INTRODUCTION
THE HELL WITH SOULS?
by Robert P. Banaugh, PhD.
When Pope Paul VI, in his speech closing Vatican Council II, proudly proclaimed: "We too now have the
‘cult of man’ even more than others," it signaled the end of an era in the Catholic Church. Previously all
the prayers, rites and activities of the Church were devoted to the salvation of souls, the specific purpose for
which Jesus Christ established the Church. To insure His purpose was fulfilled, the salvation of souls was made
the basis of all Canon Law. However, in the new ‘cult of man’ Church, Our Lord’s purpose has been abandoned for
the new mission of working for the improvement of the temporal welfare of mankind. In accord with this new
mission, most of the Church’s prayers, rites and activities are now devoted to man’s temporal welfare and even
churches are being remodeled to reflect this new mission. The abandonment of a concern for the eternal welfare
of souls has been so complete that it is an implicit sanction of universal salvation.
The manifestation of the new "cult of man" Church is most obvious in the irenical attitude toward sin.
This attitude is a consequence of Pope John XXIII’s request at the opening of the council when he instructed the
council to avoid anathemas. The pope declared the Church now "prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy,
rather than of the arms of severity." He further declared She will resist error "by showing the validity
of her teaching, rather than by issuing condemnations."1 Pope John’s
irenical teaching followed from his opinion that the sophistication of modern man was now such that modern man
is so profoundly affected by false and harmful ideas he will condemn them. Since the council, the Church has enforced
this policy and the enforcement is clearly evident in the new Catechism of the Catholic Church where the "Admonishing
of Sinners" is conspicuously absent from the Spiritual Works of Mercy which are specifically for the benefit
of the eternal welfare of souls. (See item #2447 of the Catechism.) Jesus frequently admonished sinners,
and throughout the history of the Church, the admonishment of sinners has enabled the salvation of countless numbers
of souls. Thus sermons and articles in Catholic periodicals in the pre-conciliar Church contained words like: "heaven",
"hell", "purgatory", "chastisement", "mortal sin", "venial sin",
etc. and phrases like "the need to make reparation for one’s sins and/or for the sins of others", "go
forth and sin no more", "salvation of souls", "consequences of sin to one’s eternal soul,"
etc. Such words and phrases served to remind the faithful of the eternal consequences of sin thus severely reducing
the commission of sin and so assuring the salvation of many souls. However, in today's irenical Church, such words
and phrases are absent as they are supposedly repugnant to modern sophisticated man. Today's sermons and articles
in Catholic periodicals are replete with words and phrases like: "caring", "sensitive",
"non-judgmental", "joyous", "equality", "love yourself", "love one
another", "love peace", "celebrate life", "don’t worry", "sense of brotherhood",
and the incessant repetition of the phrases: "God loves you", "God is a caring God" and "God
is a loving God." It should be noted the last three phrases are not followed by statements asserting that
in order for one to accept God’s bountiful love, one must return that love by obeying His commandments and the
time honored teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.
So insistent is the Post Vatican Council II Church on not reminding the faithful of the consequences of sin to
their eternal souls that it removed from the Novus Ordo liturgy many prayers referring to "sins" and
to the "salvation of souls". For example, in that liturgy the confiteor, which is a public confession
of our sins, is no longer recited. In the Tridentine Latin Mass of Pope St. Pius V, hereafter called the Latin
Mass, to insure the members of the congregation were made aware of sin and its eternal consequences, the confiteor
was said three times!. It was said by the priest soon after the start of the Mass, and immediately repeated by
the altar boys as representatives of the congregation. Then just prior to the distribution of Holy Communion the
confiteor was recited a third time by both the altar boys and the congregation.
Other reminders of sin and its effect that have been deliberately deleted from the Old Mass are readily cited.
In the old Mass immediately after the reading of the Gospel, the priest always said: "May our sins be blotted
out by the words of the Gospel." Now the words are omitted. In the old Mass the words of the Offertory were:
"Accept, O Holy Father, almighty and eternal God, this spotless host, which I, Thine unworthy servant, offer
unto Thee, my living and true God, to atone for my numberless sins, offenses and negligences; on behalf of all
here present and likewise for all faithful Christians living or dead, that it may profit me and them as a means
of salvation unto life everlasting. Amen." In contrast the corresponding prayer in the Novus Ordo liturgy
contains no mention of sin or salvation. The words are; "Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through
your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made. It will become for
us the bread of life. Blessed be God for ever." Such words imply a concern for the temporal welfare of the
faithful rather than a concern for the eternal welfare of their souls. Perhaps the greatest contrast of a concern
for souls, as revealed by a comparison of the two different sets of prayers used in the liturgies, is the prayer
just prior to Holy Communion. In the Latin Mass the prayer is: "Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter
under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." It is clear and unmistakable that this
prayer is specifically for the welfare of ones soul. In the Novus Ordo liturgy, the corresponding prayer is: "Lord
I am not worthy to receive you. But only say the word and I shall be healed." This prayer has no mention of
the word "soul" and coupled with the repeated emphasis that the Novus Ordo liturgy is a community meal,
the prayer strongly suggests a physical healing rather than a spiritual healing. The language in the Latin Mass
prevents any such inference. Furthermore, in the Novus Ordo liturgy, the prayer is said only once whereas in the
Latin Mass the corresponding prayer is said three times thus even more emphasizing a concern for souls. Because
of Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, that is, the manner in which we pray reflects what we believe, such comparisons clearly
demonstrate the concern of the pre-conciliar Church for the salvation of souls in contrast to the abandonment of
that concern by the conciliar church.
The fact that Jesus did indeed establish His church for the salvation of souls is readily shown by the following.
Item #138 of The St. Joseph edition of the Baltimore Catechism of the Catholic church is:
Why did Jesus Christ found the Church?
Answer:
Jesus Christ founded the Church to bring all men to eternal salvation.
This short and succinct answer clearly states Our Lord established His Church for the specific purpose of enabling
souls to be forever with Him in His heaven. Since Jesus Christ is God by virtue of His being the Second Person
in the Holy Trinity, His purpose is a command of God. Thus, the Catholic Church is commanded by God to strive only
for the salvation of souls. The biblical substantiation of the assertion Jesus established His Church for the salvation
of souls is provided in John 10:27-30 where Jesus says:
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.
28 And I give them everlasting life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.
29 What my Father has given me is greater than all; and no one is able
to snatch anything out of the hand of my Father.
30 I and the Father are one.
Moreover in the same Gospel, in 20:21-23, St. John again supports the assertion by writing:
21 He therefore said to them again, "Peace be to you! As the
Father has sent me, I also send you."
22 When He had said this, He breathed upon them, and said to
them, "Receive the Holy Spirit;
23 whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and
whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."
Finally, St. Paul in his letter to Titus 2:11-14 also supports the thesis by writing:
11 For the grace of God our Savior has appeared to all men,
12 instructing us, in order that, rejecting ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we may live temperately and justly and piously in this world;
13 looking for the blessed hope and the glorious coming of
our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us in order that he might redeem us from all
inequity and cleanse for himself an acceptable people, pursuing good works.
While in Matthew 6:33 we read:
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things
shall be given you besides.
Further substantiation of the purpose for which Our Lord established His Church may be found in an EWTN Internet Feature Story on Jan 11, 2001 by M.F. Flach. The story quoted Bishop Thomas J. Welsh of the Arlington Virginia Diocese as saying:
"The Church is supposed to be guiding people on a day-to-day basis on how
to get to heaven."
In Luctuosis Exagitati, Pope Pius XI on March 12, 1877 wrote:
". . .the salvation of souls, which is the supreme law for us . . ."
On page 274 of "The Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" by Dr. Ludwig Ott, the author writes:
"Christ founded the church in order to continue His work of redemption for
all time. (De fide)"
The following four quotations from the same section of Ott’s book support the assertion Christ founded the church for the purpose of saving souls are:
"1. The Vatican Council (Vatican Council I) declares on the purpose
of Christ's foundation: Christ resolved to establish the Holy
Church in order to give permanent duration to the work of
Redemption. [My addition]"2. While Christ acquired the fruits of the Redemption by His own
efficacy, the task of the church consists in the application of
the fruits of the Redemption to mankind."3. But the purpose of Christ's mission was the eternal salvation of man.
"4. For the fulfillment of her task, Christ has given the church the
mandate and the full power to preach His truth (teaching office),
to inculcate His commandments (pastoral office), and to dispense
His instruments of grace (sacerdotal office)."
Finally Pope John Paul II’s Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 760 states:
"Just as God’s will is creation and is called 'the world,' so his
intention is the salvation of men, and it is called the Church."
Three paragraphs later the Pope writes:
"It was the Son’s task to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation
in the fullness of time. Its accomplishment was the reason for His
being sent."
These substantiations make it obvious that all efforts of the Catholic Church should and must be devoted to
the salvation of souls. The previous statement of St. Matthew asserts that it is only by concentrating on the salvation
of one’s soul can one improve one’s temporal welfare. St. Matthews’s statement applied to the Catholic Church bluntly
states that if the church will concentrate on achieving the purpose for which Jesus established the Church, then
God will provide for the temporal welfare of both the Church and its people. Thus the conciliar Church, by abandoning
the very purpose for which Our Lord established His Church, can in no possible way achieve its temporal objectives.
In the conciliar Church God exists primarily to help build a happy, well nourished and peaceful life here on this
earth and therefore any consideration for the eternal salvation of souls is irrelevant. Thus, today’s Church concentrates
on asking God for assistance in solving the social, economic and political problems of the world and any consideration
given by the Church to the eternal welfare of souls is considered a distraction from this effort. This lack of
concern for the salvation of souls strongly implies a belief in universal salvation is now a fundamental tenet
of the conciliar Church. While a belief in universal salvation is not an overt teaching of the conciliar Church
such a belief is manifested by its actions. Evidence for this is the extreme reluctance of the Vatican to effectively
discipline any Church authority who actively teaches and/or promotes actions known to jeopardize the welfare of
souls. In the previous sentence the word ‘effectively’ is all important since. whenever modernist theologians teach
and/or tacitly promote sinful activities as abortion, divorce, sodomy, actively support a political party known
to promote mortal sins, etc. the theologians are seldom effectively reprimanded and even more seldom are they completely
silenced and removed from their positions of influence. Occasionally the Vatican may issue a reprimand to the individual
responsible for the soul endangering teaching or action, but it nearly always vitiates the reprimand by allowing
the one reprimanded to remain in his/her position of power and influence. Consequently the faithful are taught
such sinful teachings and/or actions are now permissible and even encouraged. The Vatican’s vigorous support of
non-conversion ecumenical activities also supports a belief in universal salvation. These activities do not help
the souls of those inside or outside the Church. The non-conversion ecumenical activities encourage those outside
the Church to remain outside the Church thereby depriving their souls of the many graces Our Lord made available
for members of His Church. On the other hand, such activities encourage those inside the Church to leave and join
a sect whose tenets permit a less restrictive lifestyle thus depriving their souls of the graces formerly available
to them. Hence the present non-conversion ecumenical activities strongly suggest a belief in universal salvation
by the conciliar Church and, what is far worse, they suggest permission to act in accord with this belief. Actions
have always been a very effective teacher. As Jesus said: "By their fruits you shall know them."
The conciliar Church’s preoccupation with the temporal welfare of man together with its lack of concern for the
welfare of souls is in direct opposition to the mission of the pre-conciliar Church in which the author was raised.
The author has a large family and the births of his children were spread out over a time period including Vatican
Council II. All of the children were educated through twelve years of Catholic schools with the exception of the
youngest who attended a public high school after completing eight grades of a Catholic grammar school. The contrast
in the attitudes towards the Catholic Faith by the children educated prior to Vatican Council II with those educated
after the Council is revealing. The former group have kept their faith while the latter group are indifferent towards
it or have lost their faith and/or are following the teaching of the conciliar Church to concentrate exclusively
on their personal temporal welfare. The author has discussed this contrast with other Catholic parents who had
children whose births spanned the same time period and many of these parents have noted the same dichotomy of attitudes
of their children toward their faith. As a result, the author began to examine the actions and teachings of the
conciliar Church to determine if they might explain the wide discrepancy in attitudes toward the faith by his children.
Another reason for carrying out such an examination is the evident disintegration of the Church which began immediately
following the implementation of the teachings of the Council. In fact the disintegration quickly became so apparent
that Pope Paul VI, who presided over the last three sessions of Vatican Council II and who was active in the Council
deliberations and their implementation, was forced to remark: "the Church is in a process of autodemolition."
The autodemolition has accelerated and is now so extensive and so glaringly apparent it has become the subject
of several articles and books by secular as well as conciliar Church authorities. As just one indication of the
seriousness of the council’s deliberate break with tradition, consider that at the final session of the council,
Pope Paul VI said to his friend Jean Guitton:
"I am about to blow the seven trumpets of the apocalypse."2
Since the seven trumpets of the Apocalypse herald great calamities for the world and culminate in the end of the
world, such an admission by the pope of the council is indeed foreboding, particularly for eternal souls. It is
understood that ‘conciliar Church’ and ‘pre-conciliar Church’ are not names for two distinct churches, but rather
are names for two distinct factions resulting from Vatican Council II. Christ said He will always be with His Church
and He has honored and will continue to honor His promise. However, from the beginning of the establishment of
the Church there have always been theological disputes within the Church since the Church is governed by fallible
people. The article: "Times of Crisis, Times of Faith" by Prof. Neri Capponi describes several of the
more severe crises that have occurred during the history of the Church.3 Prof.
Capponi considers the present crisis in the church as the most serious crisis in the history of the Church, even
more serious than the crisis due to Arianism in the fourth century. Vatican Council II was responsible for an abrupt
and very significant change in the pastoral care of the faithful and for this reason it is convenient to refer
to the Church after Vatican Council II as the conciliar Church and to the pre-Vatican Council II Church as the
pre-conciliar or traditional Church. This is the sense in which these names are to be understood. The label "conciliar
Church" was introduced by Pope Paul VI on Dec. 7, 1965 in an address to the entire council. Christ’s establishment
of the church for the single purpose of enabling all men to save their eternal souls is so important and so fundamental
to the Church that the salvation of souls is the basis of all canon law. This is confirmed by the words of Pope
Leo XIII in his encyclical Immortale Dei:
"The end and object of ecclesiastical laws, and a fortiori of
powers and faculties, is none other than what concerns the worship
of God and the salvation of souls."
Thus, from canon law it follows that the impact on the salvation of souls must be the primary basis for judging
any teaching or any action of the Church. The denial of this fact is a belief in universal salvation and attempts
to alter, diminish or impede this fact are direct denials of Christ. Certainly, if universal salvation were indeed
true, Our Lord, who is God by virtue of being the second person in the Blessed Trinity, would not have wasted His
efforts establishing a Church. What is more, He would not have undergone such a horrible suffering and death on
the cross at Calvary nor would His loving Father have permitted Him to do so. Christ most certainly did not found
His Church so that approximately two millennia later those in charge of it could use it as a platform to teach
that which contradicts or impairs the specific purpose for which He founded His Church. Evidence that the saving
of souls is not an easy task is provided by the experience of the Curé de Ars, Saint John Marie Vianney,
who is the patron saint of parish priests. Because the Curé did so very poorly in his seminary studies,
upon his ordination he was prevented from hearing confessions. However, the new prelate so ardently wanted to save
souls for God that he studied diligently and after a year the bishop granted him this faculty along with his own
parish in the small hamlet of Ars, France. The parting words of the bishop to the new pastor were: "There
is not much love of God in Ars, Father" and this proved to be very much of an understatement.
However, within a few years time and after much prayer and sacrifice on his part, the Curé had so transformed
the parishioners, that people, including members of the clergy and the episcopacy, came from all over the world
to marvel, learn and have the Curé hear their confessions. A young priest asked the Cure’ how was he so
successful in converting sinners. The Curé responded:
"It isn't enough just to pray for one’s penitents, We must also be
willing to suffer for them--to fast, to go without sleep, to
practice difficult mortifications. Ah, the pastor who doesn't pray
and suffer to make saints among his people is in great danger of
being a complete failure!" [My emphasis] "The conversion of
sinners begins with prayer and ends with penance."
The saints entire priestly career was characterized by his single minded determination to save the souls of
his flock and for this he was loved by them as well as by many throughout the world. St. John Vianney did not devote
himself to social, economic and/or political causes nor did he give bland sermons designed to offend no one by
omitting any mention of sin, hell, salvation of souls, the need to make reparation for one’s sins as well as for
the sins of others, etc. Many of his sermons contained frequent warnings about the severe consequences of sin to
the eternal souls of the members of his flock. The Cure’ concentrated on doing the one thing for which Christ founded
His Church and that was to bring souls to be forever with His Almighty Father.4
In the twelfth century, Saint Vincent Ferrer devoted his entire life to the saving of souls. It was almost as if
the saint was specifically chosen by God for this mission because to assist the saint, God gave him such gifts
as numerous visions, revelations, ecstasies, prophecies and the grace of miracles accorded without measure. The
work, "Saint Vincent Ferrer, The Angel of Judgment" by Fr. Andrew Pradel contains many references to
the saint's keen desire to save souls. Many saints recognize salvation of souls was the primary purpose of the
Catholic Church. For example, St. John Bosco’s motivating force was his great desire to work for the "Salvation
of Souls." He said:
"There is nothing more holy in this world than to work for the
good of souls, for whose salvation Jesus Christ poured out the
last drops of His blood."
St. Therese of Lisieux in speaking of the importance of saving souls, said:
"O, let us not waste our time! Let us save souls! Souls are
falling into hell innumerable as the flakes of snow on a winter day."
Padre Pio, who was famous for his concern for the welfare of souls is quoted as saying:
"Time spent in honor of God for the salvation of souls is never badly spent."
Finally, St. John Chrysostum, Doctor of the Church, said:
"Zeal for the salvation of souls is so great a merit before God,
that to give up all our goods to the poor, or to spend our whole life
in the exercises of all sorts of austerities cannot equal the merit
of it. There is no service more agreeable to God than this one.
To employ one's life in this blessed labor is more pleasing to the
divine Majesty than to suffer martyrdom."
The preceding quotes were taken from the Internet post: "Win Souls For Christ" which can be found
at the Internet address: http://www.Olrl.org/misc/winsouls.htm .
Also supportive of the assertion that Christ established His Church to save souls is the work of the missionaries
throughout the entire history of the Church prior to Vatican Council II. Thousands of missionaries suffered martyrdom,
endured incredible hardships and devoted their entire adult lives to the single purpose of bringing the Catholic
Faith to others with the objective of enabling them to save their souls. The missionaries did not endure such extreme
suffering, hardships and death for the temporal welfare of man nor to build a ‘cult of man’. In contrast to the
deliberately non-conversion ecumenical efforts of today’s conciliar Church, the work of the missionaries was truly
ecumenical as it converted people to the Catholic Faith in order that they may better save their eternal souls.
The missionaries joy in saving souls by converting to the Catholic Faith those not of the Catholic Faith, was the
missionaries reward and it was the reward which they desired above all. The letters of Fr. Peter De Smet, S.J.,
a noted missionary priest in the northwest territory of the United States during the 19th century, frequently speak
of his joy in enabling the salvation of the souls of the Indians and pioneers of that era.5
Missionaries ranged far and wide throughout the entire world and it was only through their driving desire to save
souls that the Catholic Faith reached so many parts of the world. It can be truly said that the salvation of souls
was the impetus that spread the Catholic Faith throughout the world. The Church was not spread world wide by a
concern for the temporal welfare of man nor by an attempt to build a ‘cult of man’, as Pope Paul VI so proudly
boasted at the close of the council. It was also not being spread by the building of a "civilization of love"
which is the primary goal of the present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. It is only by the Church concentrating
on the salvation of souls that such goals may be achieved.
Near the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century both Pope Pius IX and Pope St. Pius X frequently warned of the undermining of the Church’s devotion to the welfare of souls by those working to introduce modernism into the Church under the guise of adapting the Church to the modern world. Pope St. Pius X had correctly labeled modernism "the synthesisof all heresies" because he recognized its great potential for the destruction of souls. Pope Pius XII, the pope prior to Vatican Council II, devoted most of his pontificate to combating the introduction of modernism into the Church. As if recognizing the Church would need help in her coming struggle to insure the welfare of souls, Jesus had His Blessed Mother appear to three young children at Fatima Portugal in the year 1917. During Her appearances She gave them messages describing how the Church must more effectively assist in the salvation of souls. A few years later Our Lord offered His Church a powerful and certain way to assist the faithful in the salvation of their souls. It consisted in the Church vigorously promoting the Five First Saturday Devotion to His Blessed Mother. So insistent was Our Lord that this devotion be made known to all, that on June 13, 1929 He "sweetened His proposal" by having His Blessed Mother offer the Church a sure way to obtain world peace. Like the Five First Saturday’s Devotion, the offer was simple, direct and unambiguous. It called for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of His Blessed Mother and in return God would grant a certain period of peace to the world. The fact that the offer for the welfare of souls preceded the offer for peace further emphasizes peace can only be attained by first achieving the welfare of souls.
From the beginning of Vatican Council in 1962 it was evident the council would ignore Our Lord’s offers because the modernists were determined to assign His Blessed Mother a limited and restricted role in the Church. Despite the pleas of many, the council refused to devote an entire document to the role of the Blessed Virgin. Rather the consideration devoted to her by the council was less than 1/6 of a single document out of the 16 or so very lengthy documents of the council.
Our Lord became so offended by the increasing number of sins being committed, that nearly a decade after the close of the Council, at Akita, Japan, in 1973 He again had His Blessed Mother express His great concern for the eternal welfare of souls by stating how displeased He was with the increase in number and seriousness of sins throughout the world. Nevertheless, in the face of these warnings by Our Lord, the conciliar Church, infected as it is with modernism, to this day remains adamant in its refusal to vigorously promote Our Lord’s most generous offers for the salvation of souls. As stated previously, Jesus founded His Church for the express purpose of assisting souls to be forever with Him in Heaven. Thus the continued deliberate ignoring of His offers for the salvation of souls is surely displeasing to Him. Our Lord promised He would be with His Church until the end of time but He did not specify the size of the surviving Church and so if the modernists in Rome continue their destruction and chaos, it may very well be only be a small remnant. The present situation is aptly described in Luke 18:8, where it is written:
I tell you that he will avenge them again quickly, Yet when the
Son of Man comes, will he find, do you think, faith on this earth?
In the years immediately preceding Vatican Council II the Catholic Church had enjoyed a long period of spiritual
and temporal growth. The spiritual growth was characterized by a strong adherence to the teachings of the Church
by most of the faithful, the existence of many conversions to the Catholic Faith and increases in the numbers of
clergy and religious. The temporal growth was characterized by the extensive building of seminaries, schools and
hospitals and the increasing care for the poor and the destitute. These temporal accomplishments were made possible
by the pre-conciliar Church first concentrating on its mission of saving immortal souls knowing that Our Lord would
then assist its temporal activities. It was by initially concentrating on the salvation of souls that Padre Pio
and such saints as John Vianney and John Bosco were able to eventually improve the temporal welfare of those in
their charge. In direct contrast, by concentrating on social, economic, political and material concerns of the
temporal world and ignoring a concern for the salvation of souls, not only has the conciliar Church failed to improve
the temporal welfare but it has experienced a decrease in the proportion of Catholics in the general population
as well as a decrease in the number of those who call themselves Catholic and who regularly attend Sunday liturgy.
The Church has also experienced such severe decreases in the numbers of clergy and religious that numerous seminaries,
religious orders and schools have had to be closed. Since Our Lord said: "by their fruits you shall know them",
the continued ignoring of the welfare of souls by the conciliar Church could well be the reason Our Lord is permitting
its disintegration. Additional substantiation for such an assertion is the rapid increase in the numbers of the
faithful who are joining parishes whose clergy and religious are devoted to the rites and teachings of the pre-conciliar
Church because these faithful know full well their clergy and religious remain devoted to fulfilling our Lord’s
desire for His Church to assist them in the all important task of saving their immortal souls. The words of Our
Lord as quoted above in Matthew 6:33 do indeed have consequences
Characteristic of the Catholic faithful attending parishes devoted to the traditional sacramental rites and the
Mass of Pope St. Pius V, that is, the Latin Mass, is the significant proportion of the attendees consisting of
young married Catholics with large families. In contrast, the decreasing numbers of the faithful attending the
conciliar Church consist of aging parishioners with an ever smaller proportion of young married couples who have
few if any children. Furthermore, many authorities in the conciliar Church are strong and vocal supporters of environmenta,
political and sociall movements which emphasize severely limiting the number of newborn. Consequently the promotion
of teachings based on this belief serve to further decease the number of conciliar Church faithful. It is as if
those in today’s Church espousing such teachings have a death wish for the Church.
Since the contrast between the two populations is growing each year, it certainly appears Our Lord is indeed trying to send the conciliar Church a message. The contrast is even more remarkable because attendance at the traditional rites frequently entails great personal difficulty and hardship since most of the few bishops who grant permission for any of the pre-conciliar Church rites deliberately place severe restrictions on attendance at these rites. Typical of these restrictions are the requiring of the celebration of the Latin Mass at odd times of the day and in inconvenient locations. In addition most conciliar bishops actively oppose the celebration of the traditional rites. In the latter part of 1999 the situation was made even more intolerable for those faithful wishing to attend the traditional rites by the Vatican hierarchy placing more strictures on those priestly fraternities which, through a special indult of Pope John Paul II called the Ecclesia Dei Indult, offered the traditional Mass. In addition, for many of the indult Masses, both their liturgy and their readings are being subtly changed to enable a deliberate but imperceptible conversion to the Novus Ordo liturgy. Finally, the clergy in the indult societies are forced to accept the teachings of Vatican Council II in their entirety thus making it nearly impossible for these clergy to care for souls with the same degree of effectiveness as clergy adhering to the traditional rites and teachings of the Church.
During the year 1917 the Blessed Virgin appeared to three little children at Fatima, Portugal and on each visit She gave them a message. Later Our Lord also appeared to the children and on each of his visits He too gave them a message. By comparing the effect on the welfare of souls of the actions and teachings of the conciliar Church with the concerns for souls expressed in the messages of both Our Lord and Our Lady at Fatima one can get an estimation of just how far the conciliar Church has deviated from Our Lord’s purpose for His church. Such a comparison and assessment suggested to the author the messages of both Our Lord and His Blessed Mother at Fatima together with Her messages at Akita can provide a sure guide in attempting to save one’s eternal soul in the midst of the confusion and disintegration of the conciliar Church. This work is an attempt to make such a comparison and assessment and to illustrate the messages of both Our Lord and Our Lady can enable one’s soul to be saved in the midst of the confusion and chaos.
Not all of the Our Lord’s and Our Lady’s messages have been disclosed and Sister Lucy, the only living participant in the events at Fatima, has been silenced since 1960 at the request of Rome. Moreover, individuals who have investigated the events at Fatima are also in silence. The contradictions between the actions and teachings of the conciliar Church and the actions and teachings of both Our Lord and Our Lady at Fatima are now so apparent and so numerous they are becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. As a consequence, there is now evidence the conciliar Church authorities are actively attempting to discredit the import of the messages, particularly the third secret. An interesting discussion of such an attempt is presented in an article entitled: "Controversies over Lucy’s Testimony". The article appears in The April 1999, issue No. 318 of the CRC journal whose Internet web site URL is: http://www.freespace.virgin.net/crc.english/april99.htm.
The Third Secret was revealed in June, 2000 and it’s revelation is discussed in the journals of the CRC and in the Fatima Crusader, No. 64, Summer, 2000. See also appendix III.
The discrediting of Our Lady’s Fatima messages was not limited to modernist theologians. Several years after the Fatima events, Pope Paul VI, on a visit to Fatima passed directly in front of a statue of Our Lady and did not pause in front of it nor did he offer any prayer recognizing it. Sister Lucy, was made to stand on the podium beside the Pope and did so as the people noted the tears streaming down her face as a result of the Pope’s refusing her request for a private interview. According to the CRC Internet post of Dec. 2000, entitled: "II A DECISIVE BATTLE", Paul would later inform his friend Jean Guitton of the impression the humble Sister Lucy made on him. The Pope stated:
"Oh she is a young girl, very simple, an uncomplicated peasant
woman. The people wanted to see her, so I showed her to them."6
It hard to imagine a more derogatory statement and demonstrates the elitist intellectual pride of Paul VI. The statement is also an incredible insult to God Himself, since He chose the "uncomplicated peasant girl" to receive His messages as communicated by both His Son and by the Blessed Mother of His Son. Pope Paul’s attitude toward the messages of Our Lady and the little seer is in extreme contrast to the attitude assumed by Pope John Paul I. While a cardinal, he visited Sister Lucy at Fatima and in response to learning that Sister Lucy was desirous of speaking with him replied that he would be very much pleased to pay his respects to her! Less than one year later, in his Easter sermon the cardinal would say:
"It never occurred to me to think that Sister Lucy was lower in
status than myself, a bishop and a cardinal. On the contrary, I
thought: ‘What good luck for me to be able to speak with this
little sister who saw the Madonna!’ The only real greatness in the
Church is not to hold such or such an office, but to be a saint."
[My comment. How very very different from most members of the
hierarchy in today’s conciliar Church.]
Pope John Paul I’s visit with Sister Lucy lasted nearly two hours. Exiting from the conversation, his face was pallid and gripped by intense emotion. Soon after he stated:
"I must return to Fatima; I wish to speak to the Madonna.
Sister Lucy has left a great unease in my heart. I will never
be able to forget Fatima."
Throughout the remainder of his all to brief life, the pope thought of his conversation with Sister Lucy. While a cardinal he said:
"She is radical like all the saints, it is either todo or nada,
either ‘all’ or ‘nothing’, if one seriously wants to belong to God."7
The attitude of Pope Paul VI is completely and dramatically at odds with that of Pope John Paul I. Even the present pope, Pope John Paul II, failed to honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary when he had a glorious opportunity. It is alleged he wanted the Jubilee of Bishops to be under the sign of Our Lady of Fatima and so had her statue in Capelhina brought to Rome for the bishops jubilee. On Oct. 8, 2000, due to the presence of many bishops from all over the world the pope was presented with a wonderful opportunity to fulfill Our Lady‘s request for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. He ignored the opportunity and instead proclaimed an "Act of Entrustment to Mary" in which Russia was not even mentioned. During the ceremony, as if to further minimize the import of the Fatima messages, the pope did not once mention or refer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary despite Our Lord’s repeatedly stressing He wanted it to be honored as much as His Sacred Heart.8
In His great desire to assist souls in their salvation, God sent His emissaries the Blessed Virgin and His beloved Son to deliver messages to the Church and to the world that, if obeyed, would enable the faithful to obtain the graces necessary to assure the salvation of their souls. The conciliar Church has deliberately resisted the promotion of these messages because of its disdain for the salvation of souls. However, God in His wisdom and mercy provided a means for the faithful to receive instructions which, if followed, would enable the faithful to obtain the necessary graces to assure the salvation of their eternal souls. God, did this by giving Sister Lucy, the oldest of the three children, the overwhelming impression:9
". . . that God had given her the mission to indicate to everyone
the imminent danger we are in of losing our souls for all eternity
if we remain obstinate in sin."
The import of her statement should not be underestimated because of all the many impressions Sister Lucy has received from Our Lord and Our Lady, it is this one which she considers by far the most important. For the faithful another important statement from Sister Lucy appeared in an interview with Fr. Fuentes on December 26, 1957. It is:10
"Look Father, the Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we
live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to
such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult
it is, whether temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal
life of each one of us, or even of the life of peoples and nations
that cannot be solved by the Rosary. There is no problem I tell
you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the
prayer of the Holy Rosary. With the Holy Rosary, we will save
ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves. We will console Our Lord
and Obtain the salvation of many souls."
This is a truly wonderful message and demonstrates God’s great love and mercy because it says that amidst the very real lack of concern for souls exhibited by today’s conciliar Church, one can save one’s soul by the recitation of the Rosary. The phrase: "given a new efficacy", is all important because it implies that the existing disaster for the welfare of souls by conciliar Church actions can be overcome with the "new efficacy" given the Rosary. As just one example of such an action, consider the "reform" of those parts of scripture appearing in the Novus Ordo liturgy. This "reform" consisted of ‘tearing out’ from the psalms the ‘imprecatory’ or cursing verses because they were considered at odds with the irenical views of the council.11 Since the verses provided God given reasons for avoiding sin, their removal can only serve to endanger souls. Thus despite the conciliar Church's ignoring of the welfare of souls by those responsible for their welfare, Sr. Lucy’s message to Fr. Fuentes reveals how the faithful can still save their souls.
Christ did not establish His Church to provide a debating society for theologians to have intellectual and political jousts with one another. Nor did He establish His Church so they could "toy" with the welfare of the souls of His ‘little ones’ by interpreting His teaching in "new, novel and ever changing ways." It is diabolical to expect the faithful to develop a right conscience in the face of the never ending chaos of conflicting changes, ambiguous teachings and innovations in today’s conciliar Church. The conciliar Church, and in particular the Vatican, must stop making pronouncements on every worldly concern imaginable and return to the single reason for which Christ established His Church by devoting all of its efforts to the salvation of eternal souls. Only then is there even a remote chance for the attainment of world peace which the present Holy Father frequently asserts he so ardently desires and works so diligently to achieve.
Thankfully, in spite of the new novelties and continual convulsions of the conciliar Church, God in his loving
mercy has offered each of us an absolutely certain way of saving our eternal souls. This is the content of Sr.
Lucy’s message to Fr. Fuentes on December 27, 1957.12 It is for this reason that Sr. Lucy’s words; "With
the Holy Rosary, we will save ourselves. We will sanctify ourselves." are so wonderful and merciful. Thus,
regular and frequent recitation of the Rosary will provide each of us with the strength and desire to love God
by obeying His commandments and following the teachings of His dearly Beloved Son. In this way we can save our
immortal souls and be forever with God as He created us to be. The events and messages of Our Lord and His beloved
Mother at Fatima are a real demonstration of God’s love and care for us. It is as if God recognized the coming
crisis in the Church would make it most difficult for His ‘little ones’ to save their immortal souls and so, through
His dearly beloved Son and His Blessed Mother, God is offering His ‘little ones’ a prayer, which if regularly recited
with devotion, will remove the many soul endangering difficulties posed by the conciliar Church. At Fatima, He
has given us His bountiful love and now all we have to do is accept it by fulfilling His wishes as He expressed
them through His Beloved Son and His Blessed Mother.
Go to Chapter ONE
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References
1. Romano Amerio, IOTA UNUM, a Study of Changes in the Catholic church in the XXth Century. Sarto House.
1996. p. 80.
2. Atila Sinke Guimaraes, Animus delendi--I (Desire to destroy--I) Tradtion in Action, 2000. p. 57
3. Prof. Neri Capponi, Times of Crisis, Times of Faith. Internet address: www.geocities.com/Vienna/Strasse/5816/crisis.html
4. Mary Fabyan Windeatt, The Cure’ of Ars, The Story of Saint John Vianney, Patron Saint of Parish Priests.
Tan books, 1991. p. 164.
5. Fr. E. Laveillee, S.J., The Life of FATHER DE SMET, S.J. Tan books, 2000.
6. Catholic Count Reformation in the XXth Century, Internet Address: http://www.crc-internet.org/dec00b.htm
7. See 6.
8. Frere Michel de la Sainte Trinite’, The Whole truth About Fatima, Vol. II. Immaculate Heart Publications,
1989. p. 631
9. The Whole Truth About Fatima, Vol. III. p. 506.
10. Ibid. p. 508
11. Romano Amerio, IOTA UNUM, A Study of changes in the Catholic Church in the XXth Century. Sarto House.
1996. p. 640. 12. The Whole truth About Fatima, Vol III. p. 508.