An open Gospel

“The events of Fatima must be placed in the context of an age of far-reaching political and ideological transformations that involved various European countries”, said ANTÓNIO TEIXEIRA FERNANDES , during the international congress “Fatima for the 21st century”, Speaking on “Reactions of ideological and political currents to the events at Fatima”, the professor in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Porto recalled that the phenomenon of the apparitions was passed over in silence by some ideological currents of the time as “a fraud”, “a hallucination”, “a clerical exploitation”, or “a financial speculation”. “Yet, “in spite of these accusations – Teixeira Fernades continued – the pilgrimages to the site of the apparitions have always involved large numbers of people of every social class”. THE SECRET ACCOMPLISHED. “It was the attempt on his life in St. Peter’s Square on 13 May 1981 that aroused curiosity about Fatima in John Paul II, in particular about the third part of the secret announced to the child shepherds”, said Cardinal STANISLAW DZIWISZ in his address at the congress. The former private secretary of John Paul II recalled that “in the days following the attempt on his life the Pope never made any reference to Fatima. It was only long afterwards, reflecting on the coincidence of the date, the 13 May, that he asked to see the third part of the secret and recognized his own destiny in the vision contained in it”. According to the current Archbishop of Krakow, “the definitive revelation of the mystery in 2000 marked the end of an historical period characterized by tragic human desires for power and iniquity, but the exhortation to prayer as a means of salvation and the appeal to penance and conversion inspired by the Marian message maintain all their efficacy”. In tracing the terrorist attack on the Pope and placing the events in 1981 in their historical context, Cardinal Dziwizs said he was convinced that “the world would be very different from what it now is if John Paul II had died then, especially as regards the social and political situation in Central and Eastern Europe”.NOT ONLY A HOLY PLACE. In his address, the Right Rev. JORGE ORTIGA , President of the Portuguese Bishops’ Conference (CEP), declared that “the sanctuary of Fatima should not be seen just as a sacred enclosure, but must be capable of exerting an influence, by its own witness, on social, political and economic structures all over the world”. “The apparitions of 1917 have placed this locality firmly on the map of Christianity, but I hope that the experience of Fatima will continues to touch people’s hearts and especially their minds”, he added. “Fatima – said Ortiga – should not be considered just a place of pilgrimage where vows are made. Rather, it should be an open gospel and a place of spiritual reflection that may enable us to understand what God expects of each individual and of the various Christian communities”. The Archbishop of Braga said that “the new basilica of the Holy Trinity is distinguished by its grandeur and its bold architecture, but at the same time it preserves a particular concern to foster the needs of reconciliation and adoration of the faithful”. “In this sense – he concluded – the sanctuary has aimed to open itself artistically to the whole world by showing a Gospel that moves with the times and is willing to enter into dialogue with modern culture”.APPEAL TO CONVERSION. Presiding over the international pilgrimage to Fatima on 13 October, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal TARCISIO BERTONE , declared that “Christians, with the same courage as the apostles, must rebel against those who demand or wish to impose their silence”. Criticising the relativistic culture of our time, the cardinal explained that “silence is imposed on the Church in the name of a society that is presumed to be tolerant and respectful, yet it’s a society in which the only common value is the negation of any and every real and permanent value”. “Those who invoke the imperatives of this open society end up by closing every door to the Transcendent”, he added. The best way of responding to this type of culture, according to Cardinal Bertone, is “submission to and acceptance of God’s will for us, which is translated into precise duties”. With particular reference to the message of Fatima, he said “it would be senseless to continue indefinitely to ask for signals: the Marian mystery constitutes a clear appeal to conversion, to changing our habits of life, to the rejection of sin and to the love of God expressed in our love for our fellowmen”. “The signals must give way to a new life of the reborn – he concluded -. Here at Fatima the Virgin Mary did not wish to be admired, invoked and venerated. Instead, she asked that people should abandon themselves to her; she hoped that the hearts of individuals, nations and humanity as a whole would be consecrated to her”.