. Borghezio: The Press Conference is over, but our two experts will be available to answer any of your questions and doubts. Motion presented to the EU Parliament is on next page. 18 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

19 Motion Presented for Signature to Members of the European Union Parliament The original Motion dated October 23, 2012 in the left column was proposed and explained to the Members of the European Union Parliament by Father Gruner and Christopher Ferrara. A short time later, Mr. Mario Borghezio was informed that, for the resolution to go forward, it needed to be slightly reworked. Hence, the new wording of the resolution put forward on November 13 is shown in the right hand column. We have presented them here in a format that allows you to compare the changes made. As you can see, the passing of this revised Resolution would be a tremendous step forward for the cause of Our Lady of Fatima. Original Motion of October 23, 2012 Written Declaration On the compliance, on the part of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, to the will of Our Lady of Fatima for consecrating Russia in a solemn and public manner The European Parliament - Having recourse to Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Lisbon Treaty - Having recourse to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure A. Whereas the Blessed Virgin Mary has promised a long period of prosperity and peace, if and only if, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia in a solemn and public manner, as precisely specified by Her in the Message of Fatima; B. Considering this collective prayer that the bishops of the whole world must recite with the Pope, will bring great benefits to all peoples; C. Taking into account that there is great danger at the present time to world peace and the serenity of all European peoples; 1. Formally asks His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, to fulfill the will of the Queen of Heaven, so that all economic, political, social and military problems before us can be avoided, overcome and resolved definitively. 2. Instructs its President, to forward this declaration together with the names of the signatories, to the Commission, the Council, to the EU High Representative and the Parliaments of the Member States. Revised Motion of November 13, 2012 Written Declaration Within the EU role, invested in 2012 with the Nobel Prize for Peace, in favor of the accomplishment of Our Lady of Fatima s will and for a spiritual rapprochment with Russia The European Parliament - Having recourse to Article 3, Paragraph 1 of the Lisbon Treaty - Having recourse to Rule 123 of its Rules of Procedure; A. Taking into consideration that the Nobel Peace Prize given to the European Union, confers upon the Union itself a fundamental role for peace in the world; B. Taking into consideration that every initiative aimed to effect positively the ease of relations between Europe and Russia is useful to peace; C. Taking into account that there is danger at the present time to world peace and the serenity of all European peoples; 1. Joins the request formulated by hundreds of thousands of faithful asking His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to fulfill Our Lady of Fatima s will by consecrating Russia in a solemn and public way, so that all economic, political, social and military problems, that are before us, may be avoided, overcome and definitely resolved. 2. Instructs its President, to forward this declaration together with the names of the signatories, to the Commission, the Council, to the EU High Representative and the Parliaments of the Member States. The Fatima Crusader Winter

20 Our Lady Came Not to Announce Wars But to PREVENT Them BUT WE MUST ACT ON HER ADVICE TO AVOID WAR, DEATH AND DESTRUCTION This article is based on interviews given to Fatima TV in Rome and to The Fatima Crusader by Father Gabriel Amorth, a famous exorcist and one of the best known priests in Rome and the Vatican. He is well respected by his fellow exorcists who have joined him in a worldwide fraternity of Catholic exorcists. Father Amorth is now retired from active ministry being over 85 years old but his mind is still sharp and he sees the big picture of what is happening in the Church and the unique and primary importance of Fatima to solving the growing crisis in the world. By Father Gabriel Amorth Fatima is Unique The apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima are absolutely unique in the history of the Church. They certainly have an exceptional religious value because saving souls and bringing them back to God is Our Lady s main concern. But the apparitions also have a big impact and influence over the course of mankind s history. It s true that God is the One who guides history, but God created man and made him free, therefore man is able to influence and change his own history. So the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima have this two-fold significance: a religious as well as an historical one, especially for world peace. The apparitions took place in 1917, almost at the end of World War I. Our Lady, first of all, showed Hell to the young children of Fatima; Hell, which could be at the end of our life: it s either Heaven, Purgatory or Hell, nothing else! So we must focus continuously on our final goal, we must focus on God, otherwise we won t even be able to understand our own life on earth and its meaning. Our Lady spoke to us; She spoke to us NOT to announce new wars but in order to prevent them! If we listen to Her 20 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

21 words, pray the Rosary, practice the devotion of the Five First Saturdays to Her Immaculate Heart, then there will not be another war. Otherwise, if they will not hear Her words, under the Pontificate of Pius XI a new and worse war would start! Our Lady Requested the Consecration of ONLY Russia Our Lady has requested the Consecration of Russia. We don t have time now to analyze this subject, but I hold it dear. Sister Lucy always said that Our Lady requested the Consecration of Russia, and only Russia. She also asked for the consecration of the world when She appeared to another great and young Portuguese saint, Alexandrina Maria da Costa. But the two things are separate. Now, Our Lady requested the Consecration of Russia, in a solemn and public ceremony to be performed by the Pope together with all the Catholic bishops of the world. This was specified in details by Jesus, Who, as well as with Our Lady, continued to appear to Lucy, because He wanted that consecration to be recognized as the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so that She would be honored together with His Sacred Heart. These are the words of Our Lord! But time passed and the consecration wasn t done, so Our Lord was deeply offended. With our free will we can affect international events. Everything depends on God but God created us free and we can influence human events. This is a fact! Take for instance what happened to the King of France, who did not comply to the order he received from Heaven, and ended up with his head cut off! Our Lord appeared to Sister Lucy and told her: They will do the consecration, but it will be late! I feel shivers running down my spine when I remember those words it will be late!, because it s our fault that World War II happened in the first place! What s worse is that Our Lady ordered the Secret to be opened in And in that year Russia didn t finish spreading her errors all over the world, yet! They didn t do the consecration, unfortunately, and thus, Russia did, in fact, spread her errors all over the world! The Fatima Crusader Winter

22 Consecration of Russia Will Change the Course of History The conversion of Russia will be a Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which will be recognized by the entire world! That s why Our Lord wanted a solemn and public consecration, to be done by the Pope together with ALL the bishops of the world. This way, His entire Church and all of Christianity, represented by the bishops, will have consecrated Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary! That event will change the course of history! Yes, in 1984 the Pope quite timidly attempted to consecrate Russia in Saint Peter s Square. I was there, just a few feet away from him, because I was the organizer of the event in Saint Peter s Square! It was March 25, 1984 and the Pope had the statue of Our Lady of Fatima come over from Fatima; it s the statue that usually stays in the huge plaza of the Sanctuary, in Fatima, but for that occasion he wanted the statue there. Kneeling in front of that statue, he attempted the consecration, but all around him were some politicians who told him you can t name Russia, you can t! And he asked Can I name it? And they said: No, no, no! The Message of Fatima Is More Relevant Than Ever But Our Lady didn t appear to bring problems, She came to us to avoid problems! The prophecies of Fatima let me tell you what I think about them, by using the same words pronounced by Pope Benedict XVI, the last time he went to Fatima: Whoever thinks that the prophetic mission of Fatima is concluded deceives himself. Look at the importance of these apparitions! Look at the damage and collapse we ve experienced in the Church, both in its faith and morals! I would like to quote Pope Paul VI on this regard: It was thought that after the Second Vatican Council we would have a renaissance of the Church, but instead it was a disaster! Within the Church, the smoke of Satan has entered in the Vatican! They believed in a renaissance of the Church, but it was a disaster, among the clergy, within the liturgy and among the faithful, as well, who have lost faith and have abandoned their religion in the millions! This has been followed by a secular thinking and culture which Our Lady wanted to fight, by using Our Lord s words and faith. 22 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

23 Above is a sample of the billboards the Fatima Center puts up in Rome and in North America to raise awareness that the world does have a solution for peace through Our Lady of Fatima. It is due to large signs like this, that there was a groundswell of public demand in Rome to which the Pope responded and consecrated Italy to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This means of getting closer to the Consecration of Russia is very effective but very expensive. What price is too high to pay for results like that? Please help us bring more attention to Our Lady of Fatima s promise to mankind by aiding us in this huge expense. They are Trying to Build a Society Without God Rationalism, the Age of Enlightenment, atheistic Communism for them, science and reason justify everything and we no longer need God! See the results: the family is attacked by divorce, when Jesus said what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder. And what about abortion? With millions of unborn babies killed every year, when Our Lord said: Thou shalt not kill in His 5th Commandment! Look at the disaster we re facing today! So, the apparitions of Fatima continue, but their end is glorious. Our Lady said: In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph, the Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, Russia will be converted and a period of peace will be granted to the world. So, here is the great ending of the apparitions of Fatima. Before this finale, however, it s probable that mankind will suffer some kind of chastisement by God, due to their sins and cold hearts; but we re not facing the end of the world, as some crazy man is saying, we re going towards the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and a period of peace. But we will have peace only if we ll have faith in God and obey His words. The Fatima Crusader Winter

24 Look what you can do too to help our lady of fatima There are many ways you, too, can help spread the urgent Message of Fatima and promote the Consecration of Russia. Following is a letter that a devotee of Our Lady, Richard J. Doherty, Doctor of Internal Medicine, wrote to a Cardinal. Remember, you can do this too! To: Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Archdiocese of New York, st Ave., NY, NY Oct. 24, 2012 Your Eminence, I am writing to you as one in a sincerely devoted group of American Catholics who are deeply concerned over the lack of significant compliance with those specific requests made of us by Our Blessed Mother at Fatima in 1917 for ALL Catholics to heed and to act upon. With regard to the importance of this situation, I am addressing this letter to you, in your role of authority as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with the hope that you will initiate appropriate actions to remedy this gross failure of a majority of faithful members of the Catholic Church in America to carry out Our Blessed Lady s requests. Along with others of like mind, it is my belief that there are a large number of American Catholics, especially among the young, who know little or even nothing about Our Lady s Fatima Message. Moreover, that which many Catholics already know about the Fatima Message may be quite likely inadequate for the accomplishment of a positive response to Mary s requests. Or otherwise, perhaps, in the absence of the advice and direction needed from the Shepherds of the Catholic Church in America, many Catholics, even including some members of the clergy, may simply ignore Her requests. As you know, the true story of Fatima elicits the essential facts concerning the prophetic and most important message given to the Catholics of the world by Our Blessed Mother Mary. We have learned from Her that Her message comes from God the Father; that it is a positive and 24 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

25 instructive message; that it is clear, direct and succinct. It requires that all members of the Catholic Church bear the responsibility of carrying out the Will of God the Father by complying with and faithfully fulfilling those specific requests that She made in order to bring an end to man s evil behaviors, which are so offensive to God. Then, to comply with the Will of God the Father, the Blessed Mother called upon all Catholics to devote themselves to Her Immaculate Heart; to pray the Holy Rosary daily for the reparation of sins; to make the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturday of five consecutive months; to pray for the conversion of Russia; and most importantly in this regard, for the Pope, in union with all the Catholic bishops of the world, to publicly consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. During Her apparition to the seers at Fatima on July 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother spoke these words: If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace, if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, raising up wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer and various nations will be annihilated. How frightening! Indeed, how terrifying are the consequences of not heeding Her requests. At this time, it is abundantly clear that all of the dire predictions the Blessed Virgin Mary made at Fatima with one exception remaining have come true! And over time, each one of Her terrible predictions resulting from the failure to heed Her requests have become more fearsome and foreboding. We have seen the heinous evil of legalized induced abortion first introduced in the world by Communist Russia spreading to many other nations, including our own United States of America. We are aware of the increase in the widespread condolence of sexual promiscuity and the deterioration of American family life; the acceptance of euthenasia; the declaration said to be politically correct that homosexuality is a normal function of human nature and is therefore morally acceptable; the scandal of sexual abuses by some members of the Catholic clergy; and other evils that affect our society all of which are so offensive to God. The Fatima Crusader Winter

26 It is noteworthy that on May 11, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI said that the Fatima Message indicates realities for the future of the Church which unfold and reveal themselves day by day. In response to those in the Church who say that the Message of Fatima has already been carried out and completed in accordance with the specific requests of the Blessed Mother, Pope Benedict XVI, on May 13, 2010, said: He deceives himself who thinks the prophetic mission of Fatima is concluded. Are the Shepherds of the Catholic Church in America among those who are so deceived? In view of the tremendous moral deterioration of societies in the world, as outlined above, the continuing silence of the American bishops regarding the need which is now more urgent than ever to inform all members of the American Catholic Church, both laymen and religious, to faithfully fulfill all of Our Blessed Mother s Fatima requests, is most difficult to understand and impossible to justify. To heed or not to heed? We have seen the horrendous results that Mary predicted at Fatima for not heeding Her requests. Not heeding has brought us chaos! Heeding will bring us the period of peace that the Blessed Mother has promised. In the end, She assures us that Her Immaculate Heart will triumph. Heed and hasten that happy ending. May the bishops publicly exhort all American Catholics to pray the Holy Rosary daily for the reparation of sins, to pray for the conversion of Russia, to make the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturday of five consecutive months. And, may the bishops of America inform Pope Benedict XVI that all of the American bishops are ready to join him in consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Heed! Yours Respectfully, Richard J. Doherty, M.D. HELP OUR LADY! DO YOUR PART Copy this letter and send it to your parish priests, bishops and Cardinals. We must all stand up and let our voice be heard! 26 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

27 special report fatima CENTER BREAKS INTO THE POLITICAL ARENA Father Nicholas Gruner, head of the Fatima Center, an international Apostolate dedicated to making known the full Message of Fatima, was invited to address members of the European Union Parliament convened in Strasbourg, France, along with reporters from print and broadcast media. Father Gruner, accompanied by U.S. attorney and Fatima expert, Christopher A. Ferrara, explained to the assembly the requests made by Our Lady of Fatima and the urgency of obedience to those requests. A resolution was introduced in which the Members of the European Parliament formally ask that Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops of the Catholic Church comply with the specific request of Our Lady of Fatima to join together to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Father Gruner and Mr. Ferrara explained to the assembly the prophecies of Fatima, the reasons why the Message should be given the utmost credence, and the promised benefits that will follow the consecration when it is finally done in the proper manner. The following is an interview with Father Gruner conducted by The Fatima Crusader editorial staff. The Fatima Crusader [FC] Can you tell us what events enabled you to address Members of the European Union Parliament? Father Gruner [FrG] I can tell you, but it is a twopart answer one having to do with the human elements involved, and the other with Providence. It s important that we always remember Our Lord is in charge of everything and He has determined that our fate now rests with our fidelity to Our Lady s requests. The Hon. Mario Borghezio, a Member of Parliament representing the Northern League in Italy, asked me to come to Strasbourg and speak to Parliament. Mr. Borghezio attended our conference, Fatima: Your Last Chance! in Rome in May He addressed the conference (see pages 50-56) and his devotion to Our Lady and his faith in The Fatima Crusader Winter

28 Her Fatima Message became apparent. The invitation to address his colleagues was very welcome. And while I give Mr. Borghezio my thanks, I must ultimately thank Our Lady. This is Her Apsotolate. She offers us the opportunities to do Her work. As I told the Members of Parliament, I am merely an instrument. I am one small priest dedicated to this great work. Anything I accomplish is not really to my credit, but is due to Our Lady s grace. [FC] Why do you think Our Lady s Apostolate was offered this opportunity at this particular time? You have been struggling for many years to make the full Message of Fatima known. Now, you find yourself in front of members of one of the most powerful bodies of men on the planet. What are your thoughts about the timing of this event? [FrG] Time is running out. Our Lord spoke to Sister Lucy in Rianjo in 1931 and told her that, unless the Consecration of Russia was done in the manner Our Lady requested with the Pope and the bishops making the consecration in unison that His ministers would follow the King of France into misfortune. The reference is to King Louis XVI, who was beheaded by the French revolutionaries 100 years after his great grandfather, Louis XIV, refused to comply with Heaven s request that France be consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This request was received in an apparition by St. Margaret Mary Alocoque and made known to the King by his confessor. But the King refused. His descendant not only lost the throne, but lost his head as well. We are nearing the 100-year mark since the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in We have less than 5 years left. Her requests have not been honored by the popes and bishops, whom Our Lord refers to as His ministers but we can also presume that heads of state are His ministers, as all authority comes from above. So, time is now of the essence. Unless the consecration is done and done soon these ministers, many of them, will follow the King of France into misfortune and it cannot be good. It seems obvious to me that the part of the Third Secet that the Vatican released to us on June 26, 2000 is what is about to happen to Pope Benedict XVI if he delays much more 28 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

29 To the right is a poster we put up in various places around Strasbourg, including inside the beautiful Strasbourg Cathedral, as well as inside the European Union Parliament building. This Pilgrim Virgin Statue blessed by the Pope at Fatima and again in Vatican City was brought by Father Gruner via KLM Airline from Toronto to Strasbourg. With much publicity and anticipation, it was to be the historic first-time-ever that Our Lady was allowed inside the Parliament building. See the article (page 61) from Vatican City first published on Monday, October 22, 2012 as a sample of various articles published about it. Alas, the devil somehow La Madone de FaTIMa À Strasbourg h00 from doing the Consecration of Russia as requested by Jesus and Mary in the Fatima Message. This vision of the bishop dressed in white, who is killed by a band of soldiers by bullets and arrows is a graphic description of what Our Lord meant when He said: Parlement Européen, Salle de Presse succeeded in preventing our Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima from being present inside the Parliament building because KLM apparently lost Her for two days! But we persevered and purchased another statue of the Blessed Mother to accompany us inside the Parliament building while we explained the formal EU Parliamentary declaration calling for the Consecration of Russia (see page 19). Further, Our Lady was able to turn the tables on the devil through the loss of the statue which became the inspiration of a live call-in talk radio program with 4 million listeners, thereby giving the Fatima Message free publicity on Thursday, October 24, Make it known to My ministers, given they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My command (to consecrate Russia), like him they will follow him into misfortune. The death of the Pope in that vision is followed by the killing The Fatima Crusader Winter

30 of bishops, priests, religious and lay people of various ranks. These, too, are ministers of God who are punished because they, too, failed to do what they could and should have done to do their part to bring about the Consecration of Russia. It might be objected: How could the laypeople of various ranks be included in this chastisement? As we mentioned above, politicians and world leaders are also ministers of God. But it should be pointed out that men of financial wealth are also ministers or stewards of that wealth which God has entrusted to them. In the approved apparition of Quito, Ecuador, of Our Lady of Good Success, we are told that one of the causes of our present-day crises in the Church and the world is the refusal of wealthy Catholics to contribute significantly to Catholic apostolates that are ready, capable and willing to reverse this moral and spiritual decay in the Church and the world. For example, our Apostolate this Apostolate of Our Lady of Fatima in my estimation, could do 10 to 100 times more (that s ten to one hundred!) than we do now. But we do not have all the necessary financial means to do everything we could and should do. With one and a half to two times more in yearly total financial donations, perhaps we could bring about enough public awareness of the full Fatima Message especially the urgent need for the Consecration of Russia to cause Our Lady s triumph very, very soon. Unfortunately, because very few wealthy Catholics to their own detriment know and understand the absolutely monumental importance and urgency of the Fatima Message, they don t give anywhere near enough of what they could to promote Our Lady of Fatima and Her ONE AND ONLY Peace Plan that will deliver us and them from the emerging New World Order tyranny. Some would help if they understood that by not supporting this apostolate and doing what they can to bring about the fulfillment of Our Lady s request they are placing their own life and wealth and soul in grave jeopardy not to mention the devastating catastrophies that continue to befall the Church and mankind. Others of the wealthy apparently think only of themselves and refrain from 30 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

31 extending financial aid to needy and necessary apostolates such as our own. Our Lady told us that unless She were obeyed, nations would be annihilated. So not only do Church officials and heads of state face imminent disaster, but all of us may soon pay the price for this foolish refusal to do the simple things Our Lady has promised will avert disaster and bring us the blessings of peace. [FC] Do you think the members of the European Parliament realize that the clock is ticking and that disaster is looming? [FrG] They certainly realize this, although they might not understand the cause of it and the only real solution. That s why we went to Strasbourg: to tell them what is happening and why and to show them what they can do about it that is, how they can encourage the Pope and the bishops to do the only thing that can help us at this point in history. [FC] But the European Union is not founded on Christian principles. Many Members of Parliament are avowedly opposed to Christian teaching, especially in the realm of sexual morality. How can they even comprehend the Message of Fatima without faith? [FrG] The Members of Parliament know they and their own countries are in trouble. They are becoming desperate for a solution to the many problems they face, especially the financial problems. We may think that these financial problems will only affect those who work in the financial sector of the workplace but that is not so. The financial problems we are talking about will affect every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. The financial problems looming over us will, if not averted, soon cause the breakdown of everyday transactions like buying your groceries or paying for electricity to your home. These may all come to a complete stop no buying, no selling, no work, no ability to feed yourself or your family all of this caused by real financial problems that can ultimately only be solved peacefully and justly by the Consecration of Russia. [FC] Why would non-believing Members of Parliament take your proposal seriously? [FrG] We explained to those members who lack faith that Our Lady s solution is worth a try. They have nothing to lose. And if it works, they have everything The Fatima Crusader Winter

32 to gain. I also think it is starting to dawn on some European leaders, including Members of Parliament, that the European Union has no solid, unifying principle. How could it, when only the Catholic Faith can provide it and they are afraid to embrace it? They tried to build the EU on economic cooperation and a common currency. This has failed big time, as everyone can now see. Where do they go from here? We offered them a direction. We can only pray they will take it. We did Our Lady s bidding. We pray they will do likewise. We also continue to work for the consecration in every way we can. [FC] Was there any indication that the Members of the European Parliament took your words to heart? [FrG] Yes, I think so. We received much encouragement from those who signed the petition. And the media was very interested. We were interviewed by both broadcast and print journalists, so the wider public the constituents of the Members of Parliament knew about what was going on. An effective way to influence a politician is to go through his constituents. And this is most effectively done through the media. Along with the attention we received in the secular press and broadcast media, we were also interviewed by Fatima TV in Rome and Fatima TV WorldWide on the Web to talk about the event. We made our mark in Strasbourg and in Rome. And we won t let up. Our Lady has given us the media tools and the opportunity. By the grace of God, we will use them to the utmost. [FC] Do you think that Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops took note of what happened in Strasbourg? Do you think they will respond? [FrG] Of course, I can t predict just what will happen and when. But I know that Our Lady said Russia will be consecrated in the manner She desires in the end. The end of what is the big question. The end of a terrible period of chastisement, after nations are annihilated? I hope and pray this isn t the case. I think Pope Benedict knows how dire the situation is. He may be looking for the sort of assurance and encouragement we are trying to provide. Unfortunately, the Church has been very worried about public opinion its media image since Vatican II. In 32 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

33 consequence, as the world has become more godless and morally depraved, the Church has become more timid about proclaiming her moral and doctrinal authority. It s obvious the Holy Father wants to begin a New Evangelization, as he calls it. Fatima is the key. We want to help him see this. And if we can pick up some political support for the consecration, the Pope may be emboldened to act. Once an idea no matter how seemingly strange is introduced into the mind of the public, it loses its strangeness. Look at the things that are now considered normal by the public: abortion, pornography, etc. If familiarity can make evil things tolerable, it can certainly win hearts and minds for good things. We have introduced Fatima as a topic of public conversation in the media, in the realm of politics. The more people hear and learn about it, the more they will consider it a viable alternative, especially as other solutions keep failing and the situation worsens. The Pope and the bishops live in the world of the media, of politics, as do we all now. Fatima is now part of that world. Fatima is the only hope for that world. This was our message, Our Lady s Message. [FC] Is there anything an ordinary layperson can do to help bring about the consecration? [FrG] Every ordinary layperson is a potentially extraordinary saint. When we cooperate with grace, amazing things happen to us and through us. I think one of the keys to the consecration is for the laity to live the Fatima Message. This means praying the Rosary every day and making the First Saturday devotions every first Saturday. But it also means always being focused on Our Lady, on Her Immaculate Heart; living in purity and love; and, of course, we can be pro-active in Her cause petitioning the Pope and our bishop, petitioning our legislative representative, letting our neighbors know about Fatima. Supporting this apostolate is a great way to become part of the effort to bring about the consecration. We need all the help we can get. So I would invite everyone to join Our Lady s Apostolate in every way they can. As we explained to the Members of the European Parliament You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Fatima Crusader Winter

34 Part II Make Everything You Do A Sacrifice In Part I (The Fatima Crusader, Issue 103) of Michal Semin s address to our Rome Conference in May 2012, he explained that Hell is not empty and that we must all sacrifice and pray. He gave the inspiring example of the sacrificial spirit of the three children of Fatima. In Part II, Mr. Semin continues to explain the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. By Michael Semin In this second part of my address, I would like to compare the Traditional Roman Rite with the new Rite of Pope Paul VI. Can we, in good conscience, say that they convey the same attitude towards the meaning of sacrifice? Do they, in the identical way, express the Catholic teaching defined at the Council of Trent and reiterated by Pius XII in Mediator Dei? Cardinal Ottaviani didn t think so when he stated in 1969: The Novus Ordo represents, both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as it was... definitively fixed by the Council of Trent. Why did he think so? What are the main differences between these two Rites that confirm the claim that the meaning of sacrifice and its role has shifted from a central position to the side? Well, it s already the very structure of the Mass. The new Rite of the Mass is divided into two parts the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This division gives the impression that the part of the Mass before the Offertory is somehow independent and can exist without the second part, on its own; that these two parts are separable and of the same value. In fact, there are many parishes in Europe and perhaps elsewhere too, where, due to the lack of priests, the faithful in the parishes are invited to take part in Liturgies of the Word, 34 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

35 This popular depiction of Jesus knocking on the door reflects our free will. We can either open the door of our soul and let Him in or we have the free will to reject Him. Let us pray for the Pope and all those persons Cardinals, bishops and VIP government officials who can encourage and persuade him to delay no longer to do the Consecration of Russia as Jesus formally commanded to be done. presided by a deacon or a layman. The traditional Roman Missal has no such division, for all of its prayers and sacred gestures are oriented towards the propitiatory sacrifice, to the moment of Consecration. In the Traditional Rite, the priest comes to the foot of the altar stairs and stands facing the altar which represents Our Lord and prays Introibo ad altare Dei, followed by the Penitential Psalm Judica me, arousing in his heart a spirit of repentance, awareness of his own unworthiness and need of atonement for his own sins and the sins of the present faithful. This Rite of the priest s cleansing comes from the Old Testament liturgy where the priest of the Temple before he walked into the Holy of Holies ritually cleansed himself. The beginning of the Holy Mass at the foot of the altar steps the priest doesn t come bowing to the congregation symbolizes climbing up Mount Calvary, from which, after offering the Sacrifice, the graces flow into the whole Church. The penitential nature of the opening prayers is confirmed and crowned by a dual Confiteor dual because the priest and the faithful are not equal in offering the Sacrifice a fact that is not reflected in the New Mass having just a single Confiteor. Also, the Kyrie Eleison is a penitential prayer so it is completely senseless to consider all these prayers as a preparation for the reading from the Bible or as an instruction of the faithful. The Fatima Crusader Winter

36 Traditional Holy Scripture Is Understood Differently In the New Rite Even the reading from Holy Scriptures is, in the Traditional Rite, understood differently from the way it is approached in the modern liturgy the Epistle is read facing the altar (Christ), the Gospel is read facing North, because North represents pagan lands and the dominion of demons. Reading the Gospel, in this sense, is a kind of an exorcism which is at the end of the Gospel reflected by the words of the priest: By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted out. The shift from Sacrifice to meal is even more clear and transparent in the changes of prayers made in the Offertory, or, rather, the change in the very nature of the Offertory itself. According to the Catholic Faith and related liturgical tradition of the Church, the offering subject and offered object is Our Lord Jesus Christ. That is why the prayers contained in the traditional Offertory presuppose the presence of Our Lord as the true and only Victim, the Eucharistic presence. The Offertory prayers anticipate Consecration. They do not mention bread; they use the term Victim-Hostia, Spotless Host, although it is not consecrated yet. Along with the actions of the priest, this prayer makes it clear that what is offered at the Holy Mass is the Spotless Host that is, the Spotless Victim. The propitiatory (atoning) nature of the Mass is explicit it is offered for our sins. It reminds us that the Mass is offered for the living and the dead ; and the priest who offers the Sacrifice is a mediator between man and God. Out of 12 Traditional Offertory Prayers 2 Remain in the New Mass From the twelve Offertory prayers in the Traditional Rite, only two are retained in the New Rite of Mass. And of interest is the fact that the deleted prayers are the same ones that Luther and Cranmer eliminated. And why did they eliminate them? Because, as Luther said, they smacked of sacrifice the abomination called the Offertory, and from this point on almost everything stinks of oblation. The New Rite of Mass doesn t even use the term Offertory anymore; it calls this part of Mass preparation of gifts. And 36 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

37 within this part of the New Rite there is not a single word which even hints that it is the Divine Victim which is offered. The bread and wine the work of human hands is all that is offered. Michael Davies, who had a close relationship with Cardinal Ratzinger, points out that this concept is fully compatible with the Teilhardian theory that human effort, the work of human hands, becomes, in a certain way, the matter of the Sacrament. Then we have the changes in the very heart of the Holy Mass in the Canon. The second Eucharistic prayer is famous for the absence of preparation prayers for the Consecration and the words of Consecration, the Institution Narrative. The priest says these words as if he was merely retelling the story of the Last Supper some 2,000 years ago, instead of actually consecrating the bread and wine in the here and now. Besides all these changes in the prayers of the Mass the most profound change indicating the shift from Sacrifice towards a congregational meal is the change in the priest s orientation during the Mass. His position no longer symbolizes the fact that he is an intermediary between God and man, as in the Traditional Mass where he faces the Tabernacle, but he is now the president of an assembly, presiding at the table around which the faithful are to gather and refresh themselves at the memorial supper. (All these phrases are from the General Instruction.) We all can share plenty of stories about the destruction of the traditional altars in churches all over the world and their replacement by tables. Again the nature of the Mass moves from Sacrifice to meal. I do not doubt the validity of the New Mass, but how can one not conclude from these changes that there is something seriously wrong about it? I do not doubt that there are many devout priests and laymen assisting at the New Mass, but their faith in the sacrificial nature of the Holy Mass and thus the Catholic religion as a whole is well and alive no thanks to the liturgical so-called reform, but despite it. From a historical perspective, we see that the post-conciliar liturgical changes are similar, if not identical, to those which The Fatima Crusader Winter

38 the founders of Protestantism were bringing to life Mass as an assembly with presider, the shift from Sacrifice to meal, laymen taking over specifically priestly functions, narrative nature of consecration, priest facing the people, etc. The Protestant inspiration in creating the New Rite of Mass was confirmed by a close friend of Pope Paul VI, Jean Guitton: The intention of Paul VI with regard to what is commonly called the Mass, was to reform the Catholic liturgy in such a way that it should almost coincide with the Protestant liturgy but what is curious is that Paul VI did that to get as close as possible to the Protestant Lord s supper... there was with Paul VI an ecumenical intention to remove, or least to correct, or at least to relax, what was too Catholic, in the traditional sense, in the Mass and, I repeat, to get the Catholic Mass closer to the Calvinist service. Sacrificial Mentality and Priestly Vocations Not being a priest, I do not want to dwell excessively on the matters that are mostly related to the priestly life, but allow me to mention my concern, that the lack of sacrificial mentality in the New Liturgy might affect the very identity of the priesthood. I am not here to teach you, dear Fathers, because I am sure you not only know it, but live it, that the life of the priest is defined and also nurtured by sacrifice, both at the altar and in his ministry outside of liturgy. Our Lord, Who is the Highest Priest, gives the example He gave His own life for our eternal salvation. The priests of His Church are to follow Him and lay down their lives for the entrusted flock. Am I too daring to make a connection between the repression of the sacrificial nature of the Holy Mass and the lack of priestly vocations? Or the rise of the violation of the celibate life as the vow of celibacy cannot be fulfilled without sacrificing the good of matrimony for a higher one? A priest gives up the goods of marital life so that he can be an alter Christus, a second Christ, a mediator between God and men. The reason for celibacy is not only that the priest has more time for pastoral work (practical reasons), but because he is unifying himself with the celibate living Christ, the High- Priest, for offering the most Holy Sacrifice, for which he has to be ritually clean. 38 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

39 Everything the priest does as a priest is in some way oriented towards the altar and Our Lord s sacrifice, the font of all graces. It is from his service at the altar that he receives his priestly dignity, not from playing guitar or football with the youth. And when he is at the altar, he is not there to concoct some creative liturgies, expressing his own personality, but to conform to Christ and act in His person. How well this is reflected in the fixed rubrics of the Traditional Roman Rite! Sacrificial Mentality and Lay People and Marriage But, obviously, the life of sacrifice is not exclusively reserved for the priests. Also we, laymen, are obliged to follow the example of Our Savior. How does the calling to live a sacrificial life usually manifest itself in the life of a family? In the generous acceptance of children, the willingness to have a much larger family than is the norm in the contemporary contraceptive societies of the modern world. Today the definition of a good life is based on one s selfrealization and career building. Today the good life is the mere enjoyment of life without respect to the supernatural final goal of human life, or the needs of others. Unfortunately, even Catholics are not immune from succumbing to such lifestyle. SEND ROSES DOWN FROM HEAVEN I will send down a shower of Rose Petals from Heaven....St. Thérèse You can help spread Our Lady of Fatima s Urgent Message of Hope and Peace throughout the world, even after God calls you to your eternal reward. Millions of souls will be lost if Our Blessed Mother s requests are not heeded and the Consecration of Russia is not done as She requested. For the sake of those souls, as well as your own, we beg you to remember Our Lady s Apostolate in your will. Making a Bequest is easy For more information, call toll-free or write us at the address found on the inside back cover. There is absolutely no obligation! The Fatima Crusader Winter

40 The Loss of the Sense of Sacrifice Contraception, the symbol of modern hedonism and thus the loss of sense for sacrifice, is widespread in the post- Conciliar Church. But even among those who object to the use of artificial contraception and abortion and who promote natural family planning, we encounter an effort neutralizing the clear teaching of Pius XII on the conditioned lawfulness of this method of spacing children. Knowing NFP literature and having taken part years ago in a NFP course, I do not recall any specific consideration for the explicit medical, social or economic conditions under which the married couple is allowed to enjoy the marital act with the expected sterility of that particular act. Although many Catholics in general keep having more children than one or two, the unwillingness to have more children is leading the nominally Christian nations of Europe into extinction. Their demographic future is very bleak and, barring a miracle, they, in the course of a few decades, will be subjected to alien cultures and false religions. 40 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013 Spain and Italy the two most important countries of Christendom along with France, have a total fertility rate of 1.29 children per woman. That is less than European Protestant, and thus contraception-friendly, countries of the North! As we know, 2.1 is the replacement level. I just don t see how it is possible to call these nominally Catholic countries Catholic at all! Another bitter fruit of the lost sense for sacrifice is the omnipresent breakdown of marital fidelity. The divorce rates in most nominally Christian countries are increasing, as is the number of annulments in the case of Catholic couples. In the context of a divorce mentality, even canonical annulment cases can be easily misunderstood, as if they weren t anything more than ways to obtain a divorce with the blessing of the Church. Cardinal Julian Herranz, head of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, said this to the media two years ago when the Vatican issued a critical note about the sharp rise of annulments in USA. And he is perfectly right I have met a good number of modern

41 minded Catholics who don t see any difference. They see it as a divorce for Catholics, which is similar to their view of non-restricted use of NFP contraception for Catholics. Along with the new and modern concepts of priesthood, the decline of the number of children in Catholic families is the chief cause of the lack of priestly and religious vocations. Large families are always especially if they experience some hardship and discomfort a school of selflessness and service to others. On the contrary, the modern model of one child per family that exists for the pleasure of his parents does not provide a sufficient environment for learning any positive social skills. Large Catholic Families Provide Good Vocations On January 20, 1958, at an audience for the Italian Association for Large Families, Pius XII stressed the importance of the ideal of large Catholic families for providing a good environment for vocations: All of these precious benefits will be more solid and permanent, more intense and more fruitful if the large family takes the supernatural spirit of the Gospel, which spiritualizes everything and makes it eternal, as its own particular guiding rule and basis. Experience shows that, in these cases, God often goes beyond the ordinary gifts of Providence, such as joy and peace, to bestow on it a special call a vocation to the priesthood, to the religious life, to the highest sanctity. With good reason, it has often been pointed out that large families have been in the forefront as the cradles of saints. We might cite, among others, the family of St. Louis, the King of France, made up of ten children; that of St. Catherine of Siena, who came from a family of twenty-five; St. Robert Bellarmine from a family of twelve; and St. Pius X from a family of ten. Every vocation is a secret of Providence; but these cases prove that having a large number of children does not prevent parents from giving them an outstanding and perfect upbringing; and they show that the number does not work out to the disadvantage of their quality, with regard to either physical or spiritual values. The gradual loss of the sense of Our Lord s propitiatory sacrifice on the Cross and its The Fatima Crusader Winter

42 re-presentation on the Catholic altars all around the world leads to another serious effect a weakening of the awareness of our own sinfulness, the need of our conversion, penance and offering reparation for our sins. It is for these sins of ours that Our Lord suffered and died a brutal death; we are guilty of the pains He had to bear. The Passion and the sacrificial action of Our Lord makes us aware of the venom, the darkness of sin; the infinite offense of the limitless holiness of God. It is for our sins that the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is offered today so that we may benefit from Christ s merits and come to understand the great price Our Lord paid for our redemption. Our Need for Conversion The muffled, the inhibited aspect of propitiation in the New Rite leads to the total unawareness of our sinfulness and the nature of sin and also to the serious decrease in the number of confessions. Many priests stopped preaching about the nature of sin saying that it insults God about mortal sins that deprive men of the sanctifying grace, closing the gates of Heaven to them. More than the necessity of our reconciliation with God, we hear about reconciling with ourselves, with accepting ourselves as we are, without any call for penance and conversion of our hearts. I do not know the situation in other countries, but in the German-speaking area the practice of individual confessions is pretty rare. A Czech traditional priest, stationed in Austria, told me recently that he knows parish priests in Austria and Germany who didn t have a single confessing parishioner in the course of the whole year! The Old Mass Conveys Better the Sacrificial Nature of the Catholic Life From what was said so far, I hope it is clear what I wanted to convey. The Traditional Liturgy expresses much more clearly than the New Rite which even Pope Benedict XVI calls a banal product of the moment our sinfulness and the need for our redemption. I once met a lady, who told me that at the occasion of her first presence at the Traditional Latin Mass, she wasn t able to receive Holy Communion. When I asked her why, she replied: I would have had to go to Confession first! Something she had never thought about before. 42 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

43 The way we pray, the way we believe the way we live. It s that very simple. Fatima Gives Us a Better Understanding of Living a Life of Sacrifice The Fatima Message leads us towards a more thorough understanding of the necessity of living a life of sacrifice. The Holy Mass, being the center and summit of our lives, regardless of being priests or laymen, must teach us the right lesson that sacrifice is the means to our redemption and salvation. If it fails to convey this message, then there is something seriously wrong about it. We, as faithful Catholics, must do as much as we can to build our lives upon healthy and firm foundations and avoid everything that weakens them. It s not a matter of choice, it s our duty. All of us present at this conference take the Fatima Message seriously and want to live according to it. Not because we somehow like it or that it fits our subjective preferences, but because it s a message from Heaven, recognized and promoted by the highest authorities in the Church; because it is, along with the Mass of Pius V, the insurmountable Christ, the Supreme Example of Sacrifice, allowed Himself to be scourged, crowned with thorns and crucified for our salvation. barrier raised up against all heresies. The apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima stress the vital importance of living a life in a sacrificial manner. The Traditional Roman Rite, as opposed to the Liturgical Reform, embodies this spirit in the most profound and perfect way. What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. The Fatima Crusader Winter

44 father Michael Jarecki Under Our Lady s Mantle On October 22, 2012, perhaps one of Our Lady s most loyal followers was received unto his eternal reward under the mantle of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Born in 1917, the year Our Lady of Fatima first appeared, Father Michael Jarecki served as Vice-President on the Board of Directors for the National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada and Servants of Jesus and Mary (The Fatima Center) for over 30 years, almost from the beginning. He was unwavering in his faith and, in particular, his loving devotion to Our Lady of Fatima an inspiring mentor to us all. In his Last Will and Testament, he asked for only one thing: May my funeral be simple and a cause of joy to all who knew me. I hope that no words are spoken that make people think I have gone straight to Heaven while my soul languishes in Purgatory because no one was having Masses or prayers said for me. What follows is the sermon given at Father Michael Jarecki s Requiem Funeral Mass. By Father David Phillipson On the evening when Father Michael Jarecki died, when I was praying the Office of the Dead Vespers from the Divine Office, for Father Jarecki, one of the Psalms that caught my attention was Psalm 119 the first Song of Ascent. In the Psalter or the Book of Psalms, there are 15 Songs or Psalms of Ascent. They are Psalms 119 to 134. According to ancient Jewish interpretation, there are 15 steps or levels that man must climb in order to reach sanctity. In addition, throughout the Old Covenant, 15 is a number that often concerns the construction of the Temple. We should not be surprised to learn that these 15 Psalms were sung by the Levites as they ascended the 15 steps to get closer to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple. These Songs of Ascent were originally given as songs of consolation for the Jews when they were in exile. So, these songs are sung by the Church, in the evening, when praying for the faithful departed. They are meant to give consolation to those who are overcome with the shadow of mourning. They are meant to give light to those 44 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

45 who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. They are also meant to supply consolation to the deceased person being prayed for. So, when I associate particular verses of Psalm 119 to Father Jarecki, all I am doing is following the Church s lead in relating the Psalm to the person being prayed for. Here is Psalm 119:1-7, which is recited during Vespers in the Office of the Dead: In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me. O Lord, deliver me from lying lip, from treacherous tongue. What will He inflict on you, with more besides, O treacherous tongue? Sharp arrows of a warrior with fiery coals of brushwood. Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar All too long have I dwelt with those who hate peace. With them that hated peace I was peaceable: when I spoke to them they fought against me without cause. The Song of Ascent begins, speaking about being in distress. In my distress I cried to the Lord... Distress represents distance from the Lord. The person in distress feels closed in upon. When death closes in upon a person, they often feel distress. And so what did Father Jarecki do? He cried out to the Lord: In my distress I cried to the Lord, and He answered me. The one The Fatima Crusader Winter

46 who cries out to the Lord is confident that he will be heard. When we hear the news of someone who has departed from this life, we, too, are often in distress. We cry out: What does this mean for the deceased? What does this mean for us, who are still living? When a father becomes absent, his children often ask: Where is my father? Where has my father gone? Father Jarecki was in distress. He has departed from this life. We are in distress. What do we do? We do what he did. We cry out to the Lord. I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me. (Psalm 120) The next three verses, Psalm 119:2-4, go together. We suffer through many painful experiences, but one of the worst sufferings of human existence is to be a victim of slander and falsehood. Father Jarecki often spoke about the sins of the tongue. When God created man, He was well aware of the tongue s potential to do harm and, therefore, God placed the tongue under a double lock. The first lock was the teeth and the second lock were the lips. Both locks were meant to curb the excesses of the tongue. Despite these precautions the deceitful tongue still manages to slip out. For the evil tongue wreaks a triple destruction it damages the one who speaks, it damages the one who listens, and it damages the one who is offended. And so Father Jarecki spoke out about the sins of the tongue. Father Jarecki used his tongue to help us curb our tongues. St. James the Apostle agrees; for this Apostle said: And if any man think himself to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his own heart, this man s religion is vain. (James 1:26) And so we were not surprised to learn that Father Jarecki died of cancer of the tongue. His tongue suffered for the sins of the tongue. The Song, Verse 5, continues: Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! Father Jarecki s sojourning was indeed prolonged or at times, at least, he thought so. He lived to see his 95th birthday. When we suffer and continue to suffer, day in and day out, we are inclined to think this suffering is prolonged and useless. We sometimes think there is no point to this 46 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

47 meaningless sojourn. But though a Son, Christ learned obedience through the things He suffered. Obedience not mere routine ritual sacrifice is what God desires. God often takes a long time to gently empty the sap of pride from the trees we call our lives. And so our sojourning sometimes seems prolonged. However: The Lord delayeth not his promise, as some imagine, but dealeth patiently for your sake, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to penance. (2 Peter 3:9) But for the true pilgrim, for the one whose heart is set upon the Lord, this life on earth is a place of pilgrimage and sometimes we are eager to be out of this body for, while we are in this body we are absent from the Lord. Saint Jerome writes: For believers, death is a blessing and possibly a protection from future misfortune... longer life is a greater hardship than death. Father Jarecki lived the hardships of a long life, especially in his final years. Returning to the Song of Ascent: I have dwelt with the inhabitants of Cedar: My soul hath been long a sojourner. Now as a result of these sins of the tongue, living in this world becomes a dwelling with the tents of Cedar. To dwell with the tents of Cedar was to live like the Nomadic Bedouins who, to this day, own no property. Rather, they pitch their tents in the Palestinian desert in a different place each day. Similarly, the wicked have no rest. They are always on the move. They neglect their Sunday Sabbath rest. They neglect their daily prayer and meditation a time to rest with God. To those who do not know the ways of the Lord, God swears an oath against such. The curse that God levels against unbelief is this: they will never enter into His rest. But for those who do believe, we have a promise. And God has promised those who trust Him to enter into His rest an eternal rest. Our Song of Ascent concludes with Verse 7: With them that hated peace I was peaceable: when I spoke to them they fought against me without cause. So, now, at the end of this Song, we hear why God s people must ascend out of exile. This Song was their first of 15 steps to The Fatima Crusader Winter

48 spiritual perfection. By singing this Psalm we realize that we are in exile. With this Song we yearn for the summits of God. But while living here below, believers are afflicted by the calumnies, the slander, the backbiting, the gossiping of their persecutors. These tormentors of the tongue seek to drag God s people down to destruction. The faithful must fight against this temptation in order to keep at peace. They must fight to ascend to the summit. God says in the Book of Job: The life of man upon earth is a warfare... Father Jarecki was a fighter. He fought against the sins of the tongue and he fought for the sake of righteousness. He fought to establish Our Lady s Peace Plan the Peace Plan of Fatima. He was a devoted son of Mary. In his parish days, he had the honor of being accused of being too devoted to Our Lady if that were possible. Father Jarecki s life was associated with Our Lady by being ordained in the same year that the controversial contents of the Third Secret of Fatima were delivered to Sister Lucia s bishop. And so we read in Saint Louis de Montfort s True Devotion, Verse 47: God and His Holy Mother are to raise up great saints who will surpass in holiness most other saints as much as the cedars of Lebanon tower above little shrubs. These great souls filled with grace and zeal will be chosen to oppose the enemies of God who are raging on all sides. they will fight with one hand and build with the other. With one hand they will give battle, overthrowing and crushing heretics and their heresies, [they will battle] sinners and their wickedness. With the other hand they will build the temple of the true Solomon and the Mystical City of God, namely, the Blessed Virgin...By word and example they will draw all men to a true devotion to Her, and though this will make many enemies, it will also bring about many victories and much glory to God alone. By saying this I do not mean to speak against Father Jarecki s Last Will and Testament. He didn t want anyone to think we shouldn t pray for him. Be assured, Father Jarecki we have prayed for you and will continue to pray for you. Rather, I am just making some parallels that seem to be apt. 48 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

49 MEMORIES Father Gruner (at front), Father Marcel Nault (to the right) and Father Jarecki (behind the altar boys) lead a Rosary Procession around the new Fatima Center building. From left, Father Marcel Nault, altar boy, Father Jarecki and, on the right of our Pilgrim Virgin Statue, Father Gruner finish leading the Rosary just before Father Gruner offered Holy Mass, inaugurating the new building into the services of the Fatima Center. However, as someone recently remarked: If Our Lady doesn t take Father Jarecki to Heaven, then there is no hope for us. But there is hope for us thanks, in part, to Father Jarecki. And so we pray that Father completes his Ascent to Heaven singing. Father Jarecki has fought a good fight. He has finished his course. He was a priest of Jesus Christ for 68 years 30 some years he said Mass for the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart. Father Jarecki has kept the faith. The Fatima Crusader Winter

50 Member of European Parliament States: Fatima Message IS Addressed to Political Authorities TOO The following are excerpts of two addresses given by a Member of the European Parliament, Mario Borghezio, at our Fatima: Your Last Chance Conference held in Rome from May 13-18, He points out that Our Lady of Fatima s Message also puts responsibility on the shoulders of politicians. He speaks about his upcoming initiatives to promote the Consecration of Russia in the European Parliament. Mr. Borghezio appeals to Catholics to join together in the public square to fight for our Christian culture and freedom against the enemies of our Christian heritage. By Mario Borghezio, Member of the European Parliament Iwould like to thank everyone for the great honor that was bestowed to my person, and I hope to the European Parliament as well, which unfortunately is causing much suffering and disappointments with its decisions decisions which I, together with other Members of Parliament, tried to oppose and resist in many different ways. I ve been a member of the European Parliament for 10 years now, and unfortunately I must say that its objectives and proposed solutions (like the ones in the bioethics field) go directly against every single value and principle that we, as Catholics, should defend. Just for this reason alone, I think my humble presence here has a deeper meaning. I would like to intervene here today as a Member of the European Parliament. Recently, I invited the author of the book The True Story of the Bilderberg Group to speak to the European Parliament after which we were accused by the supreme atheist authorities of the European Parliament of having profaned the laicism and the atheistic dominant culture of such an institution, because we brought in there the subject of the hidden powers who rule and decide over the destiny of the world by means of institutions and organizations like the one I just mentioned the Bilderberg Group. I would like to announce another important initiative that I would like to carry out as a Member of the European 50 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

51 Parliament, an initiative which is directly connected to the teaching of the Message of Fatima. I will ask the Catholic Members of the European Parliament (but nothing stops others from joining us in this initiative) to support and sign a motion in order to bring the Message of Fatima, through the European Parliament, to the attention of the over 400 million people of the European Union, represented by the 27 member States. Afterwards, I will also try to involve the Catholic members of the Europe-Russia Commission, of which I m an effective member, to hear and obey the Message of Heaven to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It is a duty of every single Catholic politician because I believe that the Message of Fatima is addressed mostly and fundamentally to whoever has political responsibilities! In this period of history, there are dangers threatening peace like a possible nuclear war, the problems with Iran and terrorism, from which Italy has suffered a huge blow just a few days ago but also dangers that, at a superficial view, might seem less important. I m talking about the financial and economic crisis. I believe that we should not be afraid to stand up and expose these dangers that threaten the world: the international usury implemented by the world banking system, which exploited the use of derivatives and subprime mortgages and caused the current financial crisis! It s a world banking scandal, and it has put my country, Italy, under control or worse under compulsory administration by the finance elites! Our people are now economically enslaved by them! When a Nation Loses Sovereignty Its People Are Reduced to Slavery We ve even lost our monetary sovereignty! And when a nation loses its sovereignty, it means that its people are really reduced to enslavement! For this reason, I believe that every one of us but most of all whoever has the responsibility to represent his people in an institutional assembly like the European Parliament has the duty to commit himself clearly on these subjects. I repeat it in front of this important congress: I believe that it is our duty to commit to this! I hope, by Friday, to bring here some other members of the Parliament who share our opinion, hopefully in The Fatima Crusader Winter

52 person but if not at least with a message from them. I hope for a direct and personal presence of them, because I would like to see them commit themselves in front of this important congress! My dream as I will explain later on is a congress like the one I m at here today, and possibly a beautiful pilgrimage to Strasburg, at the same Cathedral that Osama Bin Laden wanted to destroy! This is another very important point: the Europe of the Cathedrals, the Europe of the churches, the Europe of the humble Faith, the Europe of the people who work, pray, sacrifice and suffer and are now regrettably under control by the world banking system and its usury! Now, that Europe, the Europe of our people, is not dead, because WE are that Europe! Second Speech of Mr. Borghezio at Fatima: Your Last Chance In my opinion, these subjects should be taught both in schools and universities I m talking about a free culture, and I think we re succeeding in this thanks to a common work, mostly a meta-political one. We re trying to introduce this free culture in opposition to the dominant, mainstream one which is homogenizing information and politics to a pensee unique, a single thought in which everyone thinks the same! It Takes Courage To Speak Out This free culture is represented by men of courage, like Mr. Maurizio d Orlando, who will speak later on about economic subjects. Tomorrow I will be at the European Parliament to do my job. I talked to him about the great Professor of Economics, Mr. Auriti, who for many of us was a great master, a true Catholic, a man of tradition and the first one to raise in our country the question of the monetary sovereignty! He surely deserved an European audience! His teachings were an eye opener for many, including myself. The problem of monetary sovereignty, in fact, is at the center of all the other problems and concerns that have been outlined. Obviously, it s important what we say; but it s even more important to publicize and distribute documents, books and essays. This is the road we should follow, and from this point of view I think that, not only the organizers of this conference but all the apparatus behind it 52 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

53 (starting with Fatima TV) with the dozens of workers and the thousands of supporters who, every day, spread the Message of Fatima through your wonderful organization all represent a word of hope for what, today, is the most important thing to remember. This, I think, is one of the most important elements of the Message of Our Lady of Fatima, which is apart from everything else a message of Freedom! I would like to convey this to the European Parliament: we re talking about a financial crisis and about hidden powers who control or better plot against us! We ve been accused of being just conspiracy theorists, but their actions are nothing short of that: a conspiracy! At the beginning of the Conference I questioned about when the next meeting of the Bilderberg Group might take place and was advised it will take place in Washington Yes! You heard it right on May 31 and will last until June 2, during a very delicate time! At their meeting, they will discuss frightening issues like the invasion of Iran, the financial and euro crisis, and obviously terrorism all issues and dangers that were summarized by the Message of Fatima, which is therefore particularly relevant today. The Message of Fatima asks the world to open its eyes, mainly regarding freedom: terrorism, financial crisis, wars, even a nuclear one God be merciful to us three terrifying dangers that threaten humanity, and all three have to do with a fundamental point: freedom! Great Battle For Real Freedom This is our great battle for freedom that we must fight now. This battle for freedom is so important, but I see now that we ve been joined by another freedom warrior, the Honorable Mr. Roberto Fiore, who fought alongside me in the European Parliament! These people, these freedom warriors are constantly dismissed by the mass media. They try to hide their work and battles from the public. Their actions are somewhat sacrificed to the altar of mainstream information. Their good deeds are put in a corner or utterly forgotten. Well, we have so much need of these freedom workers, these humble but courageous freedom fighters! You are these freedom fighters and we need to win this battle! But to do so, we must stand united by using our political and meta-political skills in order to widen the front line The Fatima Crusader Winter

54 of the battle! We must enter into all these battles! As an example, this morning I remained outside of the Italian Parliament for almost half an hour. I was going to the Press Office of the Italian Parliament to bring them the press release for today s event but I remained half an hour to talk to a group of protesters who were making a demonstration outside the Parliament. They are the socalled esodati that is, people in their 40s and 50s who have seen their right to pension being postponed for years and years by our new government in the hands of banks! An outrageous act against all these honest people who were employed in banks, post offices, government organizations, etc, but who saw their right to pension crushed by the arrogance of our government! What is the most deserved right for a person, if not his right to a pension? Our Government Bends To Higher Powers Our government is a government of bankers who only care about themselves and want to satisfy the demands of the high powers above. As you know, I ve denounced to the European Parliament the very first act of our government, dated January 3, 2012, the very first big financial act of the Monti government, which was a payment of 3 billion euro to a powerful international bank for the derivatives that were sitting for years in the funds of The Ministry of the Treasury and who knows who put us in such a wonderful situation! So, it was their first concern, among raising taxes and harrasing, as never before, our small and medium enterprises, which are closing at an unprecedented rate, with many small entrepreneurs and artisans who are starting to commit suicide, because they are strangled by the economic crisis. What is our government s first decision? To make a nice gift to the international usury societies, by giving them 3 billion euro!!! These issues, as I mentioned, are discussed in documents, essays and books, among them the Bilderberg Group, that should be distributed and made known to everyone, and should be handed out during meetings with organizations, associations and awareness raising groups, because its contents are an eye opener. But most important of all, this scenario was predicted years and years ago by a prophecy! A prophecy so frightening that it could make 54 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

55 CRUSADERS MaryOF Only I Can Help You Where are the Crusaders of Today? Membership in the Crusaders of Mary is a way to convince all Catholics that the ONLY way to defend the Church against all her enemies, within and without, is by obeying Our Lady s requests, particularly Her request for the Consecration of Russia. Your prayers and monthly offerings will help us in our mission to foster and preserve the sacred teachings and changeless traditions of Our Holy Catholic Faith through making known Our Lady of Fatima s message. It will assist us in our efforts to convince bishops to obey Our Lady and to bring, as She promised, the peace of Christ to all men. The generous gifts of members also help us to promote Heaven s weapons the Rosary, Brown Scapular and Five First Saturdays Devotion as a true means of preventing the persecution and harrassment of Catholics around the world. As a Crusader of Mary, you will receive... z Newsletters to update you on your progress and nurture you spiritually z Prayer or spiritual assistance, by phone or by letter z Your personal intentions remembered in special Masses offered for members z Certificate of enrollment Our Lady needs you NOW! To become a member or for more information, just fill out the enclosed form or call us toll-free at The Fatima Crusader Winter

56 our nights sleepless the risk of a nuclear war and an escalation of warfare in Iran, a subject that has been discussed recently by the presidential candidates in the United States. And, obviously, there is the threat of the current economic crisis, which I consider one of the most vicious ones, because it deprives a person of his right to live decently. The Tragedies of a Fallen Economy See, right now many small entrepreneurs, artisans and workers are passing through a real and true tragedy: losing their jobs with no perspective of getting them back! Many of them already committed suicide because they thought they could no longer live decently (and only God knows if some of the new esodati will be the next ones to commit suicide!) or to be able to pay their employees, any longer! They have recourse to an extreme act, suicide, something that we, as Christian Catholics, cannot approve. It s an act that gives them the appearance of freedom from personal suffering, as well as from those of their parents, relatives or employees, who they can no longer pay! These dramatic events are happening now, as we speak, and represent the most devilish aspect of the current crisis, which was miraculously foretold by the Marian apparitions of Fatima! That s why I believe that introducing this subject at your conference was a great idea; this conference and the apostolate who is organizing it are fighting a right and courageous war, both within but also outside the Church, among the people. I strongly recommend you to continue your work among the young. My political movement was mainly successful among the young generation of our country. A few weeks ago I was privileged to talk about these subjects in front of many Patriotic Parties and Movements of Flemish universities. I enjoyed watching their intelligent eyes. They did not miss a single word of what we were telling them because those issues were not being taught to them in their universities (a common thing in our Italian universities as well). This is the road to follow we must make ourselves teachers and promoters of these hidden truths, of this great battle for freedom that Someone Above must have chosen us for! 56 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

57 the fatima center makes history special report La Madone de FaTIMa À Strasbourg h00 On Tuesday, October 23, Father Nicholas Gruner and Attorney Christopher Ferrara appeared at the headquarters of the European Union in Strasbourg, France. They spoke to support a motion for a declaration of the EU calling on Pope Benedict XVI to carry out the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The European Parliament The day in Strasbourg began with Father Gruner celebrating the immemorial Latin Mass at the historic Strasbourg Cathedral. After Mass, Father Gruner conducted a procession from the Cathedral to the European Parliament building where the official Press Conference was held for the Press and Members of the European Parliament. As is often the case with issues of high importance, there were snags from the beginning, the most irksome of which was the disappearance of the Fatima Center s signature Pilgrim Parlement Européen, Salle de Presse Virgin Statue blessed by the Pope at Fatima. The statue was part of Father Gruner s luggage accompanying him. Father Gruner left from the Toronto Airport to Strasbourg via Amsterdam with the clear understanding from KLM that it would arrive with him on Monday, October 22, in Strasbourg, a day before the event. Since it didn t show up when promised, on Monday afternoon, we got right to work. KLM Amsterdam was contacted, as well as KLM in Toronto. Fatima Center staff were assured that the statue had been found and would arrive, at the latest, by Tuesday morning, several hours before the 2 p.m. scheduled Conference. There were posters (as shown above) in the Strasbourg Cathedral and posters in the EU Parliament building proclaiming the arrival and presence of Our Lady of Fatima for that special Conference. The Fatima Crusader Winter

58 But, despite all the promises and all the work by the Fatima Center staff, KLM did not deliver. One MEP thought it was due to some technocrat working for the EU that prevented the Pilgrim Virgin Statue from coming in time. It took two days to finally show up in Strasbourg, and only after the official EU Conference was over. There was considerable consternation, since, for a time, the Fatima Center could not locate the statue at all. It finally arrived at the hotel in which Father Gruner stayed a day too late. Undeterred by the missing statue, Leonard Cecere, a Director of the Fatima Center, purchased a small bas-relief statue of Our Lady, which was carried in procession from the Cathedral to the EU Parliament. Italian television filmed the procession coming into the EU Parliament courtyard. Monica Tomassini, a volunteer at the Fatima Center s Rome office, who attended our presentation in Strasbourg, said: The image I will never forget because I was already inside the Parliament, going through security, and suddenly, looking through the glass windows of the building, I noticed outside in the huge courtyard people gathering in circles around Father Gruner, and Rai TGI TV trying to interview him. Our Lady found Her way to show up in triumph in the European institution mostly well-known to be secular. She continues: The courtyard gathering picked up interest of plenty of people working inside the building who kept glancing outside and smiling back or with surprise, and they would ask other people what was going on. Not one look of disdain or a single word of disrespect came from this dazed audience. Member of Parliament (MEP) Mario Borghezio spearheaded the motion for the declaration concerning the Consecration of Russia. Mr. Borghezio had not been completely familiar with the full Fatima Message until he attended our Rome conference in May 2012 and he was impressed by the imperative of Our Lady for the Consecration of Russia as the only means that will bring about world peace. He discussed with Father Gruner and other members of our staff the possibility of putting forward a Motion to European Parliament. 58 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

59 The Declaration was composed in Rome by Mr. Borghezio and Father Gruner in July 2012, and was finally presented to the European Parliament on October 23. Mr. Borghezio and MEP Lorenzo Fontana formally presented the proposal. As is standard procedure, both MEPs introduced the motion to a gathering of journalists and various MEPs in one of the official presentation rooms. Also present there, besides MEPs and accredited journalists and dignitaries, were the EU Parliamentary simultaneous translators 27 of them to translate into the various European languages which are in the European Union. The other MEPs who did not attend the special conference could always watch it later from the Parliamentary TV service which videotaped it. Christopher Ferrara and Father Gruner then each gave a brief presentation about the Consecration of Russia (see pages 2-19 of this issue) and answered questions from the selected audience. After the formal presentation, journalists continued to interview Father Gruner and Mr. Ferrara in the hallways and in the courtyard of the EU Parliament. Though the Motion was proposed in Strasbourg, France, the press in Italy covered it. On Thursday, two days after the Motion, the largest call-in talk show in Italian radio discussed the event. The radio host was not initially friendly to the proposal, but various callers who were knowledgeable on the subject telephoned and corrected the host s misunderstandings on-air. The following day, Mr Borghezio himself called the talk show to follow up on what took place in Parliament. It is said that this radio program reaches 4-to-5 million people per day. Thus our initiative spread the Fatima Message, and an explanation of the need for the Consecration of Russia, to a wide audience throughout Italy. The Motion (see page 19) needs about 350 Members of the European Parliament to vote in its favor or to sign it so that it becomes an official declaration of the EU Parliament. When that happens, it will be sent out through official diplomatic channels. It is estimated by our friends inside the EU Parliament that we have 50 votes in favor so far. As of now, we have a humble beginning of MPs willing to sign on, but much work needs to be done. Mr. Ferrara addressed the The Fatima Crusader Winter

60 Press Conference, stating: We come here before this political body with a request to essentially help us to break through the political log jam as we say in America taking place right now in the Vatican between those who are trying to prevent the Consecration of Russia, and those who have attempted to obtain it for more than 80 years... After the Press Conference, Mr Borghezio took the time to explain to our European coworkers some of the best ways to get Members of Parliament to sign on to this important and historic proposal. One of our Fatima workers summed up the event as follows: That a few humble volunteers were able to organize the event with the help of the Parliamentarians, and make the case for the spiritual reality of the consecration of Russia, inside a totally secular arena, was another proof of Our Lady s blessing on the apostolate s mission. The opportunity itself was nearly miraculous. Through the Sign of Her Heart, May She Conquer! The European Parliament initiative is yet another means to get the Fatima Message known on a grand scale. Millions of souls the world over are still not aware of the vital Message of Our Lady, Her warnings, Her requests, and Her promised remedy to our present malaise. Thanks to what we have already accomplished with this project, millions of souls have now heard about the Our Lady s message, including highranking members of government throughout the entire European Union. May Our Lady s message be received favorably by the European Parliamentarians. May this effort create a groundswell of awareness that will embolden the Pope and the bishops to finally recite a simple, five-minute prayer that will change history, prevent catastrophe, and lead countless souls to Heaven. The Fatima Message is not a talent to be buried in the field, but must be incessantly publicized and even shouted from the roof tops. We are pursuing every avenue, every means, every opportunity to achieve the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. 60 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

61 SYMBOLISM OF EUROPEAN UNION flag is Marian Below is a published report of October 22, 2012, one day before the introduction of a Resolution asking the European Union Parliament to encourage Pope Benedict XVI to consecrate Russia as requested by Our Lady of Fatima. As you can see from the following article, the Pilgrim Virgin Statue s arrival at the EU Parliament on October 23 had been widely publicized. RAI the Italian National TV Network of Italy sent a camera crew on October 23 to record the Pilgrim Virgin s entrance into the EU Parliament building. Below, this well known reporter connects the reason for Our Lady s visit with the Marian symbolism of the European Union flag. Taken from a Report by Giacomo Galeazzi, Vatican City Marian devotion versus Christianophobia: Our Lady of Fatima comes to Strasbourg. The twelve stars on the EU flag are an homage to Her and yet this will be Her first visit to the political headquarters of the EU. Tomorrow at 10 a.m., the statue of the Virgin Mary will be brought to the cathedral of the city that symbolizes European technocracy, by a group of pilgrims from all across the continent. The statue is also expected to come past the European Parliament building. Lorenzo Fontana and Mario Borghezio said the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in Strasbourg is a unique event. Few people know that the symbol of unified Europe has exquisitely Marian origins, as the European Union s official flag proves with its twelve stars and the Virgin Mary s blue and white colors. Unfortunately the two Italian Northern League MPs said Europe has deviated dangerously from the symbol s original source of inspiration, veering in a different direction, to benefit interests that have little to do with those of our people and with the Christian values the vast majority of Europeans uphold. Fontana and Borghezio presented a written statement in support of the requests which Our Lady of Fatima became a bearer of in order to save Europe and the world and ensure peace and prosperity. Father Nicholas The Fatima Crusader Winter

62 Gruner, founder of The Fatima Center, a non- profit organization, presented the proposal to the European Parliament. Mario Mauro, leader of the Italian People of Freedom Party (PDL), one of the parties that form part of the the European People s Party (EPP), stressed that the EU flag has twelve golden stars that form a circle set against a blue backdrop. The number of stars has nothing to do with the number of EU states but is an ancient numeric symbol that stands for harmony and solidarity. A competition was held in order to choose the flag and French Catholic designer Arsène Heitz won. The meaning of the flag s symbolism can be found in an image of Marian devotion which appears in the twelfth chapter of the Book of the Apocalypse: A huge sign became visible in the sky the figure of a Woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under Her feet and a crown of twelve stars upon Her head. The President of the competition commission was a Belgian Jew who had converted to Catholicism and was acutely sensitive to the biblical symbolism of the number 12. In ancient symbology, this number stood for completeness and perfection: the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 months of the year, the 12 Apostles, the 12 Tables of Roman Law. Heitz was inspired by the Miraculous Medal he wore around his neck: a medal named after an apparition of the Virgin Mary to St. Catherine Laboure in It was the Virgin Mary who told the nun to have twelve stars struck on the medal, in representation of the stars on the crown worn by the Woman in the Book of Revelation. Saint Bernadette Soubirous also had a necklace made of tin and string around her neck when the Virgin Mary appeared to her on 11 February 1858, dressed in white and blue. Arsène Heitz did not reveal the symbol s biblical origin until later on but claimed the number twelve was meant to symbolize ancient wisdom, a symbol of completeness. This interpretation stuck and the number was confirmed in the constitutional treaty. So the European flag has a powerful Christian and Marian significance. Tomorrow the Blessed Virgin Mary will take back the European Union! 62 The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013

63 The Fatima Crusader is Dependent on Your Tax-Deductible Donations You Can Help Us Continue to Spread the Truth Be as Generous as You Can Give alms for printing and circulating this vitally important magazine that promotes the FULL Fatima Message. MINIMUM DONATION TO HELP COVER PRINTING AND SHIPPING OF EXTRA COPIES OF THE FATIMA CRUSADER 5 - $ $ $ $140 Order extra copies of new and earlier issues to give your family, friends and neighbors and leave them wherever you go! Send us names and addresses of other people you want to receive the urgent Message of Fatima. Tell them to go to our new Website to learn more about Fatima: visit Get Your Copy of False Friends of Fatima TODAY! SPECIAL BULK PRICES 1 copy $14.95, 2-3 copies $10.00 each 4-9 copies $8.00 each, 10 or more copies $7.50 each WRITE TO US AT In the USA: The Fatima Center USA Inc: PO Box 1470 Buffalo, NY In Canada: The Fatima Center, 452 Kraft Road, Fort Erie, ON L2A 4M7 VISIT US ONLINE CALL US Toll-Free: Direct: The Fatima Crusader is published by the National Committee for the National Pilgrim Virgin of Canada. Editor: Coralie Graham. Directors: Father Nicholas Gruner, Leonard Cecere, Coralie Graham, Mary Sedore, and Miriam Dias. This printing, 330,000 copies. This magazine is sent free of charge, but a donation to cover the cost of postage and printing is appreciated. It is only through the generosity of our supporters who give more than the minimum that we are able to continue publishing this magazine. Your continued prayerful support is greatly appreciated State Route 30, Constable, NY North American Offices: U.S.A. Canada 452 Kraft Road, Fort Erie, ON L2A 4M7 OVERSEAS OFFICES: India New #57 (Old #33), 28th Cross Street, Indira Nagar, Adyar, Chennai, , Tamil Nadu, India reland Northern Ireland P.O. Box 165, Newry BT34 2WZ, Northern Ireland Southern Ireland Apt. C, School Road, Whitechurch, County Cork, Ireland or P.O. Box 323, North City Delivery Office, Cork City, Ireland Italy Piazza Risorgimento 14, Roma, Italia Philippines 1165 Vergara Street, Quiapo 1001, Metro Manila, Philippines Portugal Apartado 4066, Coimbra, Portugal Spain Apartado 4100, Vigo, España The Fatima Crusader Winter 2013 Printed in Canada

64 An Important Historical Day For Our Lady Of Fatima In Strasbourg F THE ATIMA CRUSADER ISSUE 104 WINTER 2012 See Photo Caption on Back Cover On a chilly Tuesday morning, October 23, 2012, Father Nicholas Gruner is awaiting the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, in front of the beautiful gothic Cathedral in the center of Strasbourg, France after offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass inside. With him are three Members of the European Parliament (MEP) who give their formal support for the official European Declaration in favor of the Consecration of Russia MEP Lorenzo Fontana (2nd from left); MEP Mario Borghezio (4th from left); and MEP Elisabetta Gardini (3rd from the right). For more information see inside. Inside This Issue Father Gruner Speaks to the European Union Parliament About the Message of Fatima for World Peace... 2 Our Lady Came Not to Announce Wars, But Prevent Them Look What You Can Do to Help Our Lady of Fatima Fatima Center Breaks into the Political Arena Part II: Make Everything You Do a Sacrifice Father Michael Jarecki: Under Our Lady s Mantle Fatima Message is Addressed to Political Authorities The Fatima Center Makes History Symbolism of European Union Flag is Marian... 61