From the Friars: The Fatima Conclave
On May 13th we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. This is the date of her first apparition in 1917. This article is being submitted on the day that the conclave begins to elect Pope Francis’ successor. It is possible the new Pontiff will be elected on May 13th, but it certainly will be close to that date. At this historic moment, the Fatima prophecies can help us to remember some very important truths.
First, the response, or lack thereof, to Our Blessed Mother’s call to conversion, prayer and penance was to have major consequences for the whole world. Appearing during World War I, she stated that if people did not stop offending God another and worse war would begin during the reign of Pius XI. Our Lady also prophesied the spread of communism and the coming persecution of the Church.
After being shot on May 13, 1981, Pope St. John Paul II asked for the file on the Fatima apparitions while he was recovering in the hospital. Reading the third secret he was convinced that its vision of the Pope being shot and killed was fulfilled in that assassination attempt. Only he was spared by a miraculous intervention of the Holy Mother of God. “One hand fired and another guided the bullet.”
In 1984 John Paul consecrated the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Sr. Lucia stated that this fulfilled what Our Lady had requested during the apparitions. The amazing series of events that led to the fall of the Soviet Union began shortly after this date. The main milestones occurred on Marian feast days. For example, a failed military coup against USSR reforms occurred on August 22, 1991, the Feast of the Queenship of Mary. The final fall came on Christmas day of that year.
The message of Fatima is nothing new. It is the same call to conversion made by Jesus in the Gospel. History show that all is under the Providence of an All-Powerful, Just and Merciful God. Yet our free response has enormous consequences, in this world and the next.
May Our Lady of Fatima help us, and the new Successor of St. Peter, to be faithful to Her Son.
Amen.
Fr. Peter