Ukraine’s Catholic bishops ask Pope Francis to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The bishops hope that this will bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine.


Archbishop Mokrzycki from Ukraine. Our Lady of Fatima statue and Pope Francis with Russian flag.

Quote:Holy Father! In these hours of immeasurable pain and terrible ordeal for our people, we, the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Ukraine, are spokesmen for the unceasing and heartfelt prayer, supported by our priests and consecrated persons, which comes to us from all Christian people that Your Holiness will consecrate our Motherland and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Responding to this prayer, we humbly ask Your Holiness to publicly perform the act of consecration to the Sacred Immaculate Heart of Mary of Ukraine and Russia, as requested by the Blessed Virgin in Fatima.

May the Mother of God, Queen of Peace, accept our prayer: Regina pacis, ora pro nobis!

Quote:When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the communion of reparation on the first Saturday’s.

If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.

Quote:

Text of the Catholic Bishops’ of Ukraine’s consecration of Ukraine

Beloved Queen and Our Mother, Queen of the Holy Rosary, Help of Christians, Salvation of the human race, Victorious Virgin, here we humbly fall before You, that You may bring our sincere prayers to Almighty God in the Trinity.

We come in full confidence that we beg for mercy and protection for our Motherland in this dramatic time of war. Mother of Mercy, we ask this not for our merits, which we do not count on, but in view of the infinite goodness of Your Heart and the saving Blood of Christ, Your Son.

May the suffering and cries for help of so many people touch you. Have mercy on the wounded and victims of the shelling, orphans and widows, all those who were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in safer places. Ask for mercy for those who gave their lives defending their neighbors and our Motherland.

O Immaculate Mother, ask God for the grace of conversion, and we especially ask for the conversion of Russia and all those who are blinded by hatred or thirst for power. Pray for us first of all those graces which can change human hearts in an instant, and which will prepare and bring such a coveted peace! Above all, bring us the gift of spiritual peace so that the Kingdom of God may grow in peace and harmony.

Queen of Peace, ask us for the grace of true reconciliation with God and with each other, so that we can give each other a hand of help and support.

The throne of wisdom, inspire all rulers to make wise decisions and strengthen the efforts of those who contribute to the end of war and peace.

Queen of the Apostles, ask for our pastors the gift of strong faith and zeal in the completion of the Sacraments, so that at this time we may all be united at the Eucharistic table and in zealous prayer.

Heal the sick, strengthen all medical staff and volunteers who care for the sick and wounded, ask for their spiritual and physical strength. Be healing for the sick, strengthening for the dying and fun for their loved ones.

Just as the Church and all mankind were consecrated to the Heart of Your Divine Son, and in Him we hope to become an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation for all, so we dedicate ourselves forever to You and to Your Immaculate Heart, our Mother and Queen, that Your love and care may ensure the victory of the Kingdom of God, and that our Ukraine and all nations reconciled among themselves and with God may bless and glorify You. Amen!

The following posts are imported from the old Catacombs site and republished here.




Dear friends,

There are few who would not agree that the issue of the visions at Garabandal has always been surrounded with controversy. I have heard good priests recommend it and just as many good priests advise against it, similar perhaps to how even some saints during the Great Western Schism were divided on which was the true pope when there were as many as three claimants to the papal throne.

After some research for my own benefit, it seems to me, in my humble opinion, that these 'visions' are not from Heaven. I will share some of the reasons for that conclusion here. But ultimately (and really, in the first place) these 'visions' have never once been approved by the local bishop of that diocese in which Garabandal has been located.

[NB: As established in the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the local bishop is the first and main authority in the judgement of the authenticity of apparition claims. Vatican approval is not required for an apparition to be considered authentic. After an episcopal approval, the Vatican may officially release a statement or give less explicit forms of approval such as a papal visit or crowning of the associated icon, a papal gift such as a golden rose, the approval of the construction of a basilica, the establishment of a feast day, or the canonization of the associated visionary.]

This is doubly significant because the 'visions' reportedly took place from 1961-1965, when arguably the bishops were not as widely infected with the modernism that was aggressively promoted in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council.

So to begin, I include some of the formal documentation of the local bishops against Garabandal, beginning with Cardinal Ottaviani's note supporting the decision of the local bishop of that time to not approve the 'visions.' These letters and short commentary are taken from here.

Not only did the Bishop in 1965 condemn Garabandal, but five bishops after him have condemned it. Even Rome had to come into the picture to aid the Bishop.

Quote:

Quote:"The question having been closely examined and a decision having been reached by Your Excellency, the Sacred Congregation has come to the conclusion that there is no reason to intervene in this affair.

- Cardinal Ottaviani

Cardinal Seper, Prefect of the Congregation for the Sacred Doctrine of the Faith wrote this letter to Archbishop Philip M. Hannan of New Orleans, Louisiana on April 21, 1970.

Quote:"Seal"

"This office has received you letter of April 1970 in which you expressed justifiable apprehension about the diffusion of the Garabandal movement in your Archdiocese and in which you asked for clear and reliable guidelines from the Holy See for dealing with this phenomenon.

"The Holy See share your perception about the manifest and increasing confusion due to the diffusion of this movement among the faithful and desires with this letter to clarify its position on the matter.

"This Sacred Congregation despite requests form various Bishops and faithful has always refused to define the supernatural character of the events of Garabandal. After the definitive negative judgment issued by the Curia of Santander this Sacred Congregation, after attentive examination of the proceedings forwarded to this office has often praised the prudence that characterized the method followed in the examination but has still decided to leave direct responsibility for the matter to the local Ordinary.

"The Holy see has always held that the conclusions and dispositions of the Bishop of Santander were sufficiently secure guidelines for the Christian people and indications for the Bishops to order to dissuade people from participating in pilgrimages and other acts of devotion that are based on claims connected with or founded on the presumed apparitions and messages of Garabandal. On March 10, 1996; this Sacred Congregation wrote a letter to this effect to the Bishop of Santander who had also asked for a more explicit declaration of the Holy See to the matter.

"However promoters of the Garabandal movement have tried to minimize the decisions and the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Santander. THIS SACRED CONGREGATION WANTS IT TO BE CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD THAT THE BISHOP OF SANTANDER HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE THE ONLY ONE WITH COMPLETE JURISDICTION IN THIS MATTER AND THE HOLY SEE HAS NO INTENTION OF EXAMINING THIS QUESTION ANY FURTHER, since it holds that the examinations already carried out are sufficient as well as are the official declarations of the Bishop of Santander. There is no truth to the statement that the Holy See has named an Official Papal Private Investigator of Garabandal and affirmations attributed to the anonymous personage to the extent that the verification of the Garabandal apparitions lies completely in the hands of the Holy Father Pope Paul VI and other such expressions that aim at undermining the authority of the decisions of the Bishop of Santander are completely unfounded.

"In order to reply to certain doubts that you expressed in your letter this Sacred Congregation wishes to assert: that the Holy See has never approved even indirectly the Garabandal movement, that it has never encouraged or blessed Garabandal promoters or centers. Rather the Holy See deplores that fact that certain persons and Institutions persist in formatting the movement in obvious contradiction with the dispositions of ecclesiastical authority and thus disseminate confusion among the people especially among the simple and defenseless.

"From what has been said so far you will easily realize that though this Sacred Congregation certainly agrees with the contents of the note of May 10, 1969 (as published in various countries and especially in the French magazine LA DOCUMENTATION CATHOLIC September 21, 1966, n:1547 p. 821) It must say that it is inexact to attribute the part of the text that deals with the lack of supernatural character of the events of Garabandal of the Sacred Congregation which has always striven to abstain from any direct declaration on the question precisely because it did not consider it necessary to do so after the clear and express decisions of the Bishop of Santander. This is the genuine meaning of the letter written on January 21, 1970 by the Most Reverend Paul Phillippe, Secretary of this Sacred Congregation to the editor in chief of LA DOCUMENTATION CATHOLIQUE.

"In order to contribute further to your pastoral action in this matter, this office is enclosing other essential documents already published in other countries such as Spain: The two official notices of the Bishop of Santander, two letters of the Sacred Congregation to the same Bishop and a letter to the Apostolic Delegate to Mexico. This office hopes in this letter to have clarified a question that concerns not just your Archdiocese but also other dioceses.

"With sentiments of deepest esteem and cordial respect

"I am devotedly yours

signed:  "Francis Cardinal Seper Prefect

also signed: "Paul Philippe , Secretary"

On October 11, 1996 the new bishop, Jose Vilaplana, again placed his prohibition on the alleged apparitions and said it is final:

Quote:"Some people have been coming directly to the Diocese of Santander (Spain) asking about the alleged apparitions of Garabandal and especially for the answer about the position of the hierarchy of the Church concerning these apparitions.

I need to communicate that:

1. All the bishops of the diocese since 1961 through 1970 agreed that there was no supernatural validity for the apparitions.

2. In the month of December of 1977 Bishop Dal Val of Santander, in union with his predecessors, stated that in the six years of being bishop of Santander there were no new phenomena.

3. The same bishop, Dal Val, let a few years go by to allow the confusion or fanaticism to settle down, and then he initiated a commission to examine the apparitions in more depth. The conclusion of the commission agreed with the findings of the previous bishops. That there was no supernatural validity to such apparitions.

4. At the time of the conclusions of the study, in 1991, I was installed bishop in the diocese. So during my visit to Rome, ad limina visit which happened in the same year, I presented to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith the study and I asked for pastoral direction concerning this case.

5. On Nov. 28, 1992, the Congregation sent me an answer saying that after examining the documentation, there was no need for direct intervention (by the Vatican) to take away the jurisdiction of the ordinary bishop of Santander in this case. Such a right belongs to the ordinary. Previous declarations of the Holy See agree in this finding. In the same letter they suggested that if I find it necessary to publish a declaration, that I reconfirm that there was no supernatural validity in the alleged apparitions, and this will make a unanimous position with my predecessors.

6. Given that the declarations of my predecessors who studied the case have been clear and unanimous, I don’t find it necessary to have a new public declaration that would raise notoriety about something which happened so long ago. However, I find it necessary to rewrite this report as a direct answer to the people who ask for direction concerning this question, which is now final: I agree with [and] I accept the decision of my predecessors and the direction of the Holy See.

7. In reference to the Eucharistic celebration in Garabandal, following the decision of my predecessors, I ruled that Masses can be celebrated only in the parish church and there will be no references to the alleged apparitions and visiting priests who want to say Mass must have approval from the pastor, who has my authorization. It’s my wish that this information is helpful to you.

My regards in Christ,

Jose Vilaplana

Bishop of Santander
Oct. 11, 1996

Never, has any apparition received so many [formal] condemnations as Garabandal.

Quote:I have witnessed Ukraine transform from a collapsing part of the Soviet Union to a liberal democracy and an open society. It has faced countless acts of Russian aggression, but has persisted. Brave Ukrainians are now on the frontline and risking their lives. The horrible images coming out of Ukraine remind me of war torn Budapest in 1944 and the siege of Sarajevo in 1993. It is important that both the transatlantic alliance (the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom) but also other nations do whatever is in their power to support Ukraine in its time of existential threat. Putin’s actions are a direct attack on the sovereignty of all States that were once in the Soviet Union, and beyond. Russia is in clear violation of the United Nations charter and should be held accountable. Allowing Putin to succeed on his quest will send a message across the world that nations can simply be created or dissolved by brute force. We must stand with Ukraine, as they stand for us.

there arose 'white-colored smoke' from a point on the carpet.

Quote:Cardinal Lienart was certainly not the only one of the fathers who was looking for an immediate change in the election procedure. According to some, after the Mass, Tisserant, dean of the cardinals and conciliar president that day, suggested to [the general secretary of the Council, Archbishop Pericle] Felici, that the voting be postponed and that the episcopal conferences draw up their own lists. Cardinal [A. G.] Cicognani, Secretary of State, when consulted on the subject, declared himself in favor of an immediate vote, and Felici sided with Cicognani. When Tisserant communicated Felici’s position to Lienart, the annoyed Bishop of Lille decided to speak, followed by Frings, who had close ties with the elderly French cardinal.[5]

Quote:His [Liénart’s] decision to intervene was strengthened by the opinion of Cardinal Lefebvre [not to be confused with Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre], who asked him to speak in order at least to ward off any immediate elections and who provided him with a Latin translation of a petition, which Liénart would not have been able to improvise in that language.[6]

Quote:When showing Guitton a painting made from a photograph, which depicted Tisserant himself and six other cardinals, the Dean of the Sacred College [Tisserant] said: “This picture is historic, or rather, symbolic. It shows the meeting we had before the opening of the council, when we decided to block the first session by refusing to accept the tyrannical rules laid down by John XXIII.”[7]

Quote:“As the sources now show more and more, Pope John XXIII was ultimately not as naive as he is usually portrayed, but quite clever. He played along with satisfaction with the game of Cardinal Tisserant and Liénart and Co., that is, with the revolution on October 13, 1962.”

Quote:On October 30, the day after his seventy-second birthday, Cardinal Ottaviani addressed the Council to protest against the drastic changes which were being suggested in the Mass. “Are we seeking to stir up wonder, or perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by introducing changes in so venerable a rite, that has been approved for so many centuries and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each generation.” Speaking without a text, because of his partial blindness, he exceeded the ten-minute time limit which all had been requested to observe. Cardinal Tisserant, Dean of the Council Presidents, showed his watch to Cardinal Alfrink, who was presiding that morning. When Cardinal Ottaviani reached fifteen minutes, Cardinal Alfrink rang the warning bell. But the speaker was so engrossed in his topic that he did not notice the bell, or purposely ignored it. At a signal from Cardinal Alfrink, a technician switched off the microphone. After confirming the fact by tapping the instrument, Cardinal Ottaviani stumbled back to his seat in humiliation. The most powerful cardinal in the Roman Curia had been silenced, and the Council Fathers clapped with glee.[8]

Quote:the council refrained from condemning communism, and in its Acta the very word, which had been so frequent in papal documents up to that moment, does not occur. The great gathering made specific statements about totalitarianism, capitalism, and colonialism, but hid its opinion on communism inside its generic judgment on totalitarian ideologies.[11]

Excerpt from The Recusant #57 - Lent 2022

Quote:“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.”

Quote:“What we are experiencing is the birth of a new era, a wake-up call to overhaul our institutions, our systems and, above all, our thinking, and to adjust our attitudes and values to the needs of a world which rightly expects a much higher degree of responsibility and accountability,” he explained. “If we recognize this crisis as being really transformational, we can lay the fundaments for a more stable, more sustainable and even more prosperous world.”

– Klaus Schwab on the Global Redesign Initiative, 2009