One of the key aspects of the current crisis is the sudden and mysterious disappearance of the devil and hell from the sermons and other pronouncements of post-conciliar Churchmen—a development admitted by the Pope himself in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope. This disorder tacks closely with current efforts to rewrite the Message of Fatima, which is about the devil and hell and how to save souls from them both. But at least one Italian Cardinal is bucking the trend.

On March 8, Zenit news agency reported a message issued by Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi of Genoa, Italy, concerning the "great Tempter." The document contains the Cardinal’s "10 proposals to withstand the devil." Here they are:

"not to forget that the devil exists."
"not to forget that the devil is a tempter."
the devil is "very intelligent and astute . . . be vigilant."
the devil is "a roaring lion seeking someone to devour."
"Believe firmly in Christ's victory over the tempter."
"Christ makes us participate in His victory."
"listen to the Word of God."
resist the devil "firmly in the faith."
"be humble in mortification."
"pray without ceasing."
"adore the Lord our God and worship Him only." When was the last time we heard that kind of preaching from a high-ranking prelate?

So simple. So clear. So Catholic. And so utterly gone in the post-conciliar era. Cardinal Tettamanzi is mentioned as papabile. If only we had more Cardinals like him. If only we had more priests and bishops like him.

Given the current makeup of the College of Cardinals—which includes the likes of Lehmann and Mahony—humanly speaking we are not likely to see another Pope Saint Pius X emerge from the next conclave. But the Holy Ghost has charge of the Church, and under His influence any miracle can happen. Pope Pius IX was a friend of the liberals early in his pontificate, until he saw the horrors of modern liberty unleashed upon the former papal states. Then he wrote the Syllabus of Errors, solemnly condemning what he had once tolerated.

“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph” is a reminder to us all that the current crisis in the Church cannot but end gloriously and with a complete victory for Christ and His Blessed Mother. The words of Cardinal Tettamanzi are an encouraging sign of what is coming inevitably—after the Lehmanns, the Kaspers and the Mahonys have strutted and fretted their hour upon the stage.

Previous Articles

All contents copyright
Fatima Center 1996-2011