Pictures of a
Desecration
Photo Report of Hindu Ritual at
Fatima
by John Vennari,
Editor, Catholic
Family News
Actual Photos from SIC Television Broadcast
Tell the True Story
Catholic Family News,
through the help of The Fatima Center, has obtained a video copy of the
SIC television broadcast of the Hindu ritual performed at Fatima. As reported
last month, the sacrilege took place on May 5, 2004 with the blessing of Fatima
Shrine Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, Serafim de Sousa Ferreira
e Silva.
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May 5, 2004: A Hindu ritual was performed at
Fatima in the Capelinha, the Chapel built on the spot where Our Lady
appeared. |
SIC, a national television
station in Portugal, reported on the Hindu ritual at Fatima the same day it
took place. The announcer called it an "uncommon ecumenical experience."
The broadcast shows morning
prayer at the Radha Krishna temple in Lisbon. "Light and water, energy and
nature, mark the rhythm of the Arati, the morning prayer," the announcer
said. "Hinduism is the oldest of the great religions. It is characterized by
multiple deities, worshiped through a triple dimension of life and sacredness:
the creator god, the preserver god, and the god who has the power to
destroy."
Thus the Hindus spent the
morning worshiping their false gods, which are nothing more than demons. Saint
Francis Xavier, the apostle to India, said of Hinduism: "All the invocations of
the pagans are hateful to God because all their gods are
devils."1
A young Hindu woman appears on
screen with statues of gods in the background. She explains, "This is god Shiva
and his wife Parvati. In the center we can see god Rama, to our right his wife
Sita and to our left, his brother and companion Lakshmama. Now we can see
Krishna Bhagwan and his consort Radha. The deities are always accompanied by
their respective consorts or wives. As a rule, when we address the deities or
want to ask for their graces, we address the feminine deity, who is very
important to us."
About 60 Hindus, said the
broadcast, "leave Lisbon with the chandam, the sign on their foreheads which
shows the wish for good fortune in a noble task. And this is the day dedicated
to the greatest of all female deities. She is called the Most Holy Mother, the
goddess Devi, the deity of nature who many Portuguese Hindus also find in
Fatima."
Another young Hindu lady
explains, "As a Hindu, who believes the whole world, or rather all human
beings, are members of a global family, it would be natural for me to see any
manifestation of god, including Our Lady of Fatima, as a manifestation of the
same god."
Here, this young lady speaks
as a true Hindu, since Hinduism regards the various false gods they worship as
manifestations of "god". Thus, they are not honoring Our Lady as the Mother of
Our Lord Jesus Christ, but worshiping Her as a manifestation of their pagan
god.
The newscast then shows the
Hindus bringing flowers to the statue of Our Lady inside the Capelinha, the
little chapel built over the spot where Our Lady of Fatima appeared. The Hindu
‘priest’ stands at the Catholic altar and recites a Hindu prayer.
Meanwhile, the SIC announcer says, "This is a unique moment in the history of
the Sanctuary and of devotion itself. The Hindu ‘priest,’ the
Shastri, recites at the altar the Shanti Pa, the prayer for peace."
Pope Pius XI, in a liturgical
prayer consecrating the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, prayed for the
conversion of all who are not members of the Mystical Body. He invoked Our
Lord, "be Thou King of all those who are deceived by the darkness of
idolatry."2 This idolatry is now practiced at the Fatima Shrine,
desecrating the sacred site, making it necessary for the chapel to be
re-consecrated.
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Front page of October 24, 2003, Fatima
bi-weekly Notícias de Fátima reporting on the interfaith
Congress under the headline, "Sanctuary of Various Creeds". The caption under
the front-page photo reads: "The future of Fatima will be able to pass through
the creation of a Shrine where the different religions can live together. The
interreligious dialogue which, today, we are engaged in, is still in an
embryonic phase, but this Shrine is not indifferent to this fact and assumes
from this moment on a 'universalist vocation'." It is a sad truth that the
syncretistic "interfaith" orientation is now underway at Fatima, whether it is
officially called an "Interfaith Shrine" or not. |
In another clip, the Hindu
‘priest’ explains that he finds a "divine energy" at Fatima. "It is
an energy that permeates the whole place," he says. "It has the power to be
present here, around us. Whenever I come here, I feel this vibration ..."
SIC then explains that the
display of this group of Hindus at Fatima "is not well-accepted by all
Catholics". The camera then shifts to Fatima Shrine Rector Guerra, who defends
Hindu worship at the Catholic Shrine.
"It is obvious" says Rector
Guerra, "that these civilizations and religions are quite different. But I
think that there is a common background to all religions. There is a common
background that, how can I put it, is born from the common humanity we all
possess. And it is very important that we recognize this common background,
because, due to the clashes of the differences, we sometimes forget our
equality. These meetings give us that occasion."
The Hindus are then welcomed
by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima in a room containing a large model of the
modernistic Fatima Shrine now under construction. "This time," says the
broadcast, "the Hindu pilgrims are received as if they were an embassy, an
unheard of gesture which can be understood as an invitation for other visits."
This means that the pagan desecration of the Fatima Shrine is likely to happen
again and again.
The Bishop of Leiria-Fatima
then says, "We don’t want to be fundamentalist, we don’t want that,
but we want to be honest, sincere and want to communicate by osmosis the
fruitfulness of our rituals, so that we may produce fruits. I am pleased to
meet them."
At this point, the Hindu
‘priest’ places on the shoulders of the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima and
Shrine Rector Guerra a shawl covered with verses of the Bhagavad Gita,
one of Hinduism’s sacred books.
The report ends with a
close-up of a guest book that includes the signatures of Pope John Paul II,
Mother Teresa, and a Hindu ‘high priest’. It goes on to say that
Hindus intend to keep Fatima "on the road map of places where they claim they
can find vibrations of holiness ..."
Catholic Family News
and The Fatima Center have reported on the interfaith orientation at
Fatima since it was launched at the interreligious Congress held at Fatima in
October 2003. We warned repeatedly that this type of desecration was inevitable
if Catholics did not resist the new ecumenical program.
Predictably, the enablers of
the "New Fatima," such as Father Robert J. Fox, ridiculed our efforts and tried
to dissuade Catholics from taking us seriously. Father Fox, on an April 25 EWTN
broadcast, claimed that the reports about the interfaith activity at Fatima
were nothing but "fabrications," that he knows Shrine Rector Guerra personally,
and that Rector Guerra would never allow such interfaith activities to take
place. Less than two weeks after this EWTN broadcast, the Fatima Shrine was
desecrated by pagan worship, with the blessing of Rector Guerra and the Bishop
of Leiria-Fatima.
Pope Leo XIII, along with his
predecessors, taught "we are bound absolutely to worship God in the way which
He has shown to be His will."3 Hinduism worships false gods who are
demons. It is sacrilegious for Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Fatima to permit
these rituals in a Catholic sanctuary.
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On an April 25 EWTN program, Father Robert J.
Fox ridiculed the Catholics resisting the new interfaith program at Fatima, he
said that all reports of interfaith activity at Fatima were mere
"fabrications," and that Shrine Rector Guerra would never allow such things to
take place. Less than two weeks later, the Hindu ritual was performed at Fatima
with Rector Guerra's approval. |
Pope Pius XI called it
"ignominious" to place the true religion of Jesus Christ "on the same level
with false religions."4 Pope Leo XIII likewise taught "it is
contrary to reason that error and truth should have equal rights."5
Thus the "equality" that Msgr. Guerra speaks of, and his notion of various
religions coming from a "common background," defies Catholic truth.
Rector Guerra and the Bishop
of Leiria-Fatima are also guilty of grave scandal. Their actions tell these
poor Hindus, who are in bondage to a heathen religion, that they are pleasing
to God as they are. This is contrary to the manifest will of Christ, Who said,
"No one comes to the Father but through Me." "He who believes and is baptized
will be saved, He who does not believe will be condemned." Hindus reject Jesus
Christ. They have no interest in embracing baptism and the truths revealed by
God. Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima counsel and encourage this
Hindu idolatry. By their bad example, they scandalize not only the Hindus, but
others who observe their actions.
"Scandal" says Saint Thomas
Aquinas, "is a word or act which gives occasion to the spiritual ruin of
one’s neighbor." Saint Leo calls the authors of scandal murderers who kill
not the body but the soul. Saint Bernard says that, in speaking of sinners in
general, the Scriptures hold out hope of amendment and pardon, but the
Scriptures speak of those who give scandal as persons separated from God, of
whose salvation there is very little hope.6
Perhaps this is why we see a
spiritual blindness in these men. They persist in their apostasy despite the
outrage from concerned Catholics. Nonetheless, we must pray for them.
And what of the Hindus
themselves? According to the Hindus, the Shastri comes to Fatima because he
feels there a "divine energy," "vibrations of holiness"; members of all
religions worship the same god and are part of the "global family".
This is the language of
paganism, not of our received Catholic Tradition. "Holy vibrations" is what
Hindus call Shakti, and they go to various places to seek it. They will
rush to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama or Pope John Paul II or Ghandi
because this gives them Darshan, the good fortune that comes from being
in the sight of a holy man. Each and every one of their terms is rooted in
heathen superstition, not in the truths revealed by Christ.
In short, the Hindus did not
go to the Fatima Shrine to be Catholicized. Rather, they Hinduized the Fatima
Shrine, folding their pagan myths and superstitions into one of
Catholicism’s most sacred sites.
This is not honoring the
Mother of God, but a blasphemy against Her, since there is nothing honorable in
placing Our Lady on the same level as one more goddess in their pantheon of
demonic deities. "What concord hath Christ with Belial?", says Saint Paul, "or
what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?" (2 Cor. 6:15)
At the end of the visit, the
Hindus presented Msgr. Guerra and the Bishop of Fatima with a shawl covered
with verses of the Bhagavad Gita. This book contains a story which
illustrates a central tenet of Hinduism.
Arjuna, a warrior, is on the
eve of a great battle. He dreads the next day, because he knows he will have to
kill his friends, relatives, teachers. Arjuna’s charioteer, who turns out
to be the god Krishna in disguise, tells Arjuna not to fear the coming battle
because none of it is real. No one is going to die. All of it, and all of life,
is illusion.7
Arjuna then thrusts himself
into the bloody conflict believing it to be his Dharma, his given path,
to hack his friends and relatives to pieces. It is all illusion anyway. No one
really dies. This is Hinduism in a nutshell. You are god, everything else is
illusion.
Catholics who behold the
Fatima Shrine Rector and the Bishop of Fatima draped in shawls laden with
verses from a pagan mythology, certainly would wish that the Hindu desecration
of Fatima was an illusion, that none of it was real.
But no, it really happened.
And Catholics must register their outrage to Rome and to Fatima, as they offer
prayers of reparation for Catholic leaders who hand over the chapel of Our Lady
of Fatima to a religion whose god is the devil.
Notes:
1. Saint Francis Xavier, James Brodrick, S.J.,
(New York: Wicklow Press, 1952), p. 135.
2. Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, Pope Pius XI, published along with the Encyclical Quas Primas,
"On the Kingship of Christ", 1925.
3. Imortale Dei, 1885.
4. Quas Primas, 1925.
5. Libertas, 1888.
6. Quotes taken from Sermons of Saint Alphonsus
Liguori, "On Scandal," (Rockford: Tan Books, reprinted 1982), pp.
168-181.
7. For more, see "The Dharma of Deception," Edwin Faust,
Catholic Family News, November, 1998.
Extra copies of this photo report are available while supplies
last.
Brief Chronology
Leading up to Sacrilegious
Hindu Ritual at
Fatima
May 9-12, 1992: At a Congress at
Fatima presided over by Shrine Rector Guerra, New Age Professor Robert Muller,
Chancellor of the United Nations University, said, "We must now move to
universal religiosity and spirituality under the aegis of one-world government,
which will soon see the light of day ..." (see
www.fatimacrusader.com/cr43/cr43pg22.asp)
Oct. 10, 2003: Opening of
Pan-Religious Conference at Fatima: "The Present of Man - the Future of God:
the Place of Sanctuaries in Relation to the Sacred", sponsored by Rector
Guerra. CFN’s John Vennari attends the conference as an eyewitness.
(see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/sprep111303.asp)
Oct. 11: At the Congress, Jesuit
Father Jacques Dupuis denounces an infallible dogma of the Council of Florence
as a "horrible text". He says that the purpose of interreligious dialogue is
not to make converts to the Catholic Faith, but to make "a Christian a better
Christian, a Hindu a better Hindu". The conference delegates, including Shrine
Rector Guerra, applaud Dupuis’ speech. (see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/sprep111303.asp)
Oct. 12: Sunday Forum at the Fatima Congress wherein a
representative from Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Hinduism,
Buddhism and Islam each give testimony of the importance of sanctuaries in
their religions. Father Arul Irudayam, Rector of the Marian Shrine Basilica in
Vailankanni, India, tells the Congress that Hindus now perform their religious
rituals inside the Catholic Marian Basilica. Once again, the audience applauds.
(see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/sprep111303.asp)
Oct. 24: Notícias de
Fátima, the local Fatima newspaper on friendly terms with the Fatima
Shrine, publishes the headline: "Sanctuary for Various Creeds" and quotes
Father Jacques Dupuis saying, "The religion of the future is a general
convergence of religions in a universal Christ who, at root, will satisfy all
of them." Some Catholics interpret this as an implicit call for the
anti-Christ. (see
www.fatimacrusader.com/cr75/cr75pg08.asp)
Nov. 1: Portugal News reports
that the purpose of the October Interfaith Fatima Congress is to establish
Fatima as an Interfaith Shrine. Portugal News stated, "the Shrine is to
be developed into a centre where all the religions of the world will gather to
pay homage to their various gods." A worldwide protest of outraged Catholics
ensues. (see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/sprep111303.asp)
Nov. 19: England’s The
Universe publishes Archbishop Fitzgerald’s half-hearted denials of
plans to turn Fatima into an Interfaith Shrine. "There is no question" says the
Archbishop, "of the Fatima sanctuary becoming an interfaith pilgrimage center
... This is a place of prayer centered on Our Lady and everyone is welcome."
Later, Christopher Ferrara, in The Fatima Crusader (Issue 75, pp. 9-10),
points out in detail how this isn’t really a denial. (see
www.fatimacrusader.com/cr75/cr75pg08.asp)
Dec. 1: Catholic Family News
publishes its first report on interfaith activity at Fatima, predicting that it
is only a matter of time before pagan ceremonies take place at Fatima.
Meanwhile, The Fatima Center has launched a campaign of protest through
its magazine, web site, mailings and leaflet distribution. (see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/sprep111303.asp)
Dec. 28: After nearly two months of
silence, wherein he would not answer direct questions that he affirm or deny
statements attributed to him in the media about his intentions regarding the
future of the Fatima Shrine, Shrine Rector Guerra issues a
Communiqué defending the new interfaith orientation at Fatima.
(see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/news020504.asp)
Early Jan. 2004: Shrine Rector
Guerra grants an interview to a Marian website wherein he says, "We are very
far from having Hindus or any Muslims pray in Fatima, except if they do it in
private — not in public liturgies or other such services." (see www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/news020504.asp)
Apr. 23-25: The Fatima
Crusader publishes the "Open Letter to the Faithful of Portugal" in three
Portuguese newspapers, warning against the new interreligious activity at
Fatima. (see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/042804open.asp)
Apr. 25: Father Robert J. Fox, on an
EWTN television program, ridicules concerned Catholics opposed to the
interfaith initiatives, claiming that all reports of interfaith activity at
Fatima are "fabrications," and that Shrine Rector Guerra would never allow such
things to take place. (see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/060304rit.asp)
May 5: Hindus publicly perform a
pagan ritual on the Catholic altar in the Capelinha at the Fatima Shrine, with
the endorsement of Shrine Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Fatima. The event is
broadcast the same day by SIC, a national television station in Portugal.
(see
www.fatima.org/news/newsviews/060304rit.asp)
The Fatima Center
In U.S.A. – 17000
State Route 30, Constable, NY 12926
In Canada – 452 Kraft Road,
Fort Erie, ON L2A 4M7
Call us toll-free at 1-800-263-8160 or fax us
at 1-905-871-3646
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