The Last Pope!

Welcome to the Global Watch Weekly Report  This week we focus on the prophecy concerning the last day arrival of “Peter the Roman” commonly known as “The Last Pope” and also the third secret of Fatima. The Last Pope is a term which is associated with the prophecies of St Malachy. These prophecies are in no way considered to be an inspired biblical text yet today it seems to have drawn even the most conservative of bible and secular prophecy scholars into the debate that their could be some relevance behind these predictions. For those of you who may not be familiar with this subject, the prophecy of St Malachy is based on medieval text which seems to have correctly predicted the succession of popes from medieval times up until the present pope. There is some controversy in regards to a possible forgery which took place which accounted for the early prediction of popes. But with the twentieth century witnessing on going fulfilment of its predictions for the later popes it’s a subject which demands further insight. The interest is also borne by the fact that the last segment of the prophecy seems to somehow mirror and affirm Revelation 17 which details the nature of the relationship between the final world government and a last days religious system. The focus on the third secret of Fatima is also of interest due to the attempts by the Roman Catholic Church to conceal the true content of the vision that was given to the three Portuguese children who received the vision in 1917. However, as we will see in an interview with one of the most renowned scholars on Catholic Eschatology, insight is provided on the reason for concealment and what the actual third secret really is about.

4 THE PIUS WHO IS TO COME 6 THE THIRD SECRET CONTROVERSY

11 A PERSPECTIVE ON THE THIRD SECRET WAR 17 THE PROPHECY OF ST MALACHY 21 INTERVIEW WITH FATHER PAUL KRAMER

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made to Mary and other dead saints, their relics and images venerated and pictures and statues reverenced with prayers and prostrations. By the 8th Century the churches of East and West were cluttered with statues, images, paintings and relics. The local Jews threw taunts at the Christians and a general disquiet began to grow among Leo’s subjects. The Emperor had some close confidants on doctrinal matters and to the amazement of the Church and the world he decreed in 726, the confiscation and destruction of all images and statues in the Churches of the Empire and set a brazen public example by burning the statue in the front garden of his palace. This edict was then pursued throughout the empire but the reaction was mixed indeed and controversy swept the Empire for the next 120 years; it goes down in history as the Iconoclastic Controversy. Pope Gregory’s Reaction the most vehement reaction against Leo’s decree came from the Roman Bishop, Pope Gregory II. Two of his original letters to Leo remain intact and are reproduced in Eureka, III, p301. Gregory treated Emperor Leo with disdain and threatening; there was absolutely no way that the churches of the West were going to depart with their beloved icons! “Are you ignorant that the popes are the bond of union, the mediators of peace, between the East and the West? The eyes of the nations are fixed on our humility, whom all the kingdoms of the west hold as a God upon earth, whose image, St Peter, you threaten to destroy. The remote and interior kingdoms of the west present their homage to Christ and His Viceregent; and we now prepare to visit one of their most powerful monarchs, (Charles Martel, grandfather of Charlemagne) who desires to receive from our hands the sacrament of baptism. The Barbarians (the Ten Horns) have submitted to the yoke of the gospel, while you alone are deaf to the voice of the shepherd” (Eureka Vol III ch. 13 sec. 25 pg 301, John Thomas). The upshot of this vehement altercation was that the Pope lost the temporal support of the Emperor in Constantinople, his trust for some 200 years. Worse still a cruel and warlike people called the Lombards, meaning “long beards” had come into northern Italy and saw the opportunity to advance on an unprotected Italian peninsula and captured Rome with its Pope. These people had been converted but not to the Nicene doctrine; they were of Arian persuasion. The Papacy was in a great quandary and desperately sought a champion for the protection of the City and the Papacy. 4

History makes obvious that the thrust of Muslim war—“Jihad” was against Roman Catholicism, firstly in the Eastern third of the Roman Empire and later in Western Europe. Despite the horrendous reversals suffered by Catholicism, it was yet determined to maintain the practices for which God had sent the scourge of Islam.

Mohammed began his work in 612 and died in 632 but within less than a century the Roman world was in desperate conflict with his armies on both the Eastern and Western flanks of the empire. Spain was already captured and in the east the Emperor Leo III (of Constantinople) only narrowly defeated the Muslims at the foot of the Taurus mountains, in Syria AD 718.

There was great concern throughout the Empire and some searching of hearts, for why God should bring or allow devastation of such coveted Christian ground as Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Antioch and Alexandria etc? The Muslim adversary ridiculed the Christians for their idolatry and for their many gods saying they were as idolatrous as the pagan Romans before them or as the Canaanites whom God had removed because of their similar behaviour.

For the Church had developed, especially in the East, a system of worship in which prayers were

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Where could such a saviour be found?

The bishops on the other hand were increasingly powerful and wealthy receiving special endowments of land and taxation favours and other honours. “These great spiritual lords, strong in popular support, rich in gold and lands, possessed of what intellectual power there was, surrounded by vassals, ruling their clergy, rivaling, often successfully, the

CLOVIS AND THE KINGDOM OF THE FRANKS

The kingdom of the Franks went back to the late 5th century, to Clovis, the first French king. The Franks were a strong warlike people living along the regions of the Rhine Valley and frequently skirmishing or warring with the Romans. Clovis was a greater man and succeeded in uniting the German tribes and had general sway over the whole of Western Europe right down to the Seine and Loire rivers in France, establishing his residence near Paris.

counts and great lay lords, the sensors of kings, freed by immunities from many burdens and obligations, attained a height of power seemingly almost unassailable” (ibid).

It is estimated that at the close of the 7th century the Church owned one third of the land of Gaul and most of this belonged to the bishops and abbots. So to summarise to this point we see that since the time of the break-up of the Roman Empire, the temporal power had contracted to the East, in Constantinople, allowing the Catholic Pope in Rome a far greater significance in the West than he ever had before. Whilst the Emperor sustained the authority of the Pope, he was increasingly out of touch with the more western and northern regions of Europe. The constant Muslim (or Islamic) threat kept him on his toes in his own back yard! In all this time, from 451, the kingdom of the Franks was slowly expanding and strengthening but the actual line of the kings had become decadent and true power had gone to the Mayors of the King’s

This amazing achievement was made possible by the support of the influential Catholic bishops who had provided protection to the western inhabitants as wave after wave of Goths, Vandals and Huns had rampaged through Gaul in the previous 100 years. In 496 Clovis was baptised and so the Roman Church had a resourceful northern ally of their Trinitarian persuasion in contrast to all the other eastern invaders who, following the Goths, were Arian in their Christian doctrine (ie Jesus was just a man). This conversion was one of the most significant in European history for it laid the basis for the later Catholic unification of all Europe. “To the oppressed and persecuted Catholics Clovis appeared as a savior and avenger, while the hope of the future spread and ultimate triumph of orthodoxy centred in him. The long succession of cruel, treacherous, and aggressive warfare, waged avowedly for the church as for the kingdom, was hailed as the work of a modern David, a second Constantine, a true champion of Christianity against heretics and heathens” (The Age of Charlemagne, Charles Wells). Those kings who succeeded Clovis preserved this basic relationship but, with time they degenerated into the inactive Merovingian dynasty: they became known as the “do- nothing kings,” “Rois Faineants”.

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ALLIANCE OF POPE AND FRANKISH KINGS

So the Mayor of the Palace now became the king in the city of Soissons and he and queen Bertrada received the anointing; whilst Childeric was stripped of his royal robes, his long flowing locks cut off and was dispatched to the monastery to spend the rest of his days in humiliation. “Thus took place that act of most solemn and momentous significance to Western Europe and to the Christian church, as well as to the Frankish kingdom and the Roman Papacy. There is no need of trying to justify the act; its historical explanation lies in the fact that it took place orderly and peaceably, as an evident political necessity. Its manifest advantage to all persons concerned except the poor last remnant of the royal line, and, above all, the absolute necessity, which the Pope had already felt and recognized, of having some strong arm near at hand if Rome was to be saved to the Papacy and the Papacy to the Western Church, are plainly seen” (ibid). The Pope of course had no authority to do this; he himself was appointed and authorised by the Eastern Emperor. But we see here a classic step forward in that tale of Papal arrogance that has no equal in the history of mankind. Pope Zecharias knew that Rome needed a powerful champion near at hand if the Papacy and the Western Church were to be saved. If treason was the price, so be it! Notice in this the complete disregard of the official Emperor in Constantinople. What we are seeing is the change of a Papal- Constantinople alliance to a Papal-Central Europe confederacy, where the temporal support, the militant army to support the Pope’s worldly aims, will come from the central powers of Europe rather than eastern Constantinople by the sea. 751 was a big year in history. Only three years later, AD 754, Stephen III the Bishop of Rome, crossed the Alps into the region of King Pepin. The Lombards were so strong and active that help was again sought to preserve the Papacy, its lands and its wealth. Pepin heard of his coming, the first Bishop of Rome to cross the Alps, and sent his eldest son, Charles, later Charlemagne then only 12 years of age, to meet and escort the Bishop! How intriguing it is that the king who is to lift the Papacy so significantly was entrusted by his father to bring the Pope home to the palace of Pepin. Pepin met him with great humility and prostration. In the chapel of the palace the Pope and his ministers, in sackcloth and ashes, pleaded 6 PEPIN’S DONATION AND PAPAL STATEHOOD

In the year 732 a most notable battle was fought in Tours (or Poietiers) in the South of France, between the vast hordes of Muslim cavalry and the combined but trembling forces of the Roman Catholic world. The Muslims had crossed the Mediterranean at Gibraltar, swept over all of Spain, crossed the Pyrenees Mountains and now were set for a critical battle. Huge issues rested on the outcome and the Catholic world trembled before the unbeaten forces of the Muslims. However, the Muslims were soundly defeated and driven over the mountains back into Spain. Several times the Roman forces repeated their ascendancy over the Muslim army of cavalry; the praise and thanks of the West fell upon their principal leader, Charles Martel (“the Hammer”), who was not the king of the Franks but Mayor of his palace. His courageous and capable leadership had saved the Roman world from certain eclipse and preserved the Bishop of Rome and his Papal throne. This man was the father of Pepin and the grandfather of Charlemagne.

The Iconoclastic Controversy of AD 726 weakened the bond between the Pope and the Emperor of Constantinople. Pepin became the Mayor of the Palace during the reign of Childeric the last of the Merovingian dynasty of the Frankish kings, but in 751 knowing the Pope (Zecharias) was looking favourably in his direction, he asked the question of Zecharias as to whether it was good that a king without power should rule over those who were ruling for him? The Pope replied that Pepin, who was exercising the royal power, should be called king and placed upon the throne!

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“by the mercy of Almighty God and the merits of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul” that Pepin would free them from the cruel and proud Lombards and remained prostrate before the king until he and his sons and nobles stretched forth the hand and raised him from the ground in token of their future aid and deliverance. Pepin also promised to restore what the Lombards had already seized. He also promised Papal jurisdiction over some conquered lands which became historically famous and known as “Pepin’s Donation,” the foundations of the Pope’s lust for temporal power. The Popes never let the Frankish kings forget this promise, repeatedly raising the matter in correspondence and reminding them of their promise to Peter and Paul!: indeed in 756 Pepin received a letter direct from Peter, pressing him to comply with his promises! In the same year Pepin had his final victory over the Lombards and he handed over to the Pope the provinces of Ravenna, Rimini and Pesaro and other towns and their dependencies. This land represents about 25% of the Italian leg and remained as the personal lands of the Popes from 756 to 1870. Thus, too, the Pope became an important secular prince and took over the old Byzantine dominion (of the Emperor in Constantinople) in Central Italy. A feature of Germanic law was the equal division of inheritance among the sons of the deceased. So when Pepin died in 768 the vast Frankish dominion was divided between his older son Charles and his younger son Carloman. Charles received a northern crescent of lands, facing all the current foes whilst Carloman had a rounded territory of what was left above the Alps. So Charles was distanced from the Pope and it may have been thought then that a union of Pope and Charles could never occur. Furthermore Carloman had made distinct and successful advances towards the Pope and stolen his favour. It was their mother Bertrada that blocked her younger son by arranging the marriage of the Lombard princess(!) to Charles and remarkably, persuading Pope Stephen that this would neutralise his Lombard foe and provide him the support of the elder son. THE HERITAGE OF CHARLEMAGNE

This scheme worked and Carloman saw himself check-mated by his beloved mother! However Carloman suddenly died at the age of 20 years so that in 771 Charles became monarch over all the lands of the Frankish kingdom.

THE CHARACTER OF CHARLEMAGNE

The achievements of Charlemagne are simply stunning. He reigned for 46 years, to AD 814 and until the last few years was involved in military campaigns on every side. The Saxons, Alemanni, Dutch Friesians and Lombards were some of his more consistent foes but there were innumerable conflicts from Prussia to the Pyrenees, from the Atlantic to Bavaria. on every side he sought to conquer and pacify his neighbours, to advance his dominion and convert them into Christian communities, loyal to the Pope. Before Charlemagne the Frankish Church was avowedly Catholic, but its structure and uniformity was lacking compared to the established church and cathedrals of the Roman world. The divisions and dioceses of the Frankish church were randomly organised and many of their customs, habits and training were amateur compared with the older, traditional southern churches. Of great significance was the vigour and zeal of Irish and English missionaries; these people were more Catholic than the Italians and more scholarly than those in the Roman regions. Their impact and influence on the new lands of Pepin and Charlemagne were enormous. The pre-eminent name was that of the English monk Boniface, whose contribution was so great that he became known as “the apostle of Germany.” When this fresh fundamental Catholic teaching was combined with the strong and meticulous 7 THE FRANKISH CHURCH

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organisation of Charlemagne, we have the foundation of that profound Catholic hold that the Roman Church had over Europe for over a thousand years. In all his 46 years as king and emperor Charlemagne gave priority to the teaching of the Church and its influence at every level of society. Hence he was later canonised as a “saint” by the Pope in the 13th century and revered, with Constantine, in the Roman and Anglican churches. Whilst Charlemagne conducted numerous military campaigns there were two accomplishments that stood out in his illustrious record. The Saxons in the far north proved a resourceful and recurring foe against whom Charlemagne showed the full expression of his determination and, finally, his savage cruelty. He was not content until in 782 he had totally subjected, converted and integrated these barbaric peoples.

Here was their new saviour to protect their city and recover their lands, now “King of the Franks,” “Lombard King” and “Patrician of the Romans” — yet still not emperor of the Romans!

When Charles left Rome he had given assurance that he would fulfil the terms of Pepin’s Donation; yet in fact he delayed despite repeated letters from successive popes. The Pope even had the deeds of the promised land, given, would you believe, 500 years before by none less than Constantine! The keys to the lands were said to be placed on the tomb of St Peter! There seemed to be no ploy too ridiculous for the Papacy: his correspondence was obsessed with the land of Pepin’s promise, with almost no comment of spiritual things or pastoral concerns. In the year 799 Pope Leo was ill and caught up in a spate of charges against his behaviour. He crossed the Alps to meet Charles and travelled as far north as Saxony where the King was engaged in gruelling rebellion. Charlemagne dispatched officers to escort the Pope back to Rome where the trouble makers were condemned and banished.

But in the south the Lombards under Desiderius again threatened the Papacy, bringing an army into Italy and stripping a number of cities from the Pope’s dominion. Charles reaction was like his father Pepin, to cross the Alps on to the north of Italy—the “plains of Lombardy,” and thoroughly subjugate the Lombards. In the spring of 1774 at the invitation of the Pope Hadrian, Charles entered the imperial city of Rome, the first Frankish king to do so, and was received in pomp and splendour, by the whole city and the Papal offices in particular. He looked the part, dressed in Roman costume, passing through the streets in triumphal glory! He ascended the stairs of St Peter’s Cathedral, kissing each one as he went, to be honourably welcomed and kissed by Pope Hadrian and his hierarchy.

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A year later Charles was in Rome again but this was the time of greater significance in his reign. Gathered in St Peter’s Cathedral were all the Papal dignitaries and all those that accompanied the King. Upon the Pope’s confession of innocence the whole congregation burst out in praise to God, to the Virgin Mary, to “St Peter” and to all the saints. The next day was the 25th of December and all were again assembled in the great cathedral when Pope Leo took the great golden crown and placed it upon the head of Charles, upon which the whole Roman congregation exclaimed:

This phase of Roman history is significant and Charlemagne was the key player in this great event in history and his zeal, his strength, his competency and his longevity all combined to make this possible. When the Papacy was desperate they looked for a strong and worldly suitor and when they found him they likened him to their original provider of temporal power. The Holy Roman Empire in its various stages lasted for 1000 years (800 to1789-92) so the historical significance of Charlemagne is very great. The French Revolution in 1789-94 and the wars of Napoleon (1795-1815) blew it apart, but whenever the concept of European unity again emerged then the name of Charlemagne inevitably came to the fore. In the days of the powerful German Chancellor Bismarck, his name was frequently mentioned. So, too in the days of Kaiser Wilhelm which led to WWI and Adolf Hitler in WWII with his Third Reich. It always echoed back to Charlemagne. More poignantly the last 50 years of European integration have been coloured with the notions of the Charlemagne era. His name is heard in their councils, found on their coins and notes, and taught in their schools. It is the present German Chancellor that is pressing so fervently for a role for the Pope and the church in the growing phenomenon of the EU, and Europe is increasingly hearing her voice. The Papacy needs a champion and Europe is striving to find the roots of its existence. They rest in the soil of the Germano-Papal league of AD 800. Charlemagne was the dominant influence at that time. Today the winner of the annual award for European Unity is awarded “the Charlemagne Prize”!

“To Charles the most pious Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific Emperor life and victory.”

This was repeated three times and thus Charles was anointed, “Roman emperor,” received mass from the Roman Pontiff and swapped precious gifts.

Though declared by an earlier Pope to be “Patrician of the Romans,” Charles had carefully avoided any reference to emperor and in fact had kept a proper relationship with the Roman emperor who resided in Constantinople. The grandness and glory of this event required the knowledge and acquiescence of Charlemagne. In another day it may have been called “treason,” for who was he to accept such an illustrious title when there was an existing Emperor on the throne. This action was deliberate, decisive and remarkable. The Roman world was split into East and West! An event of immense significance had occurred. A thousand years lay ahead when the organisation of Europe would fall on these lines. Whilst the actual term came later, this 800th year was the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. No longer would the Papal See be looking east to Constantinople for support, but rather north to the great Charlemagne and to the Carolingian dynasty of kings that would follow.

Understanding this short insight into history provides us the foundation in understanding the present development of a German led, Catholic Roman Empire through the construct of the European Union. 9

Blackberry Under the Spotlight  D THE PIUS WHO IS TO COME

This name (Pius) is associated historically with popes who emphasized authoritative doctrine during their pontificates. Cardinal Arinze fits this description, and Conte interprets this qualification as best fulfilling “Peter the Roman” as a pope who “will reaffirm the authority of the Roman Pontiff over the Church; this authority is based on his place as a Successor of Peter” and “will emphasize the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Faith and the Roman Catholic Church above all other religions and denominations, and its authority over all Christians and all peoples of the world.” To this, Conte adds, “During the reign of Pope Peter the Roman, the great apostasy begins” and this pope will mark “the first part of the tribulation, during our generation.” Conte envisions this apocalypse beginning in 2012 when, as he sees it, Benedict is assassinated and is replaced by Petrus Romanus. This is followed by a series of cascading events resulting in World War III, which is triggered when Iranian-backed terrorists explode a nuclear bomb in New York City. The Great Tribulation begins, and by July 2013, Rome is destroyed when it is struck by a nuclear missile. Conte’s view is also supported by a French codex entitled, La Mystérieuse Prophétie des Papes (“The Mysterious Prophecy of the Popes”), issued in 1951 by a Jesuit priest and mathematician named René Thibaut (1883–1952). Among his astonishing findings—hidden to the modern world until the publishing of our work—Thibaut found concealed in the Prophecy of the Popes a clever number of word plays that form many acrostics and anagrams. An example of one of the linguistic codes may hold cryptic agreement with Ronald L. Conte’s conclusion that Petrus Romanus will take the name Pius. The code is discovered in the Latin text “Peregrinus apostolicus” which was the prophecy for the ninety-sixth pope on the list, Pius VI. The anagram not only reveals the papal name, it does so twice: PeregIinUS aPostolIcUS. This appearance of the name “Pius” is rather astounding considering we have a published copy dated almost two hundred years before Pius VI was elected. But Thibaut suggests the repetition serves as an even farther-reaching poetic refrain.

From Christians to New Ag e r s , s k e p t i c s t o historians, the world is presently enthralled with what will happen during and following the year 2012. In general, the excitement (or dread, as the case may be) surrounds a variety of predictions made by ancient and modern sources concerning a portentous moment in time.

Mankind has entered a period of unprecedented global upheaval, according to these experts, when the earth and all life on it will undergo apocalyptica marked by the end of the “thirteenth baktun” of the Mesoamerican Mayan Long Count. The exact end date of this calendar is December 21, 2012, when during the winter solstice at 11:11, GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), the New Age crowd says the sun will align with the galactic center of the Milky Way galaxy, an event that occurs only every thirteen thousand years. The precession of the equinoxes will conclude a twenty-six-thousand-year cycle, bringing the astrological Age of Pisces to an end and introducing the beginning of Aquarius, when the next cycle begins and the sun rises out of the mouth of the Ouroboros (great serpent of the Milky Way). This is the sun rising in Sagittarius, the centaur with a bow—the symbol for Nimrod coming out from the mouth of Leviathan and the sun “god” rising again— Apollo/Osiris. The Mayans predicted this conjunction, interpreting it as a harbinger of the end of the world as we know it and the beginning of a new “enlightened” pagan age. People from the world’s greatest religions including Christianity and Islam also see current global developments as potential omens of an end- times scenario leading to the Apocalypse. This includes catholic mystics who believe in the Prophecy of the Popes.

The Catholic seer, Ronald L. Conte Jr who in 2002 correctly predicted that the pope succeeding John Paul II would be named Benedict XVI, believes the next pope will be Cardinal Francis Arinze and that he will take the name Pius XIII.

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In other words, “Pius! Pius!” is similar to the excited binary “Mayday, Mayday!” that sailors cry out in dire circumstances and which may have prophetic implications concerning the name of the final pope on the list. In addition to being associated with Roman authoritarianism and cryptogramed in the Prophecy of the Popes, Conte bolsters his prognostication concerning the name “Pius” by pointing to the electrifying visions of another pope named Pius—

prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. The conceptual framework of these visions and their validity is volatile among many Catholics who believe Rome is complicit in an intentional cover-up involving the true Third Secret of Fatima as well as other suppressed Catholic foresights that are rife with wildly different predictions concerning the future prophetic role of the Roman Catholic Church. Marian apparitions, visions by popes, interpretations by cardinals of the apocalypse, and approved mystical prophecies often stand at odds with recent Vatican publications. Even the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” approved by the Church and promulgated by Pope John Paul II (released in English in 1994, the first catechism in more than four hundred years), which draws on the Bible, the Mass, the sacraments, traditions, teachings, and the lives of the saints, states under the section The Church’s Ultimate Trial: 675 Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the mystery of iniquity in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the Truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo -messianism by which man glorifies himself in the place of God and his Messiah who has come in the flesh.

Pope Pius X who served as pope from 1903 to 1914 and who saw a papal successor carrying the same name Pius fleeing Rome over the bodies of dead priests at the onset of the end times. Pius X is widely reported to have said:

What I have seen is terrifying! Will I be the one, or will it be a successor? What is certain is that the Pope will leave Rome and, in leaving the Vatican, he will have to pass over the dead bodies of his priests! Do not tell anyone this while I am alive In a second vision during an audience with the Franciscan order in 1909, Pope Pius X appeared to fall into a trance. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and rose to his feet, announcing: I have seen one of my successors, of the same name [a future pope named Pius], who was fleeing over the dead bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in some hiding place; but after a brief respite, he will die a cruel death. Respect for God has disappeared from human hearts. They wish to efface even God’s memory. This perversity is nothing less than the beginning of the last days of the world. The third part of the Secret of Fatima revealed to the three children, which was supposedly released in total by the Vatican June 26, 2000, seems to echo the visions of Pius X. A section of the material reads: …before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he

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Blackberry Under the Spotlight  D THE THIRD SECRET CONTROVERSY

Possibly at the center of this prophecy and a “Vatican cover-up” of the complete vision of Fatima (and related prophecies) is a second and potentially more powerful papal contender for the role of Petrus Romanus or “Peter the Roman”— Cardinal Tarcisio Pietro (Peter) Bertone, who was born in Romano (the Roman) Canavese. Among other things, Cardinal Bertone is, at the time second in command at the Vatican. As the Secretary of State and the Pope’s Camerlengo (Italian for “Chamberlain”), he is responsible during a papal vacancy to serve as acting Head of State of the Vatican City until “the time of agreement” and the election of a new pope.

He made some enigmatic nods toward a lot of writings and "letters to Popes" that the visionary had left, and then he spoke of the famous Third Secret revealed by the Vatican in 2000 "that, however, far from dissipating the mystery," according to the Catholic writer, "has given rise to others: on the interpretation, on the contents, on the completeness of this revealed text." The editorial did not say anything else, and that was a pity; because this "news," tossed off with nonchalance, seemed to me a bomb that would have merited a lot more discussion. Also because of the authority of the one who signed it: Messori is a great journalist, exceptionally scrupulous; he is the most translated Catholic essayist in the world and would never have ventured lightly to hint at such "suspicions" concerning the Vatican. In that article it is not said if, when, and how one such as he, very near to the offices of the Vatican, had been persuaded that the official version was not convincing. I do not know his current opinion. Five years before, at the moment of the revelation of the Secret, Messori had not manifested any doubts. I still have his editorial in Corriere della Sera, of June 25, 2000, entitled "No Longer Any Fatima Secrets." Everything seemed to line up. Therefore I reacted to the new article by Messori with a journalistic polemic in which I defended with a sword the rightness of the Vatican (ungenerously above all toward the traditionalists), attacked the writer and liquidated all of his "dietrologies" concerning unpublished documents. Certainly, I knew that after the fateful revelation of the Third Secret in 2000, doubts, suspicions, rumors, and critical observations had begun to circulate within the curial environment, and that they had found public expression in traditionalist circles. But I had never paid attention to the traditionalist publications because I believed that they originated from a burning disappointment over a Secret that negates all of their "apocalyptic" forecasts. However, I was struck by an article by a young Catholic scholar, Solideo Paolini, in a traditionalist review in which I myself was mentioned. He entered into my debate with Messori on Fatima and — with a deft polemic — developed a series of arguments that substantially demolished the official Vatican version (which had been mine). In substance — according to Paolini, who immediately after

Our interest in Bertone is b a s e d o n h i s 2 0 0 7 publication, “The Last Secret of Fatima” that appears to have accomplished exactly the opposite of its primary objective, mainly, to refute another work by famous Italian media journalist, and author Antonio Socci, whose manuscript “The Fourth Secret of Fatima” claims the

Vatican has repressed information concerning the true secrets delivered in Marian apparitions to the three shepherd children in the rural Portuguese village of Fatima in 1917. The following are excerpts from the book The Fourth Secret of Fatima, authored by Socci. On February 13, 2005 in the Carmelite convent of Coimbra, at the age of 98, Sister Lucia dos Santos, the last visionary of Fatima, custodian of the greatest and most terrible among the secrets of the 20th century, passed away. She died on the 13th day of the month, the same date the Madonna had chosen for the apparitions of Fatima. Two days later, on my way to Perugia, I stopped for a break at a café on Lake Trasimeno. I took a copy of Corriere della Sera, just purchased at the newsstand, and sat by the placid waters, opened it, read and was struck by it. The Catholic writer, Vittorio Messori, had published on the first page an article entitled: "Secret of Fatima, Sealed in Sister Lucia's Cell."

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Blackberry Under the Spotlight  D THE THIRD SECRET CONTROVERSY

published his thesis in the book Fatima: Do Not Despise Prophecies — the Vatican continues to hide the principal part of the Third Secret, even denying its existence because of its explosive contents. Paolini's arguments were serious and his attitude impartial. Other books appeared less well founded and less respectful. The traditionalists' disputes with the Vatican on the revelation of the Third Secret (of June 26, 2000) have never been analyzed, confronted, and confuted by the ecclesiastical party and are unknown in the lay world — perhaps because their publications circulate almost exclusively in their own environment. To me the choice by the Curia and the Catholic media to ignore and say nothing about them did not seem right, especially after having read the extremely harsh tone of their accusations against the Vatican. For example, in a volume assembled by Father Paul Kramer, which combines the works of different authors, the Vatican is denounced for failing to heed the requests of the Madonna of Fatima, and it is affirmed that "the price of the Vatican's indecision could not be greater, and could be paid by the entire human race." I held that if these suspicions were not dispelled and the accusations confronted, sooner or later the Church would be battered by a tempest analogous to, and perhaps even more forceful, than the one let loose over the "silences of Pius XII" or the theories of Dan Brown. It seemed to me that the "polemical arms" were ready (even if, for the moment, unknown by the media and the public at large): deposited in traditionalist "arsenals" but at the disposition of whoever would want to launch a heavy attack against the Vatican. For example, the vehement "I accuse" of Laurent Morlier under the peremptory title: "The Third Secret of Fatima published by the Vatican is a falsehood." Analyzing this literature — besides that circulating on the Internet — it occurred to me that throughout the Fatima affair there are so many questions without answers as to color it a "detective story." Perhaps the most fascinating and dramatic detective story of our times because it involves not only the Vatican, great powers and their secret services, as well as certain obscure apparatuses of power, but also each one of us, and

the proximate destiny for all humanity and for the Church. To explain the Vatican's position and to confute that journalism I sought out representatives of the Curia such as Cardinal Bertone, today the Vatican Secretary of State, who was at the center of the Secret's revelation in 2000 (certainly a delicate and weighty task that merits understanding). While he had gratified me with his personal attention, having invited me to hold a press conference in his former Diocese of Genoa, the prelate did not think it necessary to respond to my request for an interview — a choice he obviously had every right to make, but which nevertheless feeds the fear that there are embarrassing questions and, above all, something serious to hide. I tried, however, to understand the Vatican's position in order to counter the accusations of the "Fatimists." I investigated the concrete and reliable elements of criticism in the traditionalist literature, unfortunately buried in a mass of theorems, invective, absurdity, and unconfirmed hearsay. I caught certain of their contradictions, dismantled some theses, but in the end I had to surrender — thanks also to the revelations of an authoritative witness who furnished invaluable information. I had not expected the discovery of a colossal enigma, of a mystery that spans the history of the Church of the 20th century, something unutterable, something "chilling" that has literally terrorized different Popes who succeeded each other in mid-century, something that certainly regards the Church, but also the proximate future of us and of our brothers. Here I recount my voyage into the greatest mystery of the 20th century, and I present the result I honestly reached — a result that seriously contradicted my initial convictions, and that surprised and impressed me. (The reader will note this evolution and change of judgment from the first pages to the conclusion.) I trace finally a hypothesis on the "why" of these events that opens, however, to hope, and allows the Church's divine greatness to shine through alongside the misery of Churchmen (with the limits that all of us have), touching us, as if by hand, with the real and living presence of Jesus Christ and of His Mother — here, today, among us. In our aid. No one, obviously, is obliged to believe in supernatural events like those that happened at Fatima, but no one will be able to

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say one day that he did not know. — Antonio Socci October 7, 2006 Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary

not belong to biblical revelation but are addressed to private individuals (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 66). These revelations. which cannot contradict the content of faith, must converge toward the central subject of Jesus Christ's proclamation: the Father's love, which engenders conversion in human beings and imparts the grace they need to entrust themselves to him with filial devotion. This is also the message of Fatima which, with its heartfelt appeal to conversion and repentance, actually urges us on into the heart of the Gospel. In this regard the apparition of Fatima acquires, as it were, the form of a great ecclesial fresco, as Cardinal Ratzinger demonstrated in his Theological Commentary for the publication of the third part of the so-called "secrets". The Virgin Mary's mission in the plan of universal salvation and in every Christian's life is brought increasingly into the limelight by contemporary Catholicism. Several people are concerned about this, fearing that it may increase the gap that separates us from our Protestant brothers and sisters.

No sooner had this work been published by Socci then Cardinal Bertone released one year later his work, “The Last Secret of Fatima” inspired by his conversations with Sr. Lucia, the last seer of Fatima who died on 13 February 2005.

As part of a ceremony to m a r k t h e

publication of the book in the Pontifical Urban University, the cardinal delivered a presentation. His closing remarks were as follows

At the end of this round of interventions, I warmly thank the speakers who with their different but complementary reports have outlined a magnificent, I would say "Marian", fresco, which from various viewpoints has been edifying in its spirit, incisive in its history, profound in its culture and informative. For my part, I would like to reflect on just two apparently contradictory points: the value for Catholic spirituality of Mariology, which also includes supernatural phenomena, and the Church's justifiable prudence in officially recognizing them. Down through the centuries the Church has come face to face with various apparitions — for the most part involving the Mother of the Lord and the Saints —, the subject of a mysterious divine plan. Some people have recognized and accepted them as extraordinary manifestations for the providential guidance of disciples of Christ or as a prophetic sign. Yet, the Church has never wished to oblige believers to believe in them (this was already attested to by Pope Benedict XIV in De Servorum Dei Beatificatione). Faith is always and only rooted and founded in Jesus Christ, who :is the Father's true prophesy until the end of history. Conciliar teaching recognizes manifestations that do

But we view the development of Mariology as an attestation of fidelity to the Holy Spirit, who in the course of the centuries has led people to be ever more explicitly aware of the truth contained in Scripture. Mary's task, recognized by Catholicism — I do not speak of one form or another of devotion —, is not a doctrine superimposed on Scripture but rather proceeds from the actual knowledge of the Word of God, better understood down the ages by the faith of the Christian community and the tradition of the Magisterium under the constant action of the Holy Spirit.

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This is the marvellous fact, that a woman was chosen to be the Mother of God. Everything in the Virgin's soul that prepares for and prefigures Christ still remains an immediate reality for us today, since the mystery of Christ's gradual coming to all souls and in all nations is taking place before our very eyes. "We are always in an advent", Cardinal Jean Danielou wrote, "He has come but his manifestation is not yet complete". The criterion for the discernment of the truth of a private revelation is therefore its orientation to Christ and to the Gospel. Starting with this fundamental criterion, certain keys of interpretation can intervene, such as popular piety or religiosity. In his Theological Intervention, Cardinal Ratzinger referred to popular piety in very meaningful terms, affirming: "This does not mean that a private revelation will not offer new emphases or give rise to new devotional forms, or deepen and spread older forms" (Theological Commentary, L'Osservatore Romano English edition [ORE], 28 June 2000, p. VII, n. 2). Yet, underlying all this is the question of nourishing faith, hope and charity, which for everyone constitute the permanent path to salvation. Popular religiosity means that faith puts down roots in the heart of individual persons in such a way that it may be introduced into the world of daily life. Popular religiosity is the first and fundamental mode of "inculturation" of the faith. But what are the reasons for the Church's prudence in recognizing apparitions as genuine manifestations of the supernatural? With reference to our day rather than to the past, one of the reasons has to do with the increase in these phenomena, which in all likelihood is due to various causes: the collapse of rationalism, the spasmodic search for mystery, a superficial, insufficiently formed faith, increasing apprehension or anxiety about not knowing what the future will bring.... Such phenomena are more quickly affirmed than in previous times. Their influence is being felt in

various parts of the world mainly because of the emphasis given to them by the media. Indeed, a conspicuous, programmed dissemination of presumed "supernatural messages" associated with these phenomena can be observed. There is likewise a tendency to connect the "messages" received during specific "apparitions" with the messages of other apparitions, so much the better if they are recognized as authentic by the legitimate ecclesiastical Authority, but also with those that have not been recognized; and thus to link the various movements dependent on the different phenomena. With regard to the content of the "messages": there is a risk of judging such phenomena as authentic for the sole reason that the messages contain no doctrinal errors against the faith since they are exhortations and invitations to prayer and conversion. These presumed apparitions are often a vehicle for "apocalyptic" messages and this trend is increasing. Publications (books, periodicals) that specialize in supernatural phenomena are attracting considerable interest. These publications make a special impact, particularly when they are written by an ecclesiastic or a theologian. Furthermore, the fact that "seers" are attracting considerable attention can be seen as characteristic of our time. New "Movements" or Associations of the faithful frequently form round a specific phenomenon, which requires discernment so as to forestall problems arising with communion or with ecclesial life in the country or local Church. Even if at times the behaviour of diocesan Bishops and their collaborators may be wanting, it is essential to steer clear of the risk of a "Church of apparitions", diffident of the Hierarchy of the Church, as a variant of the well-known opposition of "charismatic Church — institutional Church". In this case, of course, we find that rather than facing a definite ideological position we are up against an attitude lived out and influenced by a somewhat superficial religiosity, a weakened ecclesial communion and a rather shallow faith in need of miraculous signs.

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The above-mentioned characteristics mean that prudence and caution are required on the part of Bishops examining these cases, especially when it is a question of granting them public worship, and even more, of possibly pronouncing on their supernatural character. This worship, however, is increasingly assuming a theological status with important pastoral implications. The International Congress at Lourdes in 2008 will focus precisely on the "theological significance" of Marian apparitions. But let us return to the Fatima message. The fruitful encounter between charism and institution, Trinitarian mystery and Christological mystery, is fulfilled in it. Mary, a sign of God's mercy, does not leave Christians on their own. She gives us hints as signs to combat the titanic battle between good and evil. Mary is the image of God's tenderness for us. There are certain characteristics at Fatima: from the consignment of pious practices to the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; from spirituality to a historical and political vision (Russia, peace and war, atheism...); from a geographically limited influence to one that is universal to the point that it affects the Pontiffs, and in a special way, Pope Wojtyla. In a recent interview with Avvenire [Italian Catholic daily] newspaper, I have already had the opportunity to say that the mystery of Fatima is an event. that has affected and permeated contemporary history more than any other Marian apparition. And the fullness of its message — not only of the third part of the "secrets" — touches the hearts of human beings, inviting them to conversion and to co-responsibility for the world's salvation. Here we find an interpretative key to the 19th century, and in a certain sense its message obliges today's men and women to reckon with a supernatural dimension that they are not always prepared to consider. Even for believers, the idea of a supernatural "intrusion" into earthly events can be difficult to accept, compared with that which refers every confrontation between man and God to eschatology, which is in some ways soothing. A remote and distant God is more comfortable, as Pope Benedict XVI has said several times, than a God who is close and accessible. Many do not know that Mother Teresa of Calcutta's

last gaze before she died met that of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima placed in her bedroom. In September 1959, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina felt that he had been "miraculously cured" by Our Lady of Fatima at the very moment when her little statue was leaving San Giovanni Rotondo. In that period, the Saint with the stigmata was weakened by a dangerous "bronchial-pneumonia complicated by the effusion of serous fluid". The diagnosis was made by Dr. Sala, his regular physician. Padre Pio prayed to Our Lady of Fatima and the following day he was once again able to celebrate Mass. The book being presented today was written above all with the intention of speaking of Sr. Lucia, of her attractive and forthright humanity, typical of an ordinary woman who had had a quite extraordinary experience; and through Sr. Lucia, of Mary. It should be noted that Sr. Lucia, the illiterate child who learned to read and write in the convent, then wrote throughout her life. In the 1980s alone an average of 5,000 letters a year arrived in Coimbra, and this figure became tens of thousands after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Doubt was cast on the veracity of the integral publication of the third "secret" which she had written down in obedience to the Bishop's orders; well, had the truth been different it could have been detected in the thousands of answers which Lucia wrote to the faithful in every part of the world who asked her questions, spending many hours a day in her very personal office. Lastly, I cannot omit a reference to Pope Benedict XVI. Some of his journeys have been profoundly marked by the figure of the "Pilgrim Pope in the footsteps of Mary": Czestochowa, Poland; Altötting, Bavaria; Ephesus, Turkey; Our Lady of the Forlorn, Valencia, Spain; Aparecida, Brazil; Loreto, Italy, with the young people; and Mariazell, Austria. The Pope's Marian devotion is also being given a practical expression this year, which is the 90th anniversary of the Fatima apparitions. Two. Papal Envoys will have been sent to Fatima: Cardinal Angelo Sodano on 13 May, the anniversary of the first apparition; and the Cardinal Secretary of State is to be there for the anniversary of the last apparition and the conclusion of the festivities.

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