The Plot To Silence Our Lady

by Father Paul Leonard

PART I
Disinformation Tactics Against Fatima Exposed
The Message that the Blessed Virgin addressed to the world at Fatima, due
to its very nature and origin, is a very serious matter. Whoever would deal with
it in an irresponsible manner by misrepresenting it through disinformation, not
only performs an immense disservice to humanity whose survival depends upon
the fulfillment of Our Lady's requests, but what is even worse, displays a lack of
seriousness and respect towards the Mother of God Herself. An organization or
publication whose very purpose is to propagate the Message of Fatima and work
for the fulfillment of Our Lady's requests, which is itself guilty of misinforming
the public in the above-described manner, stands in need of public correction
for two reasons:
1. In order to rectify the public injustice perpetrated against the
Blessed Virgin Herself.
2. To inform the public which has been misinformed by the
irresponsible distortions which have perverted Our Lady's Message which
was addressed to them.
It is very unfortunate that a somewhat pretentious, relatively small but
influential Fatima-oriented lay association has been engaged in the practice of
falsifying and distorting Our Lady of Fatima's Message for quite some time. They
have as yet done nothing to indicate that they intend to desist from the
practice. Specifically, I refer to their policy of regarding the Consecration of
Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as requested by Our Lady of Fatima, as
having been already done. I refer also to the unscrupulous means that they
have employed in order to create the impression that the Consecration is indeed
done. Rather than engage in quarrels and controversy I shall limit myself to a
presentation of established facts which speak for themselves.

Anonymous 1982 "Interview" Of Lucia - A Crude Hoax

In the July-August 1982 issue of the official publication of that lay
association (afterwards referred to as the "organization") the editor (presently
the managing editor) presented to his readers an article which purports to be an
"Exclusive interview with Sister Lucia." The grave deficiencies of the "interview"
in the form that it was published, in themselves, sufficiently constitute a
positive reason to doubt its authenticity. First, the interviewer is not identified,
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and consequently no one is able to inquire of the interviewer how, or on what

date he was able to talk with Sister Lucia personally. In other words, there were
absolutely no means by which the authenticity of the interview could be
verified, and so it has remained since the identity of the anonymous interviewer
has never been made known.
In the supposed interview, the anonymous interrogator asked Sister Lucia
whether "This consecration (May 13, 1982) as made by the Holy Father in union
with the bishops of the world, was what Our Lord and Our Lady require
according to the apparition of Our Lady on June 13, 1929?" The alleged answer
of Sister Lucia: "Yes". A further question: "We were wondering whether the
consecration was made as suggested, since the Pope did not explicitly mention
Russia in the act of consecration itself." Alleged answer: "His Holiness
consecrated the whole world and Russia is included, and His Holiness was
referring to Russia when he mentioned the countries in most need of this
consecration."

Statements Contradict Sister Lucia

Established and verified facts demonstrate beyond question that the
"interview" is utterly spurious - a crude hoax. This is so because all that Sister
Lucia wrote prior to the supposed interview directly contradicts what she is
alleged to have stated in it.
Sister Lucia wrote down the words Our Lady spoke in the apparition of June
13, 1929: "The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union
with all the bishops of the world, to consecrate Russia to My Immaculate Heart,
promising to save it by this means."
She wrote in a text she gave to Father Goncalves in 1938: "The Good God
promises to make an end of the persecution in Russia if the Holy Father deigns
to make, and orders to be made, by all the bishops of the Catholic world, a
solemn and public act of reparation and consecration of Russia to the Most
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and if in return for the end of this persecution
His Holiness promises to approve and recommend the practice of Reparatory
Devotion (the Five First Saturdays)."
Again she wrote in a letter dated 18 May 1936: "... if it will be convenient
to insist in order to obtain the consecration of Russia ... I asked Him (Our Lord)
why He would not convert Russia without the Holy Father making that
consecration. (He replied) 'Because I want My whole Church to acknowledge
that consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary...'"
On June 12, 1930, she writes: "... if the Holy Father will himself make a
solemn act of reparation and consecration of Russia ... as well as ordering all
the bishops of the Catholic world to do the same."
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On March 21, 1982, Sister Lucia declared in the presence of the Apostolic
Nuncio to Lisbon, Archbishop Portalupi, the Bishop of Leiria and Dr. Lacerda that
the Pope must select a date on which to order the bishops of the whole world to
make a public solemn act of reparation and consecration of Russia to the Most
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, each in his own Cathedral and at the same
time as the act effected by the Pope. (See Fidelite Catholique, April 1983).
Thus, all of Sister Lucia's statements and writing prior to the May, 1982
"interview" state explicitly and unambiguously that (1) Russia must be the
specific object of the consecration; and (2) that this consecration must be
made by all of the bishops of the world, on the same day, with each bishop
performing it in his own Cathedral in a solemn public ceremony.

Lucia Herself Afterwards Flatly Contradicts The Bogus Interview ...

She Reveals She Is Under An Order Of Silence
In the period following May 13, 1982, various individuals sought an
audience with Sister Lucia in order to inquire of her as to whether the act of
consecration of the world effected by Pope John Paul II on May 13th had, in
fact, conformed to Our Lady's requests. Due to the fact that Sister Lucia was
under the order of silence, she was only able to make some "trite observations
that would sound encouraging, appeasing and hopeful." The Abbe Pierre Caillon
relates: "In particular, a Brazilian advocate, the Blue Army representative for
Brazil, presented himself at noon one day at the Carmel at Fatima ..." He
mistakenly inferred from the words of her non-statements about the
consecration that it had been made, misleading opinion everywhere.
The following year, on the afternoon of March 19, 1983, Archbishop
Portalupi, the official representative of the Pope in Portugal had gone to
Coimbra on official business specifically to meet with Sister Lucia to establish
precisely what Sister Lucia herself thought of the Papal Act of Consecration of
May 13, 1982. The interview lasted 2-1/2 hours from 4:00 in the afternoon until
6:30 p.m. The Archbishop was accompanied by two distinguished witnesses, Dr.
Lacerda and Father Messias. Sister Lucia had prepared a written statement
which was officially read and on which she commented. She told them at that
time that:
(1) "The Consecration of Russia has not been made as Our Lady has
demanded," and (2) "I could not say so because I did not have the
permission of the Holy See." That is, she was (and remains) under order of
silence.1
In this official statement, in conformity with all of her previous
statements, Sister Lucia flatly contradicts the words attributed to her the year
before by her anonymous interrogator in the aforementioned bogus interview.
Moreover, she evidences the spurious nature of that interview in that the
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alleged statements could not have been made by her without her violating the
strict order of silence imposed on her under obedience.
By this official, formal and public statement of Sister Lucia, it is patently
obvious to anyone that the alleged interview published in the July/August 1982
issue of the aforementioned publication is without any foundation and is
completely false.

The Bogus Interview Has Never Been Retracted

Despite Sister Lucia's above-mentioned official declaration, that publication
had the temerity to even afterwards still refer to their obviously bogus interview
reported in their July/August 1982 publication. They did this in their May/June
1983 issue as well as the September/October 1983 issue. The organization
continued to refer to as authentic, this bogus interview, at least into early 1984,
to uphold their obviously false position. In the May/June 1983 issue of that
publication we read, "Sister Lucia said that the consecration was made."
To further confuse the souls entrusted to it, the publication took the step of
insisting that the consecration had been done, but suggesting that it was
"Incomplete." "There still remains a very important act to be accomplished ...
This 'final phase' could come ..." and, "The first and most important phase of
the consecration of Russia has now been made." Keep in mind that all this
rubbish about a "first phase" and a "final phase" is an invention of the editors of
the publication. These concepts contradict the words of Sister Lucia and of Our
Lady of Fatima, who nowhere speaks of successive acts of consecration
separated by considerable lengths of time, but clearly specify one act on the
same day: "A public and solemn act of consecration of Russia" by "the Holy
Father" and "by all the bishops of the Catholic world, each in his own Cathedral
and at the same time as ... the Pope."

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Sister Lucia, in her authentic interview with Father Fuentes, stated,"The Most
Holy Virgin is very sad because no one has paid any attention to Her Message,
neither the good nor the bad. The good continue on their way but without giving
any importance to Her Message. The bad, not seeing the punishment of God
actually falling upon them, continue their life of sin without even caring about
the Message. But believe me Father, God will chastise the world and this will be
in a terrible manner."

Fatima Crusader Publishes The Truth To Clarify The Matter And To

Help You Save Your Souls
In order to put an end to the confusion which that organization had created
by the spread of these errors and distortions, The Fatima Crusader, in May
1983, published verbatim texts of Sister Lucia which explain exactly why the
consecrationhas not been done. In the letter of July 8, 1982, which bears
Sister Lucia's words: "the consecration made by the Holy Father was not yet
what Our Lady has demanded with such insistence." This appeared along with
the above previously cited texts dated May 18, 1936 and June 12, 1930. In
October 1983 and in September of 1984, The Fatima Crusader published
articles which reproduced the verified and authenticated letters and official
declarations of Sister Lucia in which she unequivocally maintains that the
consecration has not been done.
The organization, however, has not retreated one inch from its erroneous
position. Rather than admit having made an error and correcting itself, the
September/October 1983 issue of the organization announced on page 14 that
it stands by its article (May/June 1983 issue) concerning the consecration of
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Russia: "We have now been informed by an impeccable source," it says, "that
this article perfectly reflects Sister Lucia's own thoughts on this subject." And
this after the official statement of Sister Lucia which clearly exposes the bogus
May 1982 interview. It seems incredible, but nevertheless true, that they so
foolishly printed in their September/October 1983 issue, this falsehood which
obviously contradicts the official statement pronounced by Sister Lucia on March
19, 1983. That this was no mere oversight or mistake is made evident by the
January/March 1984 issue of the organization's publication. The article on page
8, "Collegial Consecration Yes or No," cites the spurious interview of May, 1982
saying "Sister Lucia has gone on record as stating that the Collegial
Consecration has occurred."

Deception Added To Deception

In the January/March 1984 issue of that organization's publication, in the
same article on Collegial Consecration, we read an additional and classic piece
of disinformation: "After the Consecration of 1942, she wrote that ... it was still
not what Heaven had requested. We have had no such statement from Sister
Lucia following upon the 1982 Consecration." This is clearly false. Sister Lucia
issued her official statement to the papal representative on March 19, 1983
wherein sheclearly stated that "the consecration of Russia has not been
made as Our Lady has demanded." The Fatima Crusader found space to
publish this statement of Sister Lucia on Page 3 in very large print in October,
1983. Surely that organization with pretensions of being so important and
informed had received Sister Lucia's official statement of March 19, 1983, by
January 1st 1984. (Finally three years later in their March/April 1986 issue they
do finally acknowledge having received news of the official statement.)

One Deception Exchanged For Another

That organization, on page 8 of its March/April 1986 issue, finally admits
that Sister Lucia told the Papal Nuncio on March 19, 1983 (Msgr. Sante
Portalupi) "that the consecration of Pope John Paul II in May of 1982 was not
according to the request of Our Lady." While this admission does not explicitly
retract the bogus interview so strongly insisted upon a few short years ago, the
clear implication of this statement is that the readers of this certain publication
were misled at that time.
This deception was given up, it seems, only because of the consecration of
the world by Pope John Paul II to Mary's Immaculate Heart which occurred on
March 25, 1984. About that consecration, that publication states clearly on page
22 of their March/April 1986 issue that "the Pope in union with all bishops of the
world, made the consecration to Mary's Immaculate Heart as was requested in
the apparition of June 13, 1929." The message seems to be that it doesn't
matter that the prior claims about the events of 1982 were false and based on
fraudulent material, because the event of 1984 accomplished the consecration.
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Pictured above are several international experts on the Message of Fatima who
spoke at the Vatican Symposium on Fatima, sponsored by the International
Fatima Rosary Crusade. From left to right are Father Nicholas Gruner, Father
Pierre Caillon from France, Hamish Fraser from Scotland and Frre Michel de la
Sainte Trinit also from France.

Lucia's Official Statement Contradicts Newest Claim For

Consecration In 1984
First of all, the text of the consecration used in 1984 was substantially the
same as that of the Holy Father's previous consecration on May 13, 1982.
Concerning that text, Sister Lucia officially stated on March 19, 1983 that the
consecration of Russia had not been effected in 1982, because Russia had
not clearly been the object of the consecration, and because each bishop
had not made a public solemn ceremony of Russia's consecration in his own
Cathedral. Thus, by acknowledging that Sister Lucia's official statement
revealed their prior claim to be fraudulent (the claim that the act of May 13,
1982 fulfilled the request of Our Lady of Fatima), the editors of that certain
publication must necessarily admit that the 1984 consecration, too, failed to
carry out the commands of Our Lady.
This is necessarily so because Russia had not clearly been the object of
either consecration, as is required by Our Lady. How can an organization in
good faith claim that the same words used in 1982 which were not sufficient to
fulfill Our Lady's commands were sufficient when repeated in 1984?
Unfortunately, the contradictory "doublethink" attitude assumed by that
publication's editors is nothing new. In 1972, that publication makes it clear
that the consecration has not been made. In 1973 (July/August 1973, p.p. 910), they proposed that the collegial consecration of Russia had been fulfilled at
Vatican II (where no reference to Russia whatsoever was made in that
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consecration). Then, in April of 1975 they start the campaign for signatures to
petition the Pope for the collegial consecration "of Russia."

Those Who Practice Deception Attempt To Smear The Fatima

Crusader
It is bad enough that the editors employed by the "organization" have lost
their credibility by dissemination of falsehoods and distortions over the years,
but the organization has further undermined its credibility by its frequent
reversals of position. Perhaps realizing that it is on shaky ground, that
organization has embarked on a none too scrupulous campaign to discredit or
silence any group or publication that shows enough sobriety to adopt a
consistent position and which disseminates the truth in an unambiguous and
factual manner. The Fatima Crusader, by heretofore simply publishing the
facts without deceit or distortions has incurred the ire of this organization
which, stopping short of overt libel, appears to have striven to create the
impression that The Fatima Crusader is somehow lacking in ecclesiastical
legitimacy.

Confusion Is Sown By References To Obscure Group On West Coast

Twice in 1985 the organization published conspicuous warnings about an
obscure and practically unknown schismatic group of Fatima Crusaders based in
Spokane, Washington. At the end of these warnings, as an afterthought, a one
line disclaimer noted that they were not referring to "the Fatima Crusaders in
Canada." The "group in Canada" however, is not called "Fatima Crusaders" such an organization does not exist. The "Fatima Crusader" (singular), this
magazine, is the official publication of The International Fatima Rosary Crusade
and The National Pilgrim Virgin.
Again in their latest issue the publication of that organization resorts to this
sort of disinformation procedure. This deceptive practice of associating The
Fatima Crusader with non-Catholic organizations appears to be a deliberate
attempt to create the impression that The Fatima Crusader (this magazine) is
somehow related to the above-mentioned Spokane group. This is evident in that
the editors have cleverly emphasized that the schismatic organization in
Spokane, Washington is to be distinguished from the "Fatima Crusaders" in
Canada, while deftly omitting all mention of the fact that there is absolutely no
connection whatsoever betweenThe Fatima Crusader and that schismatic
group.

No "Official'' Fatima Apostolate

That organization's claim that they are the "only national apostolate of the
message of Fatima in the United States approved by the Church" is propagated
in such a fashion as to suggest that they are in some manner an "official"
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organization, and that others which are not "official", and which do not adhere
to their "party line", are not to be considered legitimate. For example, one of
their well-known writers, in a smaller circulation newsletter of that organization
has written of The Fatima Crusader, "The magazine ... is not part of an official
Fatima apostolate." He further states that the bishop associated with that lay
association and who is their president, has told him that "the magazine is not to
be recognized." Such announcements betray an improper understanding of the
Law of the Church, for THE CHURCH DOES NOT REQUIRE ECCLESIASTICAL
APPROVAL of associations of either the laity or priests. Thus, the "selfproclaimed official" carriers of the Fatima Message do not have the juridical
competency to declare which organizations are to be recognized as legitimate.
This pronouncement of that bishop in its implication at least is at variance
with Canon Law. Canon Law clearly states that private individuals, "whether
clerics or laity, or clerics and laity together,... have the right to constitute
associations." (Can. 298-299)
In other words, despite the false impressions created by their
disinformation, the present day actual law of the Catholic Church does not
require ecclesiastical approval for The Fatima Crusader and the International
Fatima Rosary Crusade.
Furthermore, their association also does not require approval from the
Church, nor does it have an "official" ecclesiastical status even though they
pretend to have one.
The mere fact that their organization has been approved in some places
does not confer any official ecclesiastical status upon them. They remain a lay
associationwithout any juridical authority to speak in the name of the
Church. This fact is adequately demonstrated in the document that grants to
that bishop the permission to assume the presidency of that lay association:
The document is dated February 3, 1982 and was emitted by the Pontifical
Council of the laity. The document is merely a permission for the bishop, it
does not confer any status on that organization.
Footnote:
1. See Approaches Supplement to Issue No. 82 "Fatima What Actually
Happened". See also Fidelite Catholique April 1983, The Fatima
Crusader October 1983,"Sister Lucy's Recent Authorized Statements", and
Issue No. 16, "Fatima May 13, 1982 - What Actually Happened? Was Russia
Consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?".
Some of our readers may not know all the background information to the various articles,
some people may want to verify further some of the facts herein. We therefore give the
appropriate references so that you can check out the facts yourself. If you do not know what
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we refer to, we shall be glad to supply further information to identify the source of
information we refer to.

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