1) CARDINAL CARBERRY'S LETTER TO THE AMERICAN BISHOPS

This first document gives a good summary of the history from 1917 to 1981 of the requirement by God for the Collegial Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by all the Catholic bishops as the indispensable condition for world peace. It is the document that was prepared by Cardinal Carberry, the retired Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri, and was given by him to each American bishop meeting at the Bishops' Conference meeting in November 1981. After this presentation, the American bishops unanimously agreed to petition Pope John Paul II, if he deemed it advisable and timely, to undertake the Collegial Act of Consecration. This document brings out many interesting facts.

Section 1

November 7, 1981

TO: Your Eminence / Your Excellency
FROM: John Joseph Cardinal Carberry
Archbishop of St. Louis (Ret.)

In re: COLLEGIAL CONSECRATION

First of all, may I express my gratitude to the Administrative Committee for the permission granted to present to the Conference the varium in reference to a discussion on the issue as to whether the bishops of the United States should request our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, if he deems it advisable and timely, that he, together with the bishops of the world, simultaneously consecrate the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In view of the fact that a time assigned for a varium is limited, I thought it may be well to present a fuller treatment of the question in this letter and the documents which are attached to it. This would offer each bishop a chance to reflect more extensively on the issue prior to the discussion.

1. On July 13, 1917, Our Blessed Lady in speaking to the children of Fatima said: "I will come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart." On June 13, 1929, Lucia had a vision of Our Lady in which she enlarged on this statement of 1917 as follows: "The moment has come when God asks the Holy Father to make, together with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart."

2. Pope Pius XII of blessed memory, on October 31, 1942 in the midst of the second world war, consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he made an allusion which could be distinctly interpreted as referring to Russia. In 1952 on July 7, in the Apostolic Letter "Sacro vergente anno" he explicitly entrusted and consecrated in a very special way to the Immaculate Heart of Mary all the peoples of Russia.

3. At the end of the third session of the Vatican Council, November 21, 1964, Pope Paul VI of blessed memory, after having referred to the new title he had conferred on Our Lady as "Mother of the Church", renewed, in the presence of the bishops of the Council in the Church of Saint Mary Major, the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary which had been made by Pope Pius XII in 1942. Many of us were present at that great and unforgettable ceremony.

4. On the other hand, when Sister Lucia learned of the consecration in 1942 and likewise in 1964, she expressed sorrow that it had not been carried out as Our Lady had asked, namely, simultaneously with the bishops of the world. This is the issue facing us at the present time and the one which the Administrative Committee discussed briefly in 1979. Were the conditions required by Our Lady carried out on these occasions?

5. In reply to this question, Doctor Joaquin Maria Alonso, C.M.F., a distinguished scholar, after having weighed all the statements of Lucia and the declarations of Pope Pius XII and Pope Paul VI, concluded that all that the historian can say is that the conditions expressly described and reported faithfully by Sister Lucia do not seem to have been fulfilled in the pronouncements of the two pontiffs already referred to. In each instance, it was not a simultaneous consecration, and there had been no previous consultation with the bishops throughout the world, and likewise they were not called upon to join with him at a particular time in making the consecration of the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

6. In the documentation I have included an appeal made by Cardinal Wyszynski in a public address made to our Holy Father of blessed memory, Pope Paul VI, on October 18, 1971, in the presence of Cardinal Wojtyla of Cracow, Poland and Cardinal Krol and thirty-six bishops of Poland and five thousand Poles from around the world, addressed the Holy Father in a special audience granted to Polish pilgrims on the day following the beatification of Maximilian Kolbe. His words were as follows: "WE PRESENT TO YOU, HOLY FATHER, OUR HUMBLE, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, CHERISHED REQUEST TO CONSECRATE THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH AND ALL OF HUMANITY TO THE MATERNAL HANDS OF MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH - THIS TIME, TOGETHER WITH ALL THE BISHOPS OF THE WORLD."

7. Under the date of February 26, 1981, I had written a letter to Cardinal Wyszynski which he answered on April 16, 1981, shortly before his death. I attach a copy of the English translation and the original Polish letter which he sent to me. It is something which I will always treasure, especially the words in the next to the last paragraph: "We all breathlessly await the blessed moment in the history of the world, when the Holy Father, together with all the bishops of the world, will decide to place themselves in the hands of the merciful Mother of God and mankind, there to rest under Her care in justice to all, in love, brotherhood and peace."

It might be noted that the Cardinal does not refer to Russia explicitly. But one has to remember that he was living under a communist regime and he had learned to use the greatest caution in whatever he said. Reliable sources indicate that his mail was intercepted and read before it was allowed to be sent abroad. I would like to point out also that there is a slight mistake on the part of the priest who read my English letter which gave the impression that the American Episcopate plans to entrust the United States to the Blessed Mother in October of 1981. I merely mentioned in my letter that we would probably, if permission were granted, discuss this issue at the Conference.

8. The question now arises whether the time has come for our Conference to go on record asking our Holy Father to consecrate Russia and the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, together with all the bishops of the world, should he deem that the time is opportune and the action is advisable.

Undoubtedly, the whole issue is one of a prudential judgement. However, it is well to keep in mind that all the Conference is doing in acting favorably on the proposal is referring it to the Holy Father and leaving it to his decision to decide whether it is advisable and opportune to take action at the present time.

9. One may ask what is the mind of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, at this time? It can be said that he joined with the Polish bishops in 1966 and again in 1969 and likewise in 1971, in consecrating Poland to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Further, in the "Soul" magazine of November-December, 1980, the following quotation was found: "Archbishop Hurley of South Africa has noted that the Holy Father was gratified by Blue Army petitions for the Collegial Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and COMEX (International Executive Committee of the Blue Army) at its meeting in Rome, January 1980 learned that His Holiness is disposed to make the Collegial Consecration when enough bishops request it."

10. Finally, in the morning of Wednesday, October 7, 1981, our Holy Father returned to St. Peter's Square to resume the weekly appointments with the pilgrims from all over the world. His topic was the efficacy of the prayers of the Church that he had experienced and which he is most grateful to and which have helped him to regain his health. In one section he speaks of how indebted he is to the Blessed Virgin and to all the Patron Saints. We can really ponder on these words:

"Could I forget that the event in St. Peter's Square took place on the day and at the hour when the first appearance of the Mother of Christ to the poor little peasants has been remembered for over sixty years at Fatima in Portugal? For, in everything that happened to me on that day, I felt the extraordinary Motherly protection and care which turned out to be stronger than the deadly bullet." ("L'Osservatore Romano", October 12, 1981, page 3)

It is hoped that all who receive the proposal may have the time to read it and find it helpful at the Executive Session. Whether this is the right time or not to raise this question rests in the hands of God. Knowing the devotion of the bishops of the Conference to Our Lady and realizing the situation at the present time, there does seem to be serious reasons for us to pray and ask for God's guidance in making a decision.

My gratitude for your patience and listening and reviewing this letter and documentation. I ask that the light of the Holy Spirit may be with all of us as we prayerfully consider the proposal.

Section II - References

1. Statements of Lucia -

a) The critical text from the MEMOIRS of Lucia is the following:

"Then Our Lady said to me: 'The moment has come for God to ask the Holy Father to make, in union with all the bishops of the world, the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart. He promises to save Russia by this means. They are so numerous these sins that the justice of God condemns and which are sins committed against Me that I have come to ask for reparation. Sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.'"

b) Further, in a letter dated May 18, 1936, Lucia wrote the following:

"About the other questions, if it will be convenient to insist in order to obtain the consecration of Russia? I answer in almost the same way as I answered in other times. I am sorry that it has not been done yet, but the same God Who asked for it is the One Who permitted it ... It seems to me that if the Holy Father did it right now, God would accept it and would fulfill His promise; and without any doubt, through this act, the Holy Father would gladden Our Lord and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Intimately, I have spoken to Our Lord about the subject and not too long ago I asked Him 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 so that it may extend its cult later on and put the devotion to the Immaculate Heart beside the devotion to My Sacred Heart.' 'But my God' (Lucia answered), 'the Holy Father probably will not believe me, unless You Yourself move him with a special inspiration.' 'The Holy Father,' (Our Lord answered), 'pray much for the Holy Father. He will do it, but it will be late. Nevertheless, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will save Russia. It has been entrusted to Her.'" (Fatima: the Great Sign, by Francis Johnston, page 87, 1979)

2. Pope Pius XII - Our Most Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, had a deep interest in Fatima. He was consecrated on May 13, 1917, as a bishop at the very hour that the apparition of Our Lady to the children first took place at Fatima. It is amazing to think how much he did to make it known and loved. Following are some of his statements:

a) Suddenly, like an inspiration from Heaven, on October 31, 1942, Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary with a veiled reference, delicate but perfectly clear, to Russia. His words are the following:

'... To You, to Your Immaculate Heart, We as universal Father of the great Christian family, as Vicar of Him to Whom has been given all power over heaven and earth, and from Whom we have received the care of all souls, redeemed by His Blood, who inhabit the world, to You, to Your Immaculate Heart in this tragic hour of human history, we entrust, we offer, we consecrate, not only Holy Church, the Mystical Body of Your Son, Jesus, which suffers and bleeds in so many places and in so many ways, but also the whole world, torn by mortal strife, ablaze with hate, and victim of its own sins.'

"... To the peoples separated by error or dissension, especially to those who profess a special devotion to You, and with whom there is not a house which does not honor Your Holy Icon (perhaps today hidden and kept for better days) give peace and lead them back to be one fold of Christ, under the one true Shepherd ..."

Since our Holy Father did not simultaneously consecrate Russia to Our Lady, explicitly with the bishops of the world, Father Joaquin Maria Alonso, C.M.F., Director of Ephemerides Marilogicae, Madrid, Spain stated: "But was this really the accomplishment of the Heavenly request addressed to Sister Lucia? From this historical and critical point of view we must recognize that it is not. Here it might be well to add that Doctor Alonso, C.M.F., of Spain, is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Fatima. He obtained a doctorate in philosophy and theology from the Gregorian University, Rome, and has pursued further studies at Louvain, Heidelberg and the Sorbonne, in addition to teaching philosophy and theology at Rome, Madrid and Lisbon. He has been appointed by the Bishop of Fatima to prepare the critical and definitive study of Fatima and its Message.

b) On July 7, 1952, the Apostolic Letter "sacro vergente anno" would seem to have been an attempt to promote the wishes of Heaven in the way that Sister Lucia had described them. The beginning of the letter points out:

"At the moment when Holy Year joyfully approaches its end and after, not without a divine inspiration, it has been permitted Us to declare and to define that the august Mother of God has been assumed into Heaven, body and soul. From all parts of the world, many have informed Us of their immense joy. Certain of those who have sent Us letters of congratulation have also requested Us with fervor to consecrate to the Immaculate Heart of Mary the entire Russian nation, which is in a state of anguish. This request greatly pleased Us ...

"Consequently, in order that Our prayers and supplications, as well as yours, would be more readily granted and in order to give you special proof of Our goodwill for many years, We have consecrated the entire human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin, Mother of God; thus now We entrust and consecrate in a very special way to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, all the peoples of Russia in the utmost confidence that the wishes which We express keep a true peace, fraternal harmony, freedom for all, and above all for the Church, that all of these will soon become a sweet reality, thanks to the all-powerful help and the patronage of the Virgin Mary ..."

In my letter, it has been indicated that Sister Lucia said in her letter, written shortly after July 7, 1952, she was grieved that it had not been carried out as Our Lady had asked. She asks, on our own part, for 'Patience!' and adds 'Let us hope that Our Lady, as a good Mother, will be pleased to accept it.'

In 1954, Pope Pius XII issued his encyclical Ad Coeli Reginam in which he commanded that an Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary be made annually in every parish of the world on the Feast of the Queenship of Our Lady. It seems that by this means he was preparing for the eventual Collegial Consecration. Tragically, the Holy Father's request was largely ignored.

3. Pope Paul VI - Ten years later at the close of the Third Session of Vatican Council II, Pope Paul VI renewed the Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the presence of a large number of bishops of the world and at the same time proclaimed Our Lady, Mother of the Church and announced a mission to Fatima in which he sent a Golden Rose, an outstanding papal award to the Shrine at Fatima. His Act of Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in substance repeated that of Pope Pius XII made in 1942.

However, and again as noted before, there was no consultation with the bishops prior to this Act of Consecration. It was not a Collegial Act simultaneously carried out with all the bishops of the world joining collegially with the Holy Father in its pronouncement. Therefore, the single act of Pope Paul VI, it would appear, did not exactly fulfill the specific request of Our Lady of Fatima.

4. Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski - Primate of Poland, in a public appeal made by him with Cardinal Wojtyla and Cardinal Krol present and likewise several thousand Polish pilgrims who were permitted to come to Rome for the Beatification of Maximilian Kolbe. In the preceding letter, I have quoted partially from his text an appeal to our Holy Father, Pope Paul VI, and in the documentation I am including my letter to him, his answer in Polish and the English translation made by a pastor of the St. Louis Archdiocese who has the supreme command of both English and Polish. The reply of Cardinal Wyszynski came to me shortly before he was called to his eternal reward.

5. ATTITUDE OF POPE JOHN PAUL II -

a) In the previous letter I have indicated something of the love which Pope John Paul has for Our Lady of Fatima. We recall the consecration he made with the bishops of Poland May 3, 1969, to honor the Mother of the Church, and Her maternal slavery.* Actually, this is the devotion of St. Grignion de Montfort.

Editor's Note:

*This refers to "Holy Slavery", Consecration to Jesus through Mary, as explained and taught by St. Louis Grignion de Montfort.

b) Further, I think it was noted that he joined with the Polish Episcopate on September 5, 1971, in consecrating the entire world to the Mother of the Church; in this way, he followed out the conviction that this consecration is the most secure way for the entire family, one which leads to Christ.

We may add again, too, that he was on the stage in Pope Paul VI Auditorium on October 18, 1971, when Cardinal Wyszynski asked our Holy Father to consecrate the universal Church and all humanity to the maternal hands of Mary, the Mother of the Church, and this time, together with all the bishops of the world.

2) COLLEGIAL CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA MEANS A SIMULTANEOUS CEREMONY BY ALL THE BISHOPS AND THE POPE

The January 5, 1982 News Release

This news release of January 5, 1982, coming from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, brings out further information regarding the Collegial Consecration of Russia. It clarifies that all the bishops, according to Cardinal Carberry, will join with the Pope in a simultaneous ceremony on a specific day in Consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

ST. LOUIS (January 5) - Cardinal John J. Carberry said today that in the light of the imposition of martial law in Poland, a recent action taken by the Catholic bishops of the United States may prove to be providential.

Cardinal Carberry, retired Archbishop of St. Louis, referred to an action taken by the Catholic bishops at the annual meeting in Washington, D.C. At a special session on November 18, 1981, the bishops voted to request of Pope John Paul II that he, in union with all the bishops of the world, consecrate the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, if he deemed it opportune to do so.

"This Collegial Consecration of Russia", Cardinal Carberry said, "would include all the bishops of the world joining with the Pope in a simultaneous ceremony on a specific day.*

"Many bishops individually throughout the world", he noted "have already made this request to Pope John Paul, but the action of the Catholic bishops as a body is the first of its kind". It is hoped that other Episcopal Conferences may do the same.

Cardinal Carberry further stated "that the consecration of Russia and the world is one of the requests made to three children by the Blessed Virgin Mary during a series of apparitions at Fatima, Portugal between May and October, 1917". The request for the Collegial Consecration was repeated again on June 13, 1929, and again on May 18, 1936, to the one survivor of the apparitions, who is still living.*

"The Virgin said that if the requests are fulfilled, there will be peace; if not, Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, several nations will be annihilated ... and the Pope will have much to suffer."*

* Emphasis added by Editor

"The predictions regarding Russia", according to Cardinal Carberry, "called upon the faithful to avoid sin; the practice of daily prayer, especially the daily Rosary; a spirit of sacrifice in reparation for the sins of the world; consecration to Her Immaculate Heart; and reception of Jesus in the Eucharist.

"The credence of the Fatima events in 1917 is supported by the fact that they were accompanied by a public miracle - the only miracle in recorded history predicted in advance as to time and date", he noted.

"As promised in advance, both to the day and hour", Cardinal Carberry stated, "at noon on October 13, 1917, more than 70,000 persons (believers, non-believers, atheists and others) witnessed a series of solar phenomena known as 'the Miracle of the Sun'." These events were reported in European newspapers, and commented upon by intellectuals, scientists and distinguished writers who were present.

"Within weeks of the miracle", Cardinal Carberry said, "Lenin assumed power in Russia. The rest is history."

"The importance of conformance with the requests of the Blessed Virgin, together with the Collegial Consecration of Russia and the world, is underscored by the role of Russia in the military take-over in Poland - an affront which threatens the peace of the whole world."

3) THE POPE SHOULD ORDER THE BISHOPS TO MAKE THE COLLEGIAL CONSECRATION SISTER LUCIA SAYS

That this Collegial Act of Consecration should involve all the bishops taking an active role has been noted already above. It is brought out clearly by Sister Lucia herself in some letters which she wrote 53 years ago. In the first letter and the second letter, Sister Lucia says that the Pope is to order the bishops of the world to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (That the Pope has such authority over the bishops is further explained elsewhere in this book.) Obviously then it is not enough for the bishops to do nothing in order to fulfill Our Lady's requests for the Collegial Consecration. Here are the passages of the two letters referred to.

Regarding Russia:

"If I am not mistaken, our good Lord promises that the persecution in Russia will end, if the Holy Father will himself make a solemn public act of reparation and consecration of Russia to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His Holiness must also order all the bishops of the Catholic world to do the same, and promise that if this persecution ends he will approve and recommend the practice of the already mentioned reparatory devotion.*"

(letter of June 12, 1930)

*This refers to the First Saturday Devotions

"If I am not mistaken the good Lord promises to end the persecution in Russia, if the Holy Father will himself make a solemn act of reparation and consecration of Russia to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as well as ordering all the bishops of the Catholic world to do the same. The Holy Father must then promise that upon the ending of this persecution he will approve and recommend the practice of the reparatory devotion already described.*" (letter of May 29, 1930)

*This devotion consists of the following: on the first Saturday of five consecutive months receive Holy Communion worthily, pray five decades of the Rosary, spend fifteen minutes in the company of Our Lady meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and make a good Sacramental Confession. These acts are to be performed for the purpose of making Reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The First Saturday Devotion of Reparation

On July 13, 1917, Our Lady said: "I will come to ask for the Communion of Reparation on the first Saturdays."

On December 10, 1925, She appeared to Sister Lucia in her convent at Pontevedra. At Her side stood the child Jesus enthroned on a cloud of light and displaying His Sacred Heart. The child Jesus spoke as follows: "Have pity on the Heart of Your Most Holy Mother. It is covered with thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment and there is no one to remove them by an Act of Reparation." Our Lady then held out Her thorn-wreathed Heart and said: "See, My daughter, My Heart, surrounded by thorns with which ungrateful men wound it at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. Do you, at least, console Me and announce that I promise to assist at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months (1) make their confessions, (2) receive Holy Communion, (3) recite five decades of the Rosary (4) and keep Me company (meditate) for fifteen minutes while meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary - with the intention of making reparation to Me."

In a letter dated June 12, 1930, Sister Lucia answered several questions that had been raised concerning the five First Saturdays reparatory devotion. She revealed that Our Lord had told her that confession within eight days of the First Saturday would suffice, providing that the Communion is made in a state of grace and with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The FIVE First Saturdays were in reparation for the FIVE KINDS of OFFENSES and blasphemies uttered against Our Lady which required reparation. These were: 1) blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 2) blasphemies against Her Divine Maternity and refusal to recognize Her as Mother of Men; 3) blasphemies against Her Perpetual Virginity; 4) blasphemies by those who seek publicly to infuse into the hearts of children indifference and contempt, even to the point of hatred, against the Immaculate Mother; 5) in reparation for those who outrage Our Lady in Her Sacred Images.

It is therefore imperative that this reparatory devotion asked by Jesus and Mary should be preached and practiced every month in our churches with the priority it deserves.

4) FATIMA EXPERT'S CONCLUSIONS REGARDING RUSSIA

As there seems to be some unclearness in the minds of some people about the requirements of Our Lady of Fatima regarding what countries are specifically to be included in the Collegial Consecration - the request of Our Lady of Fatima is very clear. It is Russia that is to be Collegially Consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart, and to the fulfillment of this request is attached the promise of world peace. This is the conclusion of the noted Fatima scholar Father Alonso, C.M.F., given at a seminar in Fatima under the patronage of the Bishop of Fatima in 1971. Here are Father Alonso's words regarding this point:

As to the reference to Russia, here are our conclusions:

(a) The reference already exists in the words of the third apparition at Fatima on July 13, 1917 and in close connection with the theme "Immaculate Heart of Mary";

(b) In July 1917 there is only reference to a promise to ask for the consecration of Russia and the devotion of reparation on the first Saturdays;

(c) In June, 1929 the Virgin fulfilled this promise regarding the consecration of Russia. However, She adds that the Pope must consecrate Russia together with all the bishops. And so it was, in fact, the Virgin who made the request.

(d) In all the original documents up to 1940, the only request of the Virgin is the consecration of Russia with the condition mentioned above. In October, 1940, however, Heaven complied with the wishes of Sister Lucia's Superiors to make the consecration of the world take place with a special mention of Russia, and it was Our Lord Himself who suggested such an act. But the "promise" accompanying this request of the Lord was not the same as that made in July, 1917 and in June, 1929 by the Virgin. The Virgin had then promised, on these two dates, the conversion of Russia. In 1940 the Lord only promised to lessen and shorten the evils of World War II (1939-1945).

Father Alonso also pointed out that the Five First Saturdays devotions of Reparation also refer to the Conversion of Russia. Here are his words:

The devotion of reparation of the Five First Saturdays as directed likewise for the conversion of Russia; moreover it effects the sanctification of the soul, the condition necessary to achieve the consecration of Russia.

5) WHAT DOES SISTER LUCIA THINK TODAY?

Has the Collegial Consecration requested by Our Lady of Fatima been done? No, it has not. This conclusion seems obvious to anyone who has studied the documents available on this subject.

Cardinal Carberry in his document of November 7, 1981, given above, shows that up to that time it had not been done.

Sister Lucia after May 13, 1982, after the Pope went to Fatima and made an Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart, still thinks that it has not been done as Our Lady requested. It seems Lucia is not allowed to make a public statement without permission from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or from the Pope himself - so we can only know her mind on this subject from people who are able to talk to her directly. We present below with permission of Approaches Magazine, the following testimony from issue No. 79, page 7 and 8 of the supplement, "Fatima, What Now?"

'In the words of a letter received from Père Joseph de Sainte-Marie, the Roman Carmelite professor who is one of the world's leading authorities on Fatima - which letter he has authorized us to quote:

'"Another look at the original texts suffices to show that the act of May 13, 1982 did not fulfill the demands of Our Lady of Fatima." He added: "Here is what I was told in a letter in near perfect French from a distinguished Portuguese Carmelite who passed not merely a few moments ... but several entire days with Sister Lucia on the occasion of May 13, 1982.

'"It is a pity that the consecration made by the Holy Father was not yet what Our Lady has demanded with such insistence." She added: "For this consecration, it would be necessary for there to be an intensive preparation of all the bishops of the entire world, which, in my opinion, will be extremely difficult to accomplish. But for God nothing is impossible. It is with this confidence that it is necessary to pray very much and also to do everything that is within our power towards this intention."'

This letter was dated July 8, 1982.

Such then is Sister Lucia's appraisal of the event of May 13, 1982 as transmitted by one enjoying her complete confidence.

• "Fatima Absolutely Necessary"

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