SSPX in Portugal: Communique Against the Interreligious Congress at Fatima

The priests of the Society of St. Pius X in Portugal voice the opinion of thousands of Catholics who are scandalized by the international and inter-religious congress taking place at Fatima on October 10-12, 2003.

The Society will send a delegation, itself international, to Fatima, whose mission will be to make reparation for the injury made to Our Lady and to inform Catholics of the gravity of such gatherings. It will thus give voice to the feelings of all the Catholics throughout the world who sense the great necessity of repairing such an affront made to the Mother of God and their Mother of Heaven.

Anyone who knows the message of Fatima knows that the Holy Virgin calls all men to convert and that she is never ecumenical. It is the devotion to her Immaculate Heart which saves “poor sinners”. The hearts of Buddha, Mohammed or Luther neither loved God or saved men, and today they are nothing more than dust. That of the Most Holy Virgin is in Heaven, it beats, it loves God and wishes to save us.

Reflections upon the International Congress at Fatima

Jesus Christ Forgotten!

His recommendations for prudence in order to distinguish the false prophets, preaching another doctrine than His own, are despised. “Amen, amen I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All others, as many as have come (presenting themselves as the Messiah), are thieves and robbers…. I am the door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved…” (John 10:7-9) “Take heed that no man seduce you. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ!” (Matt. 24:4-5) “Beware of false prophets.” (Matt. 7:15)

His messianic and divine identity, with his indispensable role for the salvation of all men will be put aside. The congress prefers to collaborate with the representatives of false religions

rather than confess the Catholic faith.

While Jesus Christ says: “Everyone therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32), this congress places the Catholics into the occasion of renouncing Him, the One true God.

While Jesus Christ says to the Jews: “Search the scriptures … the same are they that give testimony of me” (John 5:39), and with the disciples of Emmaus, He taught them “beginning at Moses … he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him.” (Luke 24:27), - in other words, that He was the promised Messiah – this congress, on the other hand, puts aside this messianic character.

While Jesus Christ forcefully affirms: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6), this congress believes that there are other ways or other truths which lead to God…

While Jesus Christ says: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12), this congress intends to find other “lights” in inter-religious discussion…

While Jesus Christ affirms: “All power is given to me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18). “Going therefore, teach ye all the nations, baptizing them…” (Matt 28:19), “he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16), this congress diverts the attention of the faithful towards the religious experiences presented by the followers of religions invented by men, or deformed by the agitation of the passions. Even more serious, it takes an interest even in non-Christian religions, mentioned in Psalm 95 where it reads: “The gods of the Gentiles are devils.”

Truly, God can renew his complaint: “My people have done two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have dug to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jer. 2:13)

On October 13, 1917, our most holy Mother of heaven said: “Do not offend Our Lord and God any more, because He is already so much offended.” And Lucy says in her memoirs: “How loving a complaint, how tender a request! Who will grant me to make it echo through the world, so that all the children of our Mother in heaven may hear the sound of this voice!” (Memoirs, 2nd edition).

The Catholic Church Forgotten!

Her views are despised, when she speaks through the authorized mouth of Pope Leo XIII on September 15, 1895, saying to Cardinal Gibbons: “We have learned that in America some assemblies have taken place in which, indistinctly, the Catholics united themselves with those who are separated from the Church in order to deal with religious or moral questions. We cannot consider as altogether blameless, the silence which purposely leads to the omission or neglect of some of the principles of Christian doctrine, for all the principles come from the same Author and Master, "the Only Begotten Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father.” A revealing fact of the story, the promoter of these congresses and in particular of the “Moral Union of Religions”, Fr. Charbonnel, left the priesthood some months later.

The existence of unity, a mark of the true Church, is called into question by this search for unity with other religions…, supposedly to accomplish Jesus’ wish!

The existence of universality in space, another mark of the Church, is also denied by this affirmation, that without these ecumenical efforts, the Church would be closed in on Herself. The existence of universality in time is also denied to the Church, since the future holds a new dimension and a new form for Her… no doubt this so-called “future of God”

This congress inevitably includes errors on the true nature of the Church denounced by Pope Pius XI in his encyclical Mortalium animos (1/6/1928)

And here it seems opportune to expound and to refute a certain false opinion, on which this whole question, as well as that complex movement by which non-Catholics seek to bring about the union of the Christian churches, depends. For authors who favor this view are accustomed, times almost without number, to bring forward these words of Christ: "That they all may be one.... And there shall be one fold and one shepherd," (John 17:21, 10:16) with this signification however: that Christ Jesus merely expressed a desire and prayer, which still lacks its fulfillment. For they are of the opinion that the unity of faith and government, which is a note of the one true Church of Christ, has hardly up to the present time existed, and does not to-day exist. They consider that this unity may indeed be desired and that it may even be one day attained through the instrumentality of wills directed to a common end, but that meanwhile it can only be regarded as mere ideal. They add that the Church in itself, or of its nature, is divided into sections; that is to say, that it is made up of several churches or distinct communities, which still remain separate, and although having certain articles of doctrine in common, nevertheless disagree concerning the remainder; that these all enjoy the same rights; and that the Church was one and unique from, at the most, the apostolic age until the first Ecumenical Councils. Controversies therefore, they say, and longstanding differences of opinion which keep asunder till the present day the members of the Christian family, must be entirely put aside, and from the remaining doctrines a common form of faith drawn up and proposed for belief, and in the profession of which all may not only know but feel that they are brothers. The manifold churches or communities, if united in some kind of universal federation, would then be in a position to oppose strongly and with success the progress of irreligion.

The Virgin Mary Forgotten

This congress, totally occupied with friendly dialogue with the representatives of false religions, could do no more than reduce to a simple opinion, the confession of the divine maternity of Mary, her virginal motherhood, her Immaculate Conception etc., in brief, all the dogmas of faith concerning her.

Our Lady was sent by God to Fatima in order to transmit a message of universal magnitude. But this congress could only diminish, filter and make relative what the Blessed Virgin Mary wished to give to each and every soul for its salvation. These treasures are, in particular, the dogmas of hell, purgatory, heaven and the communion of Saints. This message reminds us once again of the value of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the works of reparation for sins and of the necessity of making sacrifices for the conversion of sinners. The import of this message, therefore, is not limited to Catholics alone! This is truly shown by the demand for the practice of the first five Saturdays of the month and the consecration, by the one true Catholic Church, of Russia and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. So many truths totally smothered by the spirit and the very organization of this congress.

Let us conclude this exposé with this beautiful teaching given by Sister Lucy (Appels du Message de Fatima, p 105):

It is the body received from Mary, which in Jesus Christ, becomes the victim immolated for the salvation of men. It is the blood received from Mary which flows through the veins of Christ, and which flowed out of His Divine Heart. They are the same Body and the same Blood, received from Mary which, under the species of consecrated bread and wine, are given to us as daily food in order to renew in us the life of Grace, and thus to continue in us, members of the Mystical Body of Christ, His work of redemption for the salvation of each and every one, in as much as each of us remains close to Christ and cooperates with Christ.

Thus this Congress is a Blasphemy! Why?

Blasphemy is defined as a discourse, a gesture or an action which holds God in contempt or insult Him or the Saints. It is always gravely culpable.

This congress, being an activity which leads to scorn, to diminishing and even to implicitly deny the Messianic nature and the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the character of absolute necessity of His work, corresponds exactly, and sadly so, to the definition of blasphemy !

When will we see apostasy for the sake of tolerance ?

Lisboa, October 9, 2003

Fraternidade Sacerdotal Sao Pio X

Estada de Chelas, 29-31

1900-148 Lisboa