For the past 17 years the Fatima revisionists have been asking us to believe that Russia is converting as Our Lady of Fatima promised, because Russia was “consecrated” to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in a ceremony at the Vatican in 1984—a ceremony which made no mention of Russia. Of course, Russia is not converting, as anyone who is not comatose can see.

But the Fatima revisionists are not about to let reality get in the way. If reality won’t support their interpretation of the Message of Fatima, they will simply rewrite the Message.

So, according to the “faith experts” who dispense theological advice at EWTN, Sister Lucy is now speaking of Our Lady’s request for the consecration of the world, not Russia. And EWTN even has a “letter from Sister Lucy” to back up its claims. Here is the pertinent part of the letter, the whole of which can be found at EWTN’s website under the category of “Frequently Asked Faith Questions”:

Letter 1: To Sr. Mary of Bethlehem

J.+ M. Pax ChristiDear Sister Mary of Bethlehem:

Received your letter and, although I have very little time at my disposal I will answer your question which is: Is the Consecration of the world (!), according to the request of Our Lady, made? . . . On May 13, 1982, His Holiness John Paul II made the Consecration. I was asked if it was made. I responded "NO." It was not made in union with all the bishops of the world . . .

Then this same Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II wrote to all the bishops of the world asking them to unite with him. He sent for the statute (sic) of Our Lady of Fatima—the one from the little Chapel to be taken to Rome and on March 25, 1984—publicly—with the bishops who wanted to unite with His Holiness, made the Consecration as Our Lady requested. They then asked me if it was made as Our Lady requested, and I said, "YES." Now it was made.

In reply to the obvious objection that the “letter from Sister Lucy” says nothing about Russia, the EWTN commentary has this to say: “Those who say Sr. Lucy mentions only the ‘world’ above but not ‘Russia’ and was therefore not writing of the Collegial Consecration requested by heaven are not being realistic.” Ah, yes. You see, it is not “realistic” to mention Russia in the consecration of Russia—evidently because Vatican diplomats deem it impolitic to do so. That is, according to EWTN, the Mother of God made an unrealistic request.

But EWTN has a major problem with this “letter from Sister Lucy.” Apparently EWTN’s “experts” are unaware that in 1982 Sister Lucy went on record in L’Osservatore Romano to declare that Our Lady had never asked for the consecration of the world, but only Russia. On May 12, 1982, the day before the attempted 1982 consecration, L’Osservatore Romano published an interview of Sister Lucy by Father Umberto Maria Pasquale, a Salesian priest, during which she told Father Umberto that Our Lady had never requested the consecration of the world, but only the consecration of Russia:

At a certain moment I said to her : “Sister, I should like to ask you a question. If you cannot answer me, let it be. But if you can answer it, I would be most grateful to you . . . Has Our Lady ever spoken to you about the consecration of the world to Her Immaculate Heart?” — “No, Father Umberto! Never! At the Cova da Iria in 1917 Our Lady had promised: I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia . . . In 1929, at Tuy, as She had promised, Our Lady came back to tell me that the moment had come to ask the Holy Father for the consecration of that country (Russia).

A handwritten note from Sister Lucy containing the same advice was also published in L’Osservatore Romano in a later edition.

Whoever wrote the “letter from Sister Lucy” so proudly on display at EWTN’s website has some serious explaining to do. One thing seems clear enough: the author isn’t the same cloistered nun whose remarks to Father Pasquale were published to the world in L’Osservatore Romano 19 years ago. Either that or Sister Lucy is suffering from amnesia and has forgotten what Our Lady told her.

There is an old saying in the law: false in one, false in all. If a witness is shown to lack credibility on one point, his entire testimony may be doubted. EWTN’s “letter from Sister Lucy” is simply not worthy of belief. And neither is the rest of EWTN’s “expert” advice on Fatima. My suggestion? Stick with fatima.org. Here the Message of Fatima remains the same, and “Sister Lucy” does not change her story to suit a revisionist agenda.

As for the folks at EWTN, there is this advice: Before you publish “letters from Sister Lucy” which radically alter the Message of Fatima, it would be wise to acquaint yourselves with what Sister Lucy has said before in such obscure places as the Pope’s own newspaper. The stuff coming out of Coimbra lately is just not very reliable. But I suppose EWTN is not too picky about the quality of the “evidence” it receives concerning the Message of Fatima. No, it seems that for the folks at EWTN the most important thing is to bash Father Nicholas Gruner. For that purpose, any stick will do.

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