False doctrine of the Papacy – The sorrows of Mary-theory of the antichrists

In a 1957 interview with Fr. Augustin Fuentes, Vice-postulator of the Causes of Jacinta and Francisco, Sister Lucia made an urgent appeal to the faithful:

“The good continue in their life of virtue, but without paying any attention to the message of Fatima. Sinners keep following the road of evil because they fail to see the terrible chastisement that is about to befall them.

Believe me, Father, God is going to punish the world, and very soon. The chastisement of heaven is imminent… Our Lady has said repeatedly: Many nations will disappear from the face of the earth, and Russia will be the instrument of heaven’s chastisement for the entire world, unless you obtain the conversion of that poor nation.”

“Father, the devil is carrying on a decisive battle with the Virgin Mary. He sees that his time is getting short, and he is making every effort to gain as many souls as possible. He wants to get hold of consecrated souls. Our Lady did not tell me that we are living in the last epoch of the world, but she did give me to understand that, firstly, we are going through a decisive battle, at the end of which we will be either of God or of the evil one: there will be no middle way; secondly, that the last means God will give to the world for its salvation are the Holy Rosary and the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; and third, when God in His providence is about to chastise the world, He first uses every means to save us, and when He sees we have not made use of them, then He gives us the last anchor of salvation, His Mother.” (5)

This interview, revealed publicly in 1958 by Fr. Fuentes, should serve as a call to the faithful, announcing that the great battle has indeed begun.

A second piece of evidence supports this point. The apparitions of Our Lady of Akita in Japan seem to be part of God’s effort to save us through His Mother. Officially approved in 1984 by the Bishop of Niigata Diocese after consultation with the Holy See and eight years of study, these apparitions essentially repeat the Fatima Message. Given on October 13, 1973—a Fatima anniversary—Our Lady’s message confirmed Lucia’s grave warnings:

“If men do not repent and amend their lives, the Father is going to inflict a terrible chastisement on all mankind. It will be more serious than the Deluge, such as no one has yet seen. A fire will fall from the heavens and annihilate a great part of humanity…

The only arms you will have then will be the Rosary and the Sign which the Son has left. Pray the Rosary every day for the Pope, the Bishops, and priests. The action of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church…

There will be many in the Church who will accept compromises. The Devil will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. He will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of human souls makes me sad. Already the cup overflows…” (6)

This simple and stark warning leaves no doubt. The choice for us is clear: either we offer God enough “voluntary” reparation for sins and lost souls, or in time, we will face “involuntary” reparation through tragic, cataclysmic sufferings for humanity.

A continued disregard for this devotion to the Immaculate Heart requested by Our Lord would allow the forces of evil to claim a major victory over the Church—if only briefly. Our Lady predicted in July 1917 that the good would be martyred. The last book of Sacred Scripture seems to confirm this prophecy:

“And it [the Beast] was allowed to wage war with the saints and to overcome them.” (Apoc. 13:7)

In his book The Book of Destiny, Fr. Bernard Leonard interprets this verse in full agreement with the Fatima prophecy. (7)

The latest full-scale attack from Satan demands exceptional graces from Heaven in response—a flowing mercy from the Virgin’s Pure Heart. But first, the Church, both individually and collectively, must demonstrate fitting confidence in her. The amount of grace granted depends largely on the level of belief. Therefore, these extraordinary graces require a matching degree of faith from those who receive them.

Immaculate Heart devotion

Before examining the harmful effects of the five sins, we must first understand what exactly the Immaculate Heart Devotion is. During the July 1917 apparition, Our Lady said she would return with two requests that together make up this devotion. Her first request was:

“In order to prevent this [World War II], I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays.” (8)

She fulfilled this promise by appearing twice, each time pleading that this part of the devotion be fulfilled. The first, in 1925, was directed primarily  to individual Catholics; the second, in 1929, was intended for the Church hierarchy.

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia and showed her her Immaculate Heart encircled with thorns. Sister Lucia described the vision in her own words:

“By her side and elevated on a luminous cloud was a Child. The most holy Virgin rested her hand on Lucia’s shoulder. As she did so, she showed her a heart encircled by thorns which she was holding in her hand. At the same time, the Child said: ‘Have compassion on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother, covered with thorns, which ungrateful men pierce at every moment, and there is no one to make an act of reparation to remove them.’

“Then the most holy Virgin said: ‘Look, my daughter, at my Heart, surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You at least try to console me and say that I promise to assist, at the hour of death, with the graces necessary for salvation, all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess, receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary, and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen mysteries of the Rosary, with the intention of making reparation to me.’” (9)

The importance of the First Saturday Devotion became even clearer when Our Redeemer returned two months later to check on its progress.

On February 15, 1926, the Infant Jesus appeared to Lucia again and asked if she had begun spreading this devotion. Sister Lucia wrote:

“She told Him of difficulties with her confessor, saying that the Mother Superior was prepared to propagate it, but the confessor said that she could do nothing by herself. Jesus replied: ‘It is true that your Superior alone can do nothing, but with My grace, she can do all.’

“She placed before Jesus the difficulty some people had about confessing on Saturday and asked if it might be valid to go to confession within eight days of the First Saturday. Jesus answered: ‘Yes, and it could be longer still, provided that, when they receive Me, they are in the state of grace and have the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’

“She then asked: ‘My Jesus, what about those who forget to make this intention?’

“Jesus replied: ‘They can do so at their next confession, taking advantage of the first opportunity to go to confession.’” (10)

Notice that Christ came as the Divine Child to insist that this devotion be authorized and spread. He did not appear as an adult or as the Man of Sorrows, for example. Instead, He wanted to emphasize the Virgin’s spiritual motherhood and remind us that we are truly her children, with the power to respond to the blasphemies and ingratitude that offend her.

During the 1930s, the Savior continued to visit Lucia, demanding this devotion and revealing its deeper importance in the divine plan.

The second request, introducing another aspect of the Immaculate Heart Devotion, came on June 13, 1929, while Lucia was in a convent in Tuy, Spain. During a private holy hour in the darkened chapel, she described the vision she received just before midnight:

“The only light was from the sanctuary lamp. Suddenly, the whole chapel was illumined by a supernatural light, and above the altar appeared a cross of light reaching to the ceiling. In a brighter light on the upper part of the cross, I could see the face and torso of a Man; upon his breast was a dove filled with light; nailed to the cross was the body of another Man. A little below the waist, I saw a chalice and a large Host suspended in the air, onto which drops of blood were falling from the face of Jesus Crucified and from the wound in His side. These drops ran down onto the Host and fell into the chalice. Beneath the right arm of the cross was Our Lady holding her Immaculate Heart. (It was Our Lady of Fatima with her Immaculate Heart in her left hand, without a sword or cross, but with a crown of thorns and flames.) Under the left arm of the cross, large letters like crystal clear water ran down upon the altar and formed the words: Grace and Mercy.

“I understood that this was the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity shown to me, and I received lights about this mystery which I am not permitted to reveal. Our Lady then said to me: ‘The moment has come when God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops of the world, to consecrate Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask for reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.’” (11)

This plea concerns the Church as a whole, asking its leaders to publicly show confidence in the Fatima message far beyond what the Church usually shows toward private revelations, even if approved. It challenges the Church hierarchy to trust the Virgin’s promise by solemnly fulfilling this request.

However, for now, our focus is not on that question. We should instead observe Our Lady’s wish that we sacrifice ourselves for this intention and pray. There is one statement by Our Lady in this “Last Vision,” made to Sister Lucia at Tuy, Spain, on June 13, 1929, which is key for our analysis: “There are so many souls whom the justice of God condemns for sins committed against me.” (12)