(Telegraph) - Good news from Rome: the Vatican has further underlined the freedom of priests to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form whenever they choose. Two important points have been clarified by Ecclesia Dei, which will make it more difficult for the English, Welsh and above all Scottish bishops to stall the implementation of Summorum Pontificum:
1. A priest does NOT have to be approached by a “stable group” of the faithful in order to schedule a PUBLIC celebration of the Extraordinary Form – he may choose to do so, for example, in order to introduce his parishioners to this ancient form of the Roman Rite. Or because it’s his aunt’s birthday. Any reason, really.
2. A Mass in the Extraordinary Form may replace a regularly scheduled Mass in the Ordinary Form.
You can find more details of the Ecclesia Dei ruling here, on the excellent New Liturgical Movement blog....
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Rome has spoken again. While rebel priests and bishops from all over the western world seek new ways to twist canon law and thwart the pope's will, the Vatican has now ruled the following. Any Roman Rite Catholic priest may celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine mass, Extraordinary Form or Usus Antiquior) or "Ancient Use" at any time, whenever he wants, for any reason, or no particular reason at all. It can be done privately (with or without guests), or publicly, and it may replace any ordinary mass at any time. The one and only requirement is that the priest be competent to celebrate it, and there are many means through which a priest may attain competency, either through training videos or short workshops.
Pope Benedict XVI has effectively given the Usus Antiquior ("Ancient Use") just as much freedom in the modern Church as the ordinary modern mass. This freedom will prove essential to younger priests, just coming out of the seminaries, who tend to be more traditional in their liturgical practices, and will immediately be confronted by retro-1970s priests serving as rectors, chancellors and bishops. The retro-1970s clergy tend to express an open hostility toward the Usus Antiquior and/or anything having to do with traditional liturgical practices. For years now, young priests have found themselves immediately immersed in a culture of intimidation if they should display any traditional tendencies in diocesan parishes. "When you're fresh out of the seminary, and trying to please your superiors, there is tremendous pressure to just go along with the flow and maintain the status quo" said one newly ordained priest to 'The Catholic Knight' under condition of anonymity.
That "pressure" may still be there, but the "power" of these retro-1970s throwbacks to do any harm has now been significantly diminished. Young priests, fresh out of the seminaries, can now offer the Usus Antiquior whenever they want, and while they may incur the frowns and glares of their superiors, there is nothing they can lawfully do to stop them anymore. This most recent act by the Vatican signifies that the retro-1970s post-conciliar neopriests are now finally being put out to pasture.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Most statistics indicate that the overall divorce rate in the United States, among all people, religious or non-religious, is about 40% to 60%. The range is based on an average between first marriages, second marriages and third marriages. A first marriage has about a 50% chance at survival in the United States. Chances of survival go down with each consecutive marriage.
Now based on this information, and the statistical graph above, we can instantly see that the practice of any Christian religion does significantly help the survival chances for a marriage. Case in point; if the married Christian couple practices Catholic or Lutheran Christianity, the divorce rate is about 21%, which indicates the marriage has about a 79% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices Baptist Christianity, the divorce rate is about 29%, which indicates the marriage has about a 71% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices one of the new trendy "nondenominational" forms of Christianity, the divorce rate is about 34%, which indicates the marriage has about a 66% chance at survival.
What I find interesting about these statistics is that the more "ancient" and "traditional" the form of Christianity, the more likely a marriage is to survive. Granted, these are statistics, and based on an overall picture. We cannot apply them to each and every individual couple, and of course, there are always exceptions to every statistical rule. However, when we're looking at odds alone, we find that the best chance a marriage has at survival, in our incredibly decadent culture, is for the couple to practice some form of Christianity. However, of all the different forms of Christianity, Catholicism is one of two that is MOST LIKELY to increase the chances of a marriage survival. The only Protestant form of Christianity that compares is Lutheranism.
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(FrontPageMag.Com) - When the US-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003, few would have imagined that the move might lead to the formation of an alliance between the radical Left and hard-line Islamists in Western Europe. But this is precisely what happened.
In this month's election for a new European Parliament, voters in several European Union countries, notably France and Britain, are offered common lists of Islamist and leftist candidates, often hidden under bland labels.
Europe's moribund extreme Left has found a new lease on life thanks to hundreds of young Muslim militants recruited from the poor suburbs of Paris and the Islamic ghettos of northern England.
The Islamist groups, for their part, are learning many tricks from the Left about how to exploit the inevitable weaknesses of an open society...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We are all familiar of the Islamic "enemy of my enemy is my friend" ideology. What you may not be familiar with is how well the Marxist world has adopted this ideology as it's own. Russian friendliness with radical Islamic regimes (such as Iran for example) is an old story going all the way back to the days of the Soviet Union. While this remains a continual threat today, the real danger at this time has little to do with the old communist state. The real danger is rising in Europe.
European Marxists, often called "Leftists" by many in the mainstream news media, are forging an alliance with Europe's rising Muslim population. The demonstrations (i.e. "riots") seen in the video above are just a small snapshot of what's going on all across Europe right now. Throughout the European Union, demonstrations can be witnessed in which typical Marxist anarchists can be seen rioting alongside Muslims in traditional Islamic attire.
Multiple demographic studies indicate that Muslims will become the European majority by 2050. In some European nations, this will happen much sooner, and Sweden is one of them. The possibility of a purely Islamic takeover of Europe is at least a couple decades away. However, when coupled with a Leftist alliance, a Muslim-Marxist revolution could happen much faster, perhaps even within a decade. Marxists (i.e. Leftists or Socialists) make up a much larger portion of European politics than typically seen in North America. In fact, most major political parties in Europe have to adopt socialist policies in order to appease the powerful Marxist influence over European politics. An alliance between radical Muslims and Marxists could (and probably will) prove fatal for Europe, and if given enough time, will probably present a significant security threat to North America as well.
This is where we are now. However, if you would like to know what the future holds, we need look no further than the sages and mystics of our Christian past. It turns out God has been warning us about our specific times since at least the early middle ages. There were many prophecies from Christian Saints and mystics that deal specifically with our time, and even more specifically with the Muslim-Marxist threat we now face. Yes, according to them, we are in the end times, but not yet in the last days. We have at least a few more generations to go before the final consummation of the age, the coming of Antichrist and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the mean time, this is what we can expect to happen in our generation....
The Muslim-Marxist Alliance in Europe will grow and be highly successful. It will also enjoy success in other parts of the world as well. Marxists heretics within the Church will also prevail, driving the Church into chaos.
The European Muslim-Marxist Alliance will eventually culminate in a violent revolution that will span the entire European continent. The prophesied "Chastisement" begins.
The Vatican will be violently overrun by heretics, and the pope will be forced to flee Rome. He will eventually die in exile - assassinated! Some prophecies indicate a false pope (anti-pope) may be installed during his absence. One prophecy identifies this anti-pope as a Greek.
God will intervene in the situation, with a supernatural disaster of some type.
A new (and true) pope will be elected in exile, and he will revive the old French monarchy by crowning a Christian king against the will of the people of France. (Yes, the French royal family still exists, but it is unclear at this time who has right to the throne. Currently there are two valid pretenders. Though some prophets maintain that the line of succession will be unknown until the time comes.)
The Muslim-Marxist revolution will be short lived, as this new Christian monarch fights back, and conquers Europe by military conquest, establishing a Christian Empire spanning from Madrid to Jerusalem - perhaps even larger - some say he will conquer the whole world. The prophesied "Chastisement" comes to conclusion. As much as 2/3 to 3/4 of the world population is dead.
Russia will be converted back to Christianity en mass, and the Orthodox churches will be reunited with the Roman Catholic Church, and all non-Catholic (protestant, reformed, evangelical and fundamentalist) churches will cease to exist.
In the distant future, the following is foretold...
A period of peace will follow (perhaps two or more centuries depending conditionally upon the faithfulness of the people), in which Christianity will have it's last great era of orthodoxy and evangelism before the rise of Antichrist and the Last Days. The world will be ruled by Christian monarchies, and great waves of evangelism will cover the earth, converting most of the world, as Pope John Paul II alluded to with his prophetic utterance "springtime of evangelism."
Some time after the great French monarch dies, and perhaps after his successors die as well, the world will reach a point where things will be thrown into chaos once again. The world will eventually be divided among multiple (ten) kings. Antichrist will come, and he will assume world power. He will be Jewish, and rise to power in the Middle East. He will be hailed as the Jewish messiah, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and establish his throne there. He will subdue the world, and teach that all religions are false, except Judaism and perhaps Noahidism as it's extension.
Then after ruling mildly for some time, and rebuilding Jerusalem into a thriving metropolis, and capitol of the world, he shall persecute Christians severely, and then demand to be worshiped as God.
At that point God will send Enoch and Elijah back to reason with the Jewish people, and they will reject him and convert to Christianity en masse. Eventually the Antichrist will be killed, and a very short time (unknown exactly how long) after that Jesus Christ will supernaturally return in the flesh. He will come in the clouds, to raise the dead, judge the nations, and bring our world to it's end. Thus begins ETERNITY!
What astounds me is how well the Saints and seers of ages past predicted the exact circumstances of our time, which they insisted would eventually result in the fall of our Secular world, followed by the revival of the Holy Roman Empire - and a new Christian Europe! The rise of Secular democratic republics in Europe (from 1789 until now) will prove to be an absolute failure as Muslims and Marxists slowly take them over, while liberal heretics attempt to take over the Church. Only the intervention of God, the election of a holy pope, and the rise of a Christian king, will be able to save Europe and the world.
Based on the foretold 75 to 100 year period of increased freedom and power granted to Satan by Christ, as reported by Pope Leo XIII, the message and timing of the Fatima visions, in conjunction with the prophecies of Anne Catherine Emmerich and many other approved Catholic mystics, I have come to the PERSONAL presumption that the period of the Chastisement will most likely occur between the years 2013 at the earliest, to 2038 at the latest. The time span between 2013 and 2038 (a period of 25 years) is borrowed time - a period when the Chastisement is imminent. That is my PERSONAL OPINION and should not be taken as anything more than that.
After this will come Peter the Roman, that great pontiff who will give us the Great Monarch, and the period of peace to follow.
Now I want to stress here that this is merely an assumption based on the information given, and my flawed human ability to process it. I am not a prophet, nor am I a mystic. I'm just a Catholic laymen with an interest in this topic. Based on the information given however, and my ability to process it, I am convinced that the time of the Chastisement is at hand. We have a 25 year window (between AD 2013 - 2038) in which it will most likely occur. Watch, Pray, Trust Christ, and Pursue Holiness; this is our best hope and our ONLY MEANS of survival.
These prophecies come predominantly from canonized Saints, who are approved for veneration by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. So we're not talking about any questionable predictions arising from occult sources. These were holy men and women of God, who saw images of the future through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. These prophecies have been compiled and recorded by multiple authors. Their works can be found stored electronically on the Internet and in books at your local public libraries. The following is a tiny sampling of what I'm talking about....
After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society. - St. Nilus, AD 430
"This prince shall extend his dominion over the entire universe. At the same time there will be a Great Pope, who will be the most eminent in sanctity and most perfect in every quality. This Pope shall have with him the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion of the holy race of the French kings. This Great Monarch will assist the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. Many princes and nations that are living in error and impiety shall be converted, and an admirable peace shall reign among men during many years because the wrath of God shall be appeased through repentance, penance and good works. There will be one common law, one only faith, one baptism, one religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome, and shall pay homage to the Pope. But after some considerable time fervor shall cool, iniquity shall abound, and moral corruption shall become worse than ever, which shall bring upon mankind the last and worst persecution of Antichrist and the end of the world" - St. Caesar of Arles (Caesarius), AD 470-543
"There will be a great prodigy which will fill the world with awe. But this prodigy will be preceded by the triumph of a revolution during which the Church will go through ordeals that are beyond description." - Pope Pius IX, AD 1846-1878
"God will punish the world when men have devised marvelous inventions that will lead them to forget God. They will have horseless carriages; they will fly like birds." - Blessed Bernardt Rembordt, AD 1689-1793
I saw one of my successors taking to flight over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in disguise somewhere, and after a short retirement he will die a cruel death. The present wickedness of the world is only the beginning of sorrows which must take place before the end of the world. - St. Pius X, AD 1903-1914
"The Pope will be forced to flee, followed by four cardinals. He will find refuge in Cologne." - Sister Helena Walraff, AD 1790
In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered. - Pope Leo XIII, AD 1903
"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God." - The Children of Fatima, AD 1917
"Europe will be afflicted by horrable punishments, when the papal chair is empty. Wickedness, spitefulness and slandering will provoke a small nation, that will set on the fire by killing a prince. Seven realms will rise against the bird with two heads and the bird with one head."......"In east and west a large struggle will be, which destroys many humans." ......"Powerless humans will watch this. Four years and five months the riot will take. famine, epidemics and plague will cause more victims than the war." ..."The time will come, when you neither can buy nor sell. Bread will be assigned and marked. The seas will color themselves with blood. ...The carriages will drive without horses, fiery dragons will fly through the air and belch fire and sulfur, destroy cities and villages." ....."The winner carries a cross on the breast; and between the seven cities with the seven towers the decision takes place. There is a crucifix between two lime trees. The war will begin, when the ears fully lean, but reaching his highest point, when the cherry trees flower for the second time." - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918
Watch the sun and moon and the stars of Heaven - when they appear to be unduly disturbed and restless, know that the day is not far away.......The Divine Judgment shall strike them like a thunderbolt!......'Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place! It will begin during a very cold night.........This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness! No one shall leave the house or look out of a window from that moment on. I Myself shall come amidst thunder and lightning.......'On that day, as soon as complete darkness has set in, no one shall leave the house or look out of the window. The darkness shall last a day and a night, followed by another day and a night, and another day - but on the night following, the stars will shine again, and on the next morning the sun shall rise again, and it will be springtime… - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918
"Before I come as the just judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: "All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. " - Saint Faustina, AD 1937
“Pray….pray much, especially for the conversion of sinners” Humanity has not heeded my Blessed Mother who appeared at Fatima, to exhort everyone to pentience. Now I have come, in this last hour to admonish the world. The times are grave. Men should do penance for their sins…I am near. The earth will tremble and will suffer. It will be terrific. A minor judgement. For those who are not in a state of grace it will be frightful. The angels of my justice are now scattered across the world. Men do not listen to my calls. They close their ears, resist my graces and refuse my mercy, my love and my merits. They will agonize in the blindness of their faults. Hatred and greed fills the hearts of men. All this is the work of Satan. The world sleeps in a dense darkness. This generation deserves to be annihalated ut I desire to show myself as merciful. Great and terrible things are being prepared. That which is about to happen will be terrible, like nothing ever since the beginning of the world. All those who have suffered in those last times are my martyrs and they prepare the newly converted of my church. That which will shortly happen, will greatly surpass everything that has ever happened until now. The Mother of God and the angels will intervene. Hell will believe that victory is theirs, but I will seize it from them. Many blaspheme Me and, because of this, I shall allow all kinds of misfortunes to rain upon the earth for, through this, many will be saved. Blessed are those who suffer everything in reparation for those who offend me. My beloved children the hour is near. Pray incessantly and you will not be confounded. I unite My elect. They will come together, at the same time, from all parts of the world and they will glorify Me.I come. Blessed are those who will be prepared. Blessed are those who hear me." - The Children of Heede, AD 1937
"Countless legions of demons shall overrun the earth - the instrument of divine justice - and causing terrible calamities and disasters. Nothing on earth shall be spared. After the frightful punishment I saw a great light appear upon the earth which was the sign of reconciliation of God with men. All men shall become Catholics, and they shall acknowledge the Pope as Vicar of Jesus Christ." - Ven. Isabel Canori Moor, AD 1803-1825
"My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to you. You will inform your superior." "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them. With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation. It is Bishop Ito, who directs your community. You have still something to ask? Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice. From now on you will obey the one sent to you and your superior. Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamites which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved." - Sister Agnes Sasagawa (The Seeress of Akita), AD 1973
"A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire... He shall give up the ghost at Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives." - Saint Augustine of Hippo, AD 430
"The great Monarch and the great Pope will precede Antichrist. The nations will be at war for four years and a great part of the world will be destroyed. The Pope will go over the sea carrying the sign of Redemption on his forehead. The great Monarch will come to restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory." - Werdin D’Otrante, 13th Century AD
But God shall save all like a sign of the last judgement. God will come to help. The return of the king shall be announced. This will re-establish peace and prosperity. Religion shall fourish again better than ever before . "This shall re-establish a peace and prosperity without precedent."…"The good people will triumph when the return of the King is announced." - St Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, AD 1818-1859
A great prince of the north with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all the republics, and defeat all the rebels. His sword moved by divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He shall subdue to his dominion the Mohammedan Empire. - Rudolph Gekner, 17th Century AD
A knight shall come from the west. He shall capture Milan, Lombardy, and the three crowns. He shall then sail to Cyprus and Famagoste and land at Joffa, and reach Christ's grave where he will fight. Wars and wonders shall befall till the people believe Christ toward the end of the world. - St. Thomas Becket, AD 1118-1170
"After a fightful war a great king will arise and his reign will by marked by a wonderful peace and great religious revival - Melania Calvat (The Seeress of La Salette), AD 1846
The great king will wage war until the age of forty. He will assemble great armies, and hurl back the tyrants out of his empire. - St. Cataldus, 7th Century AD
Some of our teachers say that a king of the Franks will prossess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and the last of all monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go in the end to Jerusalem and will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives. Immediately afterwards, Antichrist will come. - Monk Adso, 10th Century AD
In the latter days of the world, Christians will become ungrateful for the great favours they will receive through the coming of the great Monarch, by reason of the long period of peace and prosperity on earth which they will enjoy under his reign. Many man will then begin to doubt if the Christian faith is the only really santifying faith and will think perhaps the Jews are right because they are awaiting the Messiah.... "In those days, the Antichrist will bring about many tribulation; but God will not allow those redeemed by the divine blood to be deceived. For that reason, he will send his two servants, Enoch and Elias, who will declare the prodigies of the Antichrist to be false, and will denounce him as an impostor. After the death and ruin of many, he will leave the Temple in confusion; and many of his followers will forsake him to join the company of the righteous. The seducer, upon seeing himself reproached and scorned, will become enraged and will put to death those saints of God. It is then that there will appear the sign of the Son of Man, and he will come upon the clouds of heaven." - St. Methodius of Olympus, AD 311
"Antichrist will be possessed by Satan and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish woman from the East." - St. John Chrysostom, AD 407
"At the time of his reign antichrist will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt in its splendour and will make it a great and populous city, second to none in the world and will order his palace to be built there." - St. Irenaeus, AD 177
"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel." - Pope John Paul II, AD 1976-2005
All of the above quotes are from approved visionaries of the Church.
You can read a more complete account of these visions HERE.
Our Lady’s Prophecies About the Twentieth Century During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Our Lady of Good Success appeared in Quito, Ecuador to a Spanish nun whose little-known but extraordinary life has a direct connection with our days. The Pope’s...
“...infallibility will be declared a dogma of Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the mystery of my Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican through the usurpation of the Pontifical States and through the malice, envy, and avarice of an earthly monarch.”
“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.
Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.
“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!
“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing…
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations."
“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.
The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church...and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”
“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.
“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of my most dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to the inspirations of grace – one of which will be the reading of these great mercies that my Son and I have had toward you – we shall fill him with graces and very special gifts and will make him great on earth and much greater in Heaven. There we have reserved a precious seat for him because, heedless of men, he will have fought for truth and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”
“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…
“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.
“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….
“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license…Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.
“He who should speak seasonably will remain silent.
“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…Without virginity, fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands.…
“Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil.…
“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly.
“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests”
