Dear
Friends and Benefactors,
The Church’s situation increasingly resembles
a sea that is agited in all directions. We see waves and more
waves, which seem to be about to capsize the bark of Peter and
drag it into the endless abyss. Since the Second Vatican Council,
it seems that a wave has been trying to carry off everything
into the deep, leaving only a heap of ruins, a spiritual desert,
that the popes themselves have called an apostasy. We do not
want to describe this harsh reality again; we have already so
often done, and all of you can see that it is so. Still, to
us it seems useful to comment somewhat on the events of the
past months; I want to speak about the surprisingly violent
and particularly well-orchestrated blows that have been dealt
to the Church and the Supreme Pontiff. Why such violent attacks?
To return to our metaphor, it seems that for
some time now, more or less since the beginning of the pontificate
of Pope Benedict XVI, a new wave has appeared which is much
more modest than the first, yet persistent enough that it is
noticeable nevertheless. Contrary to all expectations, this
wave seems to be going in the opposite direction compared to
the first. The indications are sufficiently varied and numerous,
that we can state that this new movement of reform or renewal
is quite real. We can see this especially with the younger generations,
who are plainly frustrated by the spiritual ineffectiveness
of the Vatican II reforms. Considering the very harsh and bitter
reproaches leveled by the progressives against Benedict XVI,
it is certain that they see in the very person of the present
pope one of the most vigorous causes of this incipient renewal.
In fact, even if we find the pope’s initiatives rather
timid, they run deep and are contrary to the agenda of the revolutionary,
left-leaning world, both inside and outside of the Church, and
this is true at several levels.
The resulting irritation of the progressives
and of the world is sensed initially in questions concerning
morality. Specifically, the Left and the liberals have been
irritated despite the pope’s well-pondered words about
the use of condoms in dealing with AIDS in Africa. As for the
life of the Church, the restoration of the Mass of All Ages
to its rightful place in 2007, and then two years later the
rescinding of the degrading punishment aimed at disqualifying
us, provoked the rage of liberals and progressives of all stripes.
Moreover-the felicitous plan of a Year for Priests, restoring
the priest to a place of honor, recalling his important and
indispensable role in the salvation of souls, and proposing
the holy Curé of Ars as a model, is not only an invitation
to the Christian people to pray for their priests, but also
a call to make use of the Sacrament of Penance, which had completely
sunk into oblivion in broad sectors of the Church, and also
to foster Eucharistic devotion, calling to mind in particular
the importance of adoring Our Lord in the Sacred Host, a clear
sign of the reality of the real and substantial presence of
Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The appointment of bishops who are distinctly
more conservative, some of whom were already celebrating the
Tridentine Mass before, is another positive development. We
could cite also, as an undeniable example of the reality of
this little wave of opposition, the Letter to the Catholics
of Ireland inviting them to repentance, confession, and spiritual
exercises and asking also for the adoration of Jesus in the
Eucharist.
Even though people in our circles rightly think
that these [papal] efforts are still insufficient to stop the
decay and the crisis of the Church—especially in view
of certain acts along the regrettable line of his predecessor,
such as the visits to the synagogue and the Protestant church—in
Modernist circles however, the hour has come to report to their
battle stations! The big wave is attacking the very little one
with unexpected violence. It is not surprising that the meeting
of these two ill-matched waves should cause a lot of backwash
and turbulence and give rise to an extremely confused situation
in which it is quite difficult to tell and predict which of
the two will win the day. This, however, is something new that
deserves to be commented. It is not a question of giving in
to thoughtless enthusiasm or believing that the crisis is over.
On the contrary, the aging forces that see their gains, which
they thought were definitive, being called into question, will
no doubt put up a large-scale battle to try to save this dream
of modernity which is starting to fall apart. It is very important
to remain in this regard, as realistic as possible about what
is happening. Although we rejoice over all the good that is
being done in the Church and the world, we nevertheless have
no illusions about the seriousness of the present situation.
What should we expect to see in the coming years?
Peace in the Church, or war? The victory of good and its long-awaited
return, or a new tempest? Will the little wave manage to grow
enough to prevail someday? The assurance that the promise of
Our Lady of Fatima will be fulfilled—“in the end
my Immaculate Heart will triumph”—does not necessarily
or directly resolve our question, because it is still quite
possible that we will have to first pass through an even greater
tribulation before the long-awaited triumph occurs….
A terrific challenge is also intended by our
rosary crusade. We would not want to diminish in the least,
the joy over the announcement of the extraordinary result of
our Rosary Crusade. We boldly asked you one year ago for twelve
million rosaries so as to crown our dear Heavenly Mother, the
Mother of God, as if with an equal number of stars, and to surround
with a magnificent crown of praise that Mother, who to the enemies
of God appears “terrible as an army set in battle array”
(Canticle of Canticles 6:3). You responded so generously that
we can now bring to Rome a spiritual bouquet of more than nineteen
million rosaries, not counting all those not directly affiliated
with our priories and chapels who joined in our campaign.
Surely it is no accident that when Pius XII declared
the dogma of the Assumption, he decided to change the Introit
of the feast on August 15, to the passage from the Apocalypse
that salutes the great sign that appeared in heaven. This excerpt
from the Apocalypse ushers in the description of one of the
most terrible wars that are set forth in that sacred Book: the
great dragon, who with his tail will sweep away a third of the
stars, comes to wage battle with the great Woman (see Apocalypse
12). Is this whole passage intended for our time? We can easily
believe it, while avoiding a literal or overly specific application
of those mysterious and prophetic descriptions. We have absolutely
no doubt that all our prayers are important, and even of very
great importance at this moment in history at which we find
ourselves. However we think that we should warn you also and
encourage you in these circumstances of the history of the Church.
Your great generosity shows, without the slightest
doubt, your very real devotion and your love for our Holy Mother,
the Roman Catholic Church, for the Successor of Saint Peter,
and for the hierarchy, even though we have much to suffer from
it. God is stronger than evil – good will be victorious,
but perhaps not with all the pomp that you would like.
Now we must convince the authorities to accomplish
the famous consecration of Russia that they say has already
been made; we must recall the present relevance of what Our
Lady of Fatima said, even though in the year 2000 there was
manifestly an attempt to turn a new leaf and not to return to
the subject again. It seems inevitable that the difficulties
and obstacles will multiply so as to prevent the realization
of what we are asking. That doesn’t matter; we count much
more on God than on men, just as we expect from acts as simple
as the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
surprising results for the Church and the world, results surpassing
anything that we can imagine. It is foolishness in the sight
of men, but it is really a reflection of what Saint Paul already
preached to his age: what men regard as wise is foolishness
in God’s sight, whereas God’s wisdom is considered
absurd foolishness by the wise of this world (cf. 1 Corinthians
1:20).
As we bring to the attention of the Holy Father
your remarkable efforts, along with the reason for these prayers,
thus hoping to contribute, in our way, to the good of the Church,
we ask you to please continue those same efforts. According
to the example that Our Lord Himself invites us to follow in
his very moving exhortation to prayer: “Ask, and you shall
receive,” let us ask, indeed insisting on much (cf. Matthew
7:7-11). Although we do not doubt that our prayers will be answered,
our persistence and perseverance must be proportioned to the
magnitude of what we are asking.
Let us remember also that the essential element
of the Fatima message is not just the consecration of Russia,
but above all devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. May
all these prayers and sacrifices lead us to increase and deepen
our special devotion to the Heart of the Mother of God. For,
through it God wants to be moved.
As the month of May begins, the month of Mary,
may we all find ourselves even more reliant on her maternal
protection; this is our fondest wish. Thanking you for your
truly great generosity, we ask Our Lady to deign to bless you
with the Child Jesus.
+ Bernard Fellay
May 1, 2010, Feast of Joseph the Worker