Very Interesting Article by J. Vennari on Cardinal Policarop and Francis' Request Concerning His Papacy

[Dawn Marie]

More on the Consecration of Pope Francis’ pontificate on May 13

12/04/13 09:17

Cardinal Policarop of Lisbon

More on the Consecration of Pope Francis’ Pontificate on May 13

from John Vennari

The following was sent to me by a friend in Coimbra, one of the most well-informed, intelligent and entertaining men I know. He gives some fuller breadth to the nature of what is proposed for May 13. There is also a postscript concerning some recent history of Cardinal Policarpo.

John:

The Fátima Shrine website has the full text of Policarpo's address to the Bishops' Conference:

www.santuario-fatima.pt/files/_cep_discurso_do_presidente_201304_51...

The relevant quote is:

"Pope Francis asked me twice to consecrate his new ministry to Our Lady of Fatima. It is a request I may fulfill in the silence of a prayer. But it would be fine if the whole Bishops' Conference would associate itself to make this request. Mary will guide us in all our labours [meaning all things to be discussed] in the meeting, and also in the way to accomplish this wish of Pope Francis".

The original text is as follows:

“O Papa Francisco pediu-me duas vezes que consagrasse o seu novo ministério a Nossa Senhora de Fátima. É mandato que posso cumprir no silêncio da oração. Mas seria belo que toda a Conferência Episcopal se associasse à realização deste pedido. Maria guiar-nos-á em todos os nossos trabalhos e também na forma de dar cumprimento a este desejo do Papa Francisco”.

Unfortunately, this is not part of a request to all Catholic Bishops, but a personal request to the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon. Policarpo, as a man who is on record as saying he doesn't believe in Fátima, leaves the final decision to the Bishops' Conference. If they agree in doing a collective consecration, good; if not, Policarpo will do it in "silent prayer".

If Policarpo were an ardent Catholic as he is a chain smoker, I would perhaps be willing to buy a used car from him. As things stand now, I don't think I would.

All the best
JA

Postscript from JV:

In October 2003, I attended a pan-religious conference held in Fatima wherin the top brass from the Portuguese hierarchy was present: the bishop of Fatima, the shrine rector of Fatima, the Apostolic Delegate of Portugal, Archbishop Fitzgerald from the Vatican and Cardinal Policarpo of Lisbon. In fact, as I got to the conference hall an hour ahead of time and I took a chair up front, I found myself eventually surrounded by the Portuguese Hiearchy sitting all around me.

Father Jacques Dupuis was a keynote speaker, one of the most modernist and trail-blazing in the field of interreligious relations. Dupuis had already gotten into trouble on this score from Cardinal Ratzinger's Congregation. I sat about 12 feet away, directly in front of Dupuis, in the first row.

At his lecture, Dupuis said in disgust, “I won’t even mention here that horrible text of the Council of Florence” [outside the Church there is no salvation]. He told us, “The purpose of dialogue is not to convert, but to make a Christian a better Christian, a Buddhist a better Buddhist, a Hindu a better Hindu”. He told us "The Holy Ghost is present and operative in the 'sacred books' of Buddism and Hinduism". His speech went on in this vein for a good 60 minutes (I still have the recording). Afterwards a young group of traditional Catholics engaged Policarpo in 'dialogue', in which the Cardinal's responses were not edifying (see below). I published reports on this at the time. Oremus.

"Dialogue" with Cardinal Policarpo

An exchange took place at the [2003 Inter-religious] Congress between a group of young people from the Society of Saint Pius X and the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, Jose de Cruz Policarpo. The young people were there because Father Danjou, Prior of the Society of Saint Pius X in Portugal, organized the distribution of 35,000 pamphlets in Fatima denouncing the ecumenical event. He also organized two ceremonies of reparation. The young people from the M.J.C.F. (Catholic Youth Group in France), came especially from south- east France to help distribute the flyers.

Some of these young people attended the Congress. The following interview, published by DICI, took place between members of the M.J.C.F. and Cardinal Policarpo after his speech on Saturday afternoon.

M.J.C.F.: Your Eminence, I would like to have some precision. In your speech you said that "each religion when practiced with sincerity was leading to God". Yet Sister Lucy of Fatima in Os Apelos, commenting upon the First Commandment, says that "there is only one God who deserves our adoration, the other divinities are nothing, are worth nothing and can do nothing for us". How are we to reconcile those two visions of God?

Card. P.: But, my boy, such a vision is outmoded. What are those divinities Sister Lucy is talking about? We Christians, Muslims, Jews, we all have the same God.

M.J.C.F.: (Silent, aghast, wide-eyed.)

Card. P.: Of course, the faith must be Christocentric, but the other religions are in progress towards Christ, each is more or less advanced, that's all!

M.J.C.F.: Yet we do not have the same religion as the Muslims or the Jews. Then, how can one say we have the same God?

Card. P.: You know, I did a lot of studying when I was young. If you're a Christian, as you say you are, it's a question of culture, that's because you were taught so. For the Muslim, it's just the same.

M.J.C.F.: But, Your Eminence, how far will ecumenism go?

Card. P.: Each religion has something to teach you. Experience of other religions is very important, we've got a lot to learn from them.

M.J.C.F.: But yet it is written in the Koran: "Do not take the Christians or the Jews for your friends."

Card. P.: You've read the Koran, my boy?

M.J.C.F.: Yes, twice!

Card. P.: In Arabic?

M.J.C.F.: No, but our religion is based on Revelation. Could the so-called prophet Mohammed truly have received a part of Revelation?

Card. P.: You must have read a bad translation. Islam has a lot to teach you.

M.J.C.F.: In the Apocalypse, the apostle St. John warns us to beware of false prophets. Is Mohammed a false prophet?

Card. P.: (he was getting nervous) Young man, I leave you the full responsibility of the answer!

The Cardinal brushed them aside to go, but one of the young people held him back slightly.

M.J.C.F.: Your Eminence, you did not answer my question, I believe?

Card. P.: It may be said that in the time of Jeremias, Mohammed would have been considered a false prophet.

The Cardinal then went away, pushing the young people aside and without saying goodbye.

Notice, we are supposed to be in the age of smiling post-Conciliar prelates who "love the youth". Yet these young people at Fatima were not the vapid, defrauded rock'n' rollers who show up at World Youth Day, but Catholics who knew their religion and who respectfully challenged the Cardinal that today's ecumenism conflicts with perennial Catholic teaching and practice. There were no smiles from the Cardinal for this group of youth, but only contempt, derision, and the refusal to answer directly the questions they put to him.

The next day, the entrance was guarded by three people, and the young people of M.J.C.F. had to give two proofs of identity each, in order to be allowed inside.

A priest then called after them at the door: "You may not enter!"

M.J.C.F.: But we have an authorization.

The priest: OK, but then not a single question!

The priest then stayed behind them during the whole conference to assure that these young people did not ask any awkward questions.

Now, these young people only tried to engage the Cardinal in dialogue. They only hoped, the next day, to engage other members of the Congress in dialogue. But because they asked hard questions, based on perennial Catholic truth, they were pushed aside, silenced and policed. (JV)

from: http://www.cfnews.org/fatmjan.htm

[Cathleen]

This is a bit disheartening, but really not unexpected. 

We must continue to pray very hard.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us, thy poor children.

[Michael]

I think that this can viewed as a setback, or as a moment of clarity.  If this is the direction of the Pope, well at least it is clear.  We will know what to expect and where we stand.  The comment by the cardinal toward the young faithful is very telling, especially when he asked if he had read the Koran in Arabic.  This is a cheap stunt, to denigrate the questioner.  He acts as if there was some more hidden knowledge if it was in its original tongue.  I am sure the young person was too polite, but I would have asked his eminence if he had read it in Arabic.  There will be more of these events coming I am sure.  The pope moving forward with the reorganization of the LCWR is to bring them under his authority and vision of VII, much like his slap at traditional Catholics in his homily yesterday. 

[Birgitta]

That nearly brought me to tears.