Meeting of the Millennium: Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill

Pope Francis (L) addresses the audience after signing agreements with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, February 12, 2016. (REUTERS/Alejandro Ernesto/Pool)

Unity call as Pope Francis holds historic talks with Russian Orthodox Patriarch

• 13 February 2016
• From the sectionLatin America & Caribbean

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill have called for restored Christian unity between the two churches at historic talks in Cuba.

The meeting was the first between a Pope and a Russian Church head since the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity split in the 11th Century.

In a joint declaration, they also urged the world to protect Christians from persecution in the Middle East.

The Pope has now arrived in Mexico for a five-day visit.

A crowd of 300,000 braved the cold in Mexico City to welcome him to the country which has the world's second largest Catholic population.

The Pope was greeted at the airport by President Enrique Pena Nieto.

'Churches ravaged'

The two-hour talks on Friday between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill were held at Havana airport.

Patriarch Kirill goes on to Brazil and Paraguay.

The pair embraced and kissed each other at the start of their talks.

"I'm happy to greet you, dear brother," the Russian Church leader said.

"Finally," the pontiff said.

At a news conference after the meeting, Kirill said the discussions were "open" and "brotherly", while Francis described them as "very sincere".

"We hope our meeting contributes to the re-establishment of this unity wished for by God," their joint declaration said.

The document called on the world community to defend Christians, saying that "in many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated."

"Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed."

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At the scene: BBC's Oleg Boldyrev

In the swirl of Vatican officials and security dressed in black, Pope Francis was a lone figure in white on the heated tarmac of Havana airport as he arrived to do his part in healing one of the longest religious disputes.

Russian Patriarch Kirill had arrived shortly before. The venue was a compromise - it would be impossible to have the first such meeting in the Vatican or Moscow, and Catholic Cuba is still in the Russian sphere of influence.

Back home the Patriarch has to overcome the anger of conservatives who still consider Catholicism a deviation from true Christianity. Clearly, this is a criticism he feels safe to ignore now.

Minutes later, the Pope and the black-robed Patriarch were holding each other by the shoulders and smiling warmly. Then the leaders of Catholics and Russian Orthodox Christians sat down. It was almost business as usual.

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Russian state TV described the talks between the two men as the "meeting of the millennium".

In purely symbolic terms, this is an extraordinary moment, but it is perhaps even more significant in terms of Church diplomacy, the BBC's Will Grant in Havana says.

Patriarch Kirill has been the head of the Russian Orthodox Church since February 2009, while Pope Francis took up his role in March 2013.

The Roman Catholic Church has more than a billion members worldwide, while the Russian Orthodox Church numbers about 165 million.

The Russian Church is the largest and most powerful in the Orthodox faith, which is made up of a number of separate churches.

The encounter in Havana is not expected to lead to any immediate rapprochement between the Eastern and Western Churches.

Ahead of the meeting, the foreign policy chief of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Illarion, said there were still differences between the two churches, in particular on western Ukraine.

One particular issue is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which follows eastern church rites but answers to the Holy See.

The Russian Orthodox Church has considered western Ukraine its traditional territory, resenting papal influence there.

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Uneasy relations

Key dates:

• 1054 - Mutual excommunications by Western Church leader in Rome, Pope Leo IX, and Eastern Church leader in Constantinople, Patriarch Cerularius, lead to Great Schism
• 1274 and 1439 - Attempts to re-unite the two Churches at Councils of Lyon and Florence fail
• 1997 - Planned meeting between Pope John Paul II and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II cancelled

Why Cuba?

• Reportedly chosen because it is far from Rome, Istanbul and Moscow with all their historical baggage of schism
• Two leaders can focus on main issue: how to protect Christians - both Catholic and Orthodox - in Middle East and North Africa from persecution

Thorny issue

• Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in western Ukraine, which follows Eastern Church rites but answers to Vatican
• Russian Orthodox Church sees western Ukraine as its traditional territory, resenting papal influence

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Taken from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35565085

Saint Joseph at Fatima, September 13, 1917

 

 

The Fifth Apparition September 13, 1917

Our Lady of Fatima again urges the Rosary prayer and foretells the apparition of the Infant Jesus and St. Joseph. Rose petals fall from heaven.

The news of Fatima brought many onlookers to the Cova on September 13. For the first time the parents of the children were present. Lucy turned to the crowd and asked them to pray.

Toward midday the clear sky began to disappear and in the golden hue the stars were visible. A globe of light appeared and was advancing toward the Cova. Then the white cloud was seen nestling about the tree where the apparition had generally taken place. A shower of white flowers, as it seemed, was pouring down and vanished before touching the ground. Lucia was heard talking to the apparition.

Our Lady again insisted on the recitation of the Rosary dedicated to the Queen of the Rosary that the war might soon be ended. The promise of the great miracle which was going to happen on October 13 was renewed by Our Lady. This great miracle was to give testimony to all the apparitions at Fatima. St. Joseph and the Infant Jesus were to accompany the Lady at the next and last appearance, when the Lord would bless the people. Again the Blessed Lady promised an end to the war if her pleas for the frequent recitation of the Rosary were heeded. She also promised that in the future she would frequently come to this hallowed place to heal the sick in body and soul.

As the apparition was vanishing, the little seer cried out joyfully, "She is leaving . . . She is going up." Most of the pilgrims saw the globe of light in the direction of the disappearance.

 

....

 

Taken from: http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Our%20Lady%20of%20Fatima%20Apparition.html

For over 50 years, nuns at a convent in Rome pray for Russia

2010-08-12 09:51:42 Printable version

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August 12, 2010. Russian icons fill the walls of the small chapel of the monastery of Rome where nuns from around the world pray for Russia as part of a special effort for over 50 years now.



Since 1957, these nuns break their silence only to pray and sing, in their Slavic language. The rite they follow is of the Orthodox tradition, but they are Catholic. Their habit is also like that of Russian orthodox nuns.

The life of this cloistered convent reflects that of Orthodox convents. The only difference is that in these convents, they pray with and for the Pope.

Sister Elena (Italy)
"In the East they do not distinguish between cloistered convents and those with an active life with outside contact. The cloister is not understood as a separation. There are no grates. But the nuns live in the monastery and leave only for important matters."

Pope Pius XII had this convent established. His goal was to end communism in Russia, a country to which he was particularly attached. The same day Pius XII had been ordained a bishop, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to the shepherds calling for the conversion of Russia.

The monastery began with four nuns. All were Russian. A Jesuit priest was the superior and a Benedictine abbot taught the nuns the Byzantine rite. Although they had been baptized with the Orthodox rite, many had forgotten about the elements of it.

Sister Elena (Italy)
"The nuns were the first four to make up the community. They were all Russians because at first he wanted them to be Russian. They had fled Russia years earlier and brought with them painful stories. Two lived during the tsarist period and one of the others, a younger member, at the start of the Soviet era."

While Russia's modern day needs have changed, these nuns are still praying. They now focus on progress in ecumenical dialogue. In fact, many Orthodox patriarchs have passed through the convent. May expressed their condolences when the founder died a few months ago.

Proof of the good relationship they have with the Orthodox world is seen in the many icons they have received as gifts. This image of the Coronation of the Mother of God is one of the oldest.

Sister Elena (Italy)
"It was given by Metropolitan Nicodemus. He handled external relations of the Orthodox Church. When he came to Rome he always came to see the nuns. He was very open to them. When on behalf of the Orthodox Church he came to congratulate John Paul I on his election as Pope, he suffered a heart attack and died in the arms of the Pope."

Sister Helen is Italian and since her childhood has been passionate about Russian culture and the Byzantine rite. After a trip to Russia, she realized she had to do something for this country. So here, from the heart of the Church, they pray continually for Russia with the other nuns who have dedicated their lives on this special mission.

 

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Taken from: http://www.romereports.com/palio/For-over-50-years-nuns-at-a-convent-in-Rome-pray-for-Russia-english-2562.html

The Fatima Message



 

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Fatima is a call from the Mother of God for a renewed fidelity to penance and prayer, which basically is the message of the Gospel. Too, it brings out the desire of Our Lord that His Mother be better known, loved and venerated through devotion to her Immaculate Heart.

THE REQUESTS OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY OF FATIMA

1. THE DAILY ROSARY FOR PEACE:
   "Pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary to obtain peace in the world . . . for she alone can save it." (Our Lady, July 13, 1917)
   "God has placed peace in her hands, and it is from the Immaculate Heart that men must ask it." (Jacinta, shortly before her death)
   "When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: 'O Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy.' " (June 13, 1917)
   
   (Every Rosary increases Mary's power to crush the head of the Serpent and to destroy his evil power in the world.)
   
   
2. DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY:
   "Jesus wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it." (June 13, 1917)
   
   1. FIRST SATURDAY DEVOTIONS, which include:
      
      • reception of Holy Communion, and Confession (within 8 days before or after)
      • pray five decades of the Rosary
      • spend 15 minutes in meditation on the mysteries of the Rosary.
      
      (All the above to be offered up in reparation for sins and ingratitude against the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady.)
   2. OFFERING IN REPARATION THE SACRIFICES, TRIALS AND CROSSES OF LIFE, especially those sacrifices involved in keeping God's Commandments, and in fulfilling the duties of one's state in life - offering them through the Immaculate Heart of Mary in reparation to the Divine Majesty so offended by sin, and for the conversion of sinners.
      "Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say often whenever you make a sacrifice: 'O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.' " (Our Lady, July 13, 1917)
      "Pray much and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there is no one to make sacrifices for them." (Our Lady, August 19, 1917)
      
   3. CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. Any formula may be used which expresses a sincere confiding of oneself without reserve.

The Fatima Message:

• Penance
• Prayer
• Devotion to Immaculate Heart of Mary
Devotion of the Five First Saturdays
Why Five Saturdays?
Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Fatima-A True Perspective
Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
To Jesus through Mary
The Rosary (with Meditations)
Mary's Call to Prayer and Penance
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fatima Prayers
Hymns
Rosary Confraternity

 

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Taken from: http://www.rosary-center.org/fatima.htm

"Make sacrifices for sinners".

 



Apparition of 13 July 1917 As the July date approached Lucia continued to be troubled by the words of her pastor that the devil might be behind the apparitions. Finally, she confided to Jacinta that she intended not to go. When the day finally dawned, however, her fears and anxieties disappeared, so that the noon hour found her in the Cova with Jacinta and Francisco, awaiting the arrival of the beautiful Lady. The apparition of July 13th would prove to be in many ways the most controversial aspect of the message of Fátima, providing a secret in three parts which the children guarded zealously. The first two parts, the vision of hell and the prophecy of the future role of Russia and how to prevent it, would not be revealed until Sr. Lucia wrote them down in her third memoir, at the request of the bishop, in 1941. The third part, usually called the Third Secret, was only later communicated to the bishop, who sent it unread to Pope Pius XII. Video A few moments after arriving at the Cova da Iria, near the holmoak, where a large number of people were praying the Rosary, we saw the flah of light once more, and a moment later Our Lady appeared on the holmoak. "Lucia," Jacinta said, "speak. Our Lady is talking to you. "Yes?" said Lucia. She spoke humbly, asking pardon for her doubts with every gesture, and to the Lady: "What do you want of me?" I want you to come back here on the thirteenth of next month. Continue to say the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary, to obtain the peace of the world and the end of the war, because only she can obtain it. "Yes, "yes." "I would like to ask who you are, and if you will do a miracle so that everyone will know for certain that you have appeared to us." You must come here every month, and in October I will tell you who I am and what I want. I will then perform a miracle so that all may believe. Thus assured, Lucia began to place before the Lady the petitions for help that so many had entrusted to her. The Lady said gently that she would cure some, but others she would not cure. "And the crippled son of Maria da Capelinha?" No, neither of his infirmity nor of his poverty would he be cured, and he must be certain to say the Rosary with his family every day. Another case recommended by Lucia to the Lady's assistance was a sick woman from Atougia who asked to be taken to heaven. Tell her not to be in a hurry. Tell her I know very well when I shall come to fetch her." Make sacrifices for sinners, and say often, especially while making a sacrifice: O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offences committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As Our lady spoke these words she opened her hands once more, as had during the two previous months. The rays of light seemed to penetrate the earth, and we saw as it were a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now following back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. (it must have been this sight which caused me to cry out, as people say they heard me do). The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying nad repellant likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals. terrified and as if to plead for succor, we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us, so kindly and so sadly: You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. It is to save them that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace. This war will end, but if men do not refrain from offending God, another and more terrible war will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night that is lit by a strange and unknown light [this occurred on January 28, 1938], you will know it is the sign God gives you that He is about to punish the world with war and with hunger, and by the persecution of the Church and the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to the world to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that on the First Saturday of every month Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins-of the world. If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, then Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, bringing new wars and persecution of the Church; the good will be martyred and the Holy Father will have much to suffer; certain nations will be annihilated. But in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and the world will enjoy a period of peace. In Portugal the faith will always be preserved... [Here belongs the part of the Secret of which Cardinal Sodano spoke at the Mass of Beatification, and which the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith will publish, with commentary.] Remember, you must not tell this to anyone except Francisco. When you pray the Rosary, say after each mystery: O my Jesus, forgive us, save us from the fire of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need. "Is there anything more that you want of me?" No, I do not want anything more of you today. Then as before Our Lady began to ascend towards the east, until she finally disappeared in the immense darkness of the firmament. The possession of the Secret proved to be very great trial for the three young ones. Family, neighbors, followers of the apparitions, even the clergy, tried unsuccessfully to get them to reveal it. Finally, as the day of the August apparition approached even the civil government, which was secular and virulently anti-clerical, alarmed by the numbers of people taking an interest in the Fátima events, attempted to wrest it from them and in the process expose the Church as a collaborator in a fraud.

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"... rediscovery of the relevance” of the Fatima message

 



Pontificate of Pope Francis consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima

  

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Lisbon, Portugal, May 14, 2013 / 12:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- At the Holy Father’s personal request, Cardinal Jose Polycarp, the Patriarch of Lisbon, consecrated the pontificate of Pope Francis to Our Lady of Fatima on her feast day.

Addressing Our Lady of Fatima during the ceremony, Cardinal Polycarp said, “Grant (Pope Francis) the gift of discernment to know how to identify the paths of renewal for the Church, grant him the courage to not falter in following the paths suggested by the Holy Spirit, protect him in the difficult hours of suffering, so that he may overcome, in charity, the trials that the renewal of the Church will bring him.”

In statements to CNA, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said, “As we know, an important celebration takes place on May 13 in Fatima during which it is normal that the pontificate be entrusted to Our Lady of Fatima.”

The consecration took place at the Portuguese shrine dedicated to Our Lady, with thousands of the faithful present.

Cardinal Polycarp recalled that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI visited Fatima and expressed his desire that Pope Francis do so as well.

“From here, at this altar of the world, he will be able to bless humanity, to make the world of today feel that God loves all men and women of our time, that the Church loves them and that you, Mother of the Redeemer, lead them with tenderness on the paths of salvation,” the cardinal said.
The path of Church renewal leads to a “rediscovery of the relevance” of the Fatima message and of the need to “converse with God,” he explained.

“Contemporary humanity needs to feel loved by God and by the Church,” Cardinal Polycarp said. “If humanity feels loved, it will overcome the temptation to violence, materialism, estrangement from God, loss of direction, and it will be able to advance towards a new world in which love will prevail.”
During the Mass, Bishop Antonio Marto of Leiria-Fatima read a message from Pope Francis to the
Apostolic Nunciature in Portugal.

“The Holy Father said he was pleased with the initiative and expressed deep acknowledgment for satisfying his desire united in prayer with all the pilgrims of Fatima, upon whom he whole-heartedly confers the apostolic blessing,” the message stated.

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Taken from: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pontificate-of-pope-francis-consecrated-to-our-lady-of-fatima/

"Our Lady wants us to stay close to her Divine Son in the Eucharist.”

 



Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Francis and Us

Fatima Is More Important Than Ever

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by Joseph Pronechen Monday, May 13, 2013 4:27 PM .... 

As we honor Our Lady of Fatima today, the 96th anniversary of her first appearance to the three children in Portugal, one new and one little-known but major fact should give us a real boost to listen to her.

The new?

Pope Francis requested that Cardinal José Policarpo, the archbishop of Lisbon, consecrate his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima, which the cardinal was going to do at the shrine along with the Portuguese bishops at the end of the Mass of the International Anniversary Pilgrimage.
This act of Pope Francis should make us take notice because he’s showing us how important to him the significance of Our Lady of Fatima and her message is in these dire times for peace in the world.
The little-known, major fact?
This first apparition on May 13 took place on a day celebrated liturgically back then as the feast of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
That title was given to Our Lady by St. Peter Julian Eymard, known as "The Priest of the Eucharist," who founded the Congregation of the Most Blessed Sacrament on May 13, 1856.
What does Franciscan Father Andrew Apostoli of the Friars of the Renewal have to say about this?
In his book Fatima for Today (Ignatius 2010), Father Apostoli tells us: “Since heaven’s choices are never made randomly, we must assume that Jesus was sending his mother with a message of his love and peace on a feast day that reminds us of the awesome gift he had already given us: his precious Body and Blood in the Eucharist.”
At that same first apparition on May 13, our Lady stressed to the children: Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.
It is the request — the directive — she gave to us through them in each of her six apparitions at Fatima. She even went on to identify herself, saying, I am the Lady of the Rosary.
Put Our Lady’s two titles together at Fatima and she puts together for us the Eucharist and Marian devotion as the answer to all the world’s woes.
“The Mother of God herself came from heaven with a message of hope and a plan for victory,” says Father Apostoli.
He reminds that even before our Lady appeared she sent a powerful lesson in Eucharistic devotion given by the Angel of Peace’s third apparition to the children to prepare them for our Lady and her messages.
“This apparition would instill in the young children a very ardent devotion to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament,” says Father Apostoli.
So what happened?
The Angel held a chalice with a host suspended in the air over it. Drops of blood fell from the host into the chalice. The Angel left the chalice and host suspended in the air, knelt, repeated three times:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners.
Then the angel rose and gave the host to Lucia and the Precious Blood to Jacinta and Francisco as he said, Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ terribly outraged by the ingratitude of men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God.
Father Apostoli explains that from this apparition we learn the importance of Catholic Eucharistic devotion. The angel was teaching the children how Eucharist adoration, receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, “are the essential elements of our Catholic devotion to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.”
Then at our Lady’s May 13 apparition, she opened her hands bathing the children in a heavenly light that the children knew was the light of God, and Lucia described that “By an interior impulse of grace we fell to our knees, repeating in our hearts: ‘Oh, Holy Trinity, we adore You. My God, my God, I love You in the Blessed Sacrament.’”
After that, our Lady gave that first of the repeated directives: Say the Rosary every day, to bring peace to the world and an end to the war.
Then in her July 13 apparition, our Lady puts both together by telling the children of the Communion of Reparation, which, as Father Apostoli explains, is “an essential part of her request for the Five First Saturdays devotion. Our Lady wants us to stay close to her Divine Son in the Eucharist.”
And look what Blessed John Paul II had to say in his encyclical Ecclesia De Eucharistia (On The Eucharist in Its Relationship to the Church): “Mary is a ‘woman of the Eucharist’ in her whole life.”
And again, “If the Church and the Eucharist are inseparably united, the same ought to be said of Mary and the Eucharist.”
And we know also how much John Paul II urged us to pray the Rosary, and how he credited Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life from the assassin’s bullet.
Seems like what John Paul said, and what Benedict would also say, and what Pope Francis is now doing at Fatima on May 13, 2013, is a fulfillment of St. John Bosco’s famous dream of the turbulent waters being calmed by the Holy Father firmly anchoring the ship of the Church to the pillars of the Eucharist and Marian devotion.
So, beginning on this feast of Our Lady of Fatima, also once celebrated liturgically as Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament, we need to heed her message to have a profound reverence for the Body and Blood of her son in the Blessed Sacrament to make reparation for the outages and sacrileges committed against the Eucharist, and to pray the Rosary daily to bring that peace she promised.
As Father Apostoli affirms, “We, too, need to put into practice our Lady’s requests to pray the Rosary daily for peace in our times and an end to the culture of death so prevalent today.”
By the way, Archbishop Orani João Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro said he intends during this pilgrimage to consecrate to Our Lady of Fatima the work of World Youth Day to be held at Rio de Janeiro on July 23-28.

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Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/our-lady-of-fatima-pope-francis-and-us#ixzz2TDccpP8A

Pope's Pontificate to be consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima on May 13th



 

2013-04-18 16:33:28 Printable version

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April 18, 2013. (Romereports.com) Just hours after being elected, Pope Francis asked Portuguese Cardinal José Policarpo for a special request. The Pope asked the patriarch of Lisbon to consecrate his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima.

In the month of April, Portuguese bishops held their annual meeting, where they all agreed to carry out the consecration ceremony together.

The celebration will held on May 13th and it will be led by Cardinal Policarpo, who also serves as the president of Portugal's Episcopal Conference. The bishops have also invited pilgrims to take part in the ceremony to honor the 'Pope's pastoral service.'

 

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Taken from: http://www.romereports.com/palio/popes-pontificate-to-be-consecrated-to-our-lady-of-fatima-on-may-13th-english-9811.html

New Homiletic and Pastoral Review article undermining Virginity 'in partu'‏

Dear [Fr Arthur Calkins],

I have finally got round to reading your very fine new article upholding Our Lady's Virginity in partu against Fr. Zimmermann et al. Congratulations!

Unfortunately, as you can see by scrolling down, the usually very orthodox Homiletic and Pastoral Review (now online only) has just published an article by a layman with a Master's degree in Theoology, defending Archbishop Mueller's views on this subject. The author quotes them extensively, giving a lengthy translation of that whole section of Mueller's German dogma text. But it seems to me that this fuller exposition of Mueller's views, far from reassuring us that he holds to the Tradition on this matter, only confirms the already widely circulated criticisms of those who claim that he fails to do so.

While Mueller acknowledges that it is of faith that Mary was a virgin "before, during and after the birth of Jesus", his interpretation of the second of these phases (in partu) falls foul not only of that Holy Office monitum you refer to (which I didn't previously know about), but also - and more seriously - of Vatican I's solemn anathema against giving a sense to any Catholic dogma which is different to the sense which the Church has perennially ascribed to it (cf. DS 3043 = Dz 1818).

Basically, Mueller is 'demythologizing' the virginity in partu; for he says it is "not about" biological "anomalies" such as Mary's hymen not being broken. It's just about 'spiritual' realities (grace, salvation, or whatever). But that "biological" aspect is precisely what the Church has always meant in speaking of the virginity in partu. It was something miraculous. Obviously it could not possibly mean anything so gross as that Mary had no sexual intercourse with any man during the birth of Jesus! For that is already crudely obvious to everyone as knowable from elementary unaided human reason; so it could not possibly have ever been proposed by the Church as part of our faith, as something we are to believe on the revealing authority of God's word!

It looks to me as if the HPR, in publishing such an article, is falling into human respect ("Mueller is now such a Big Shot in the Church that, whatever he says, we're going to defend him").

As you can see if you click on the link below and read Mr. Michael Miller's apologia for Mueller's opinions, there is space at the end of the article for readers' comments. One reader has already referred to your article as an antidote. But I think it would be good if you considered adding a comment of your own.

Fraternally in the Infant Jesus and his Ever-Virgin Mother,

[Fr Brian Harrison]

10th December 1925: Communion of Reparation

Sr. Maria Lucia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart Visionary of Fatima, 1907-1925 ©Recompiled by SCTJM
"Jesus wants to use you to let others know and love me. He wants to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world."

Lucia was the oldest of the visionaries. She entered religious life with the St. Dorothy Sisters in Pontevedra and later entered the Carmelites in Coimbra, Portugal until her death on February 13th, 2005.

During her religious life she receives apparitions of the in which the Blessed Virgin reveals to her :
the petition of Our Lady of the Five First Saturdays of Reparation
the vision of the Trinity with the petition of the consecration of Russia
 

Five First Saturdays in Reparation

History
 

Saturdays are traditionally dedicated to Our Lady. Since the beginning of Christianity, the Church has considered Saturdays to be dedicated to intensifying our devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and our mother. Many people consecrated the first Saturday of the month to Mary for this intention and in reparation for the blasphemies and sacrileges against her from sinners and false teachings.

Pope Saint Pio X, on July 12th, 1905, promulgated a decree praising this practice, and moreover, he granted indulgences for it. This same year, in the month of November, the Holy Father again blessed and granted indulgences to the sons and daughters of the Heart of Mary and the Confraternity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who traditionally had dedicated each first Saturday to repairing the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The Blessed Virgin requests the Five First Saturdays of Reparation. The Blessed Virgin said: "To prevent the war, I will come to ask for the consecration to Russia to my Immaculate Heart and communion in reparation on the first Saturdays of the month." Our Lady promised Lucia on July 13th, 1917 that a future manifestation would occur in relation to the practice of the first five Saturdays of the month. This was fulfilled on December 10th, 1925.

Lucia was a postulant in the Convent of St. Dorothy in Pontevedra, Spain when she had the apparition of our Blessed Mother. She was standing over a cloud of light with the Child Jesus at her side. The Blessed Virgin put one hand on Lucia's shoulder, while her other hand sustained her Immaculate Heart that was surrounded with thorns. The Child Jesus said: "Have compassion on the Heart of your Blessed Mother. It is surrounded with thorns that ungrateful men pierce each moment, and there is no one that is willing to offer an act of reparation to take the thorns away."

Our Lady immediately said to Lucia: "Look, my daughter. My Heart is surrounded with thorns that ungrateful men pierce unceasingly with their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me and announce that for all those, who for five consecutive first Saturdays, confess, receive Holy Communion, pray the Holy Rosary and accompany me for15 minutes by meditating the mysteries of the Holy Rosary with the intention to do reparation, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with the graces needed for salvation."

The Elements of the First Saturday Devotion

1- Confession: Essential for the journey of repentance and conversion.
2- Eucharist: The first fruit of this devotion is the worship of the Holy Eucharist in three ways: sacrifice, communion, and adoration.
3-Holy Rosary prayer with two aspects: prayer, meditation. Five mysteries are to be prayed.
4- The promise of salvation

Meditation of the Holy Rosary:
The vocal prayer of the Rosary has always been fundamentally based on the interior act of meditation on the mysteries of the life, sufferings, and glory of our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The prayer that our Lady requested us to pray after each mystery is : "Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy." In this prayer, we are praying for the conversion and eternal salvation of the souls of sinners. These sinners may be very obstinate in their sins, refusing to repent. Some are unknowingly in mortal sin and are at the precipice of death. Finally, there are those who because of circumstances of location or education, are far from the possibility of finding a priest and receiving the sacraments, even in their last moments. The graces and merits from the reparation and prayers of Christians who are united in meditation with the Heart of Mary, Mother and refuge of sinners, are especially for these poor souls "most in need of God's mercy."

Promise of Salvation:
To those who practice this devotion of the First Five Saturdays of the Month, Our Lady promised: "I promise to assist them at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation." She does not promise eternal salvation, but the graces necessary for salvation. There are many testimonies from souls particularly devoted to the Heart of Mary who receive knowledge from heaven about the proximity of their hour of death. It is not necessarily an announcement of death, but a new awareness and need to receive the sacraments with more dignity, a purer intention in all their actions, and an intensification of charity and dedication to their apostolate. The Heart of Mary perfects the souls of her children until they reach their decisive encounter with their Divine Savior.

Spirit of Reparation

All the acts of devotion offered should be donewith the intention of repairing the offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Those that offend Mary commit a double offense because they offend her and her Divine Son. As a result, their salvation is in danger.

This reparation emphasizes our personal responsibility towards sinners who do not pray and do not do reparation for their sins. This devotion represents a social responsibility and reminds us that in order to reach God, we should love our neighbor and try to save their souls. Also, it teaches us an excellent way of doing this - by repairing the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Some worry about forgetting to offer the intention of reparation on one of the First Saturdays of the month. This can be avoided by making the resolution to offer the reparation at the beginning of the first First Saturday.

"My God, I believe, I adore, I hope, and I love you. And I ask forgiveness for those who do not believe, do not adore, and do not love you."(the angel to the shepherd children at Fatima)

Why the Five Saturdays ?

During her prayer time, our Lord revealed to Lucia the reason for the Five Saturdays of Reparation:
"My daughter, the reason is simple; it concerns the 5 forms of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary":

1-Against her Immaculate Conception.
2- Against her virginity
3- Against her Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to receive Mary as Mother of all humanity.
4- Against those that publicly instill and induce indifference, hate and scorn towards our Immaculate Mother in the hearts of children.
5- Against those that insult or directly offend her sacred images.

"This is why, my daughter, that before the offended and insulted Immaculate Heart, my mercy was moved to request this small reparation in recognition to Her, in order to grant forgiveness to souls who go through this disgrace of offending My Mother. But you, at least, try unceasingly, with your prayers and sacrifices, to move my mercy for these souls." It is important to establish a fixed time for this devotion; in this case, it is the First Saturdays of the month. This will help us establish a habit, just as the Church leads our spiritual lives through liturgical cycles: lent, advent, etc . . .

The Importance of this Devotion

On February 1926, the Child Jesus appeared to Lucia asking her if she promoted the devotion to our Blessed Mother. Lucia talked about the difficulties she encountered in order to fulfill this mission. Jesus responded that His grace is sufficient.

In Fatima, the Blessed Mother's desire was to recommend this devotion, specifically "Five First Consecutive Saturdays," promising salvation to those who practice it. It is God who is offended by each sin. For this reason, it is also God the ultimate object of each act of reparation from Christians. We would not comprehend the celestial message given at Fatima in this essential element of reparation unless it is directed to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lord Himself says: "Have compassion for your Mother's Heart. It is surrounded with thorns that ungrateful men pierce at each moment, and there is no one who does acts of reparation to remove them." The predestination of Mary in her Divine Maternity, her active collaboration in all the work of redemption, her mission to be the spiritual mother of all the Church and of each person redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ constitute the basic laws of divine providence for the effective application of redemption in each soul. Therefore, devotion to her Immaculate Heart should be intensified and promoted. As a result, whoever offends our Mother, either by blasphemies, by rejecting the greatness in her mission of co-redemption, or by trying to demote the devotion of Our Lady in the Church or in souls, offends God and His providence at the same time.

A Christian who understands how vile this type of offenses are tries to do reparation by intensifying his personal devotion and efforts so the Reign of the Heart of Mary may be established. This is how love responds. Both aspects of Christian reparation, first directed to God and subordinated to the Heart of Mary, are complementary manifestations of one same reality and one same Spirit.

Fruits of this Devotion

In all true devotion to Our Lady (devotion to her Immaculate Heart is a perfect expression of true devotion) there always exists an effective invitation to return our hearts to Christ Our Savior.

When it is about those who have lost grace, it is a call to conversion, to the life of grace and eternal salvation.
When it is about the souls that live in God's grace, the true devotion to Mary gives them a strong push to advance towards holiness creating in them an apostolic Christian spirit.

This is a constant law in the Church's vitality. Whether it is from Marian Institutions, Marian Shrines, movements or Marian Pilgrimages, there has always been an irresistible call from Mary's Maternal Heart to return these souls to Christ.

The practice of the First Saturdays of reparation corresponds to this new chapter of sanctification and the eternal salvation of the redeemed.

Vision of the Trinity and the petition for the consecration of Russia

In June 1929, Lucia, already a religious of St. Dorothy, describes the following apparition:

" . . . . suddenly the entire convent Chapel was illuminated in a supernatural light, and a Cross of light appeared over the altar and reached the ceiling. On the superior part the face of man was seen and his body down to the waist. A dove of light was over his chest and nailed to the Cross was another man. Suspended in air over his waist I was able to see a chalice with a large Host. Drops of Blood from the face of Jesus Crucified and His pierced side fell into the the chalice, dripping from the Host. Beneath the right arm on the Cross was Our Lady. It was Our Lady of Fatima, with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without thorns or roses, but with a crown of thorns and flames. Underneath the left arm on the Cross, big letters, similar to crystal water came down to the altar forming these words: Grace and Mercy.'

Lucia said : "I understood it was the mystery of the Blessed Trinity that was revealed to me, and I perceived inner light about this mystery which I'm unable to reveal. The Blessed Virgin told me: The time has come in which God asks the Holy Father that in union with all the bishops of the world the consecration of Russia to my Heart be made, I promise salvation through this means.' Preventing diffusion of error and advance its conversion."

Consecration of Russia by the Holy Fathers

Dec. 1940-------Lucia receives permission to write the Holy Father Pio XII, asking for this consecration.
Oct. 1942------Pope Pío XII consecrates the world mentioning specially Russia.
July 1952------Special Consecration only of Russia.
1965------------Pope Paul VI also consecrates Russia.
1984------------Pope John Paul II consecrates the world to the Immaculate Heart.
2000------------Pope John Paul II consecrates the III Millennium to the Immaculate Heart.

Many times these consecrations were considered to be incomplete because they were not done in union with the bishops of the world. The consecration that John Paul II, did of the world in 1984, in Rome before the image of Our Lady of Fatima was according to Lucia, in conformity with Mary's desires. All the bishops of the world were formally invited by the Holy Father John Paul II to unite to him in this consecration.

Victims souls of the Fatima message : The victims souls embraces with heroic love grate sacrifices in favor of Mary's intention. The most known victims souls of Fatima are Blessed Alejandrina de Costa and Aminda de Jesus. She lived 50 years in total paralysis, praying from her bed in a small room in Fatima so that the message of Our Lady might be received, especially by the youth. We had the great gift of knowing her personally, and the one she considered "my little friend". Arminda, after great sufferings and being detached from her greatest desire to die in Fatima, left for the House of the Father in January 2001.

"'The victory, if it comes, will come through Mary.' As I became more involved in the problems of the universal Church, I came to have a similar conviction: On this universal level, if victory comes it will be brought by Mary. Christ will conquer through her, because He wants the Church's victories now and in the future to be linked to her."(Bl. John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, p. 114)

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Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

In March, 1984, our Holy Father, Pope John Paul ll, in communion with the bishops, consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Then, on October 8, 2000, with over 1,200 Cardinals and Bishops, our Holy Father entrusted the world and the New Millennium to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At Fatima, Our Lady said: "Jesus wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world." We fulfill Our Lady's request by Total Consecration to Jesus, through her Immaculate Heart. Souls consecrated to our Holy Mother are under her protection in a special way, and receive great graces. She will bring us closer to Jesus then we ever could get on our own. Every soul that completes this consecration brings us closer to the day that Our Lady prophesized at Fatima: "In the end, my Immaculate Heart will Triumph."   http://www.2heartsnetwork.org/freelit.htm