AmericaLongs forChivalry

T r a d i t i o nFa m i ly

P r o p e rt y ®

Magazine

March/April 2002

New: America Needs Fatima Progress Report inside!

T he Crusader of the 20th Century, by Roberto de Mattei, is the firstcomplete study of the life, thought and action of Plinio Corrêa deOliveira. Considered by many as one of the greatest Catholic fig-

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The life of Prof. Corrêa de Oliveira spanned the century from 1908 to1995. His first and most prized title is “Roman Catholic,” and it was as aman of faith that he confronted the harrowing events of the twentiethcentury. With spoken and written word, on the field of action, and in hispersonal life, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira lit the way through a dark century.

Read how a young boy,

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March-April 2002

ContentsT F P V I E W P O I N T 2The Enemy Within

T F P I N A C T I O N 3Prince Bertrand Speaks on Leadership and Faith

C AT H O L I C A P O L O G E T I C S 4

Should Infants Be Baptized?

C O V E R S T O RY 6Knights in Shining Armor

A M E R I C A N E E D S FAT I M A P R O G R E S S R E P O R T

Fatima Apostolate Expanded 9Fighting Against the Sin of Blasphemy 1 0Our Readers Write... 1 2Our Lady: Clothed in Light 1 3Melting Hearts of Men: A Siberian Pilgrimage 1 4Fatima Apostolate Expands in Poland 1 5Message of Hope 1 6Crusade MagazineOutreach Survey Results 1 6

R E V O L U T I O N A N D C O U N T E R -R E V O L U T I O N I N H I S T O RY 1 7The Papacy in Crisis — Part III

FA M I LY S E R I E S 2 0

Cecy and Her Friend — Part II

F O R G O T T E N T R U T H S 2 0

“O ye that love the Lord, see that ye hate the thing that is evil.”

Crusade Magazine is a publication of The American Society forthe Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). List ofother TFP publications available upon request. Direct allrequests and inquiries to: Crusade Magazine, P.O. Box 341,Hanover, PA 17331 or e-mail to: crusade@tfp.org. Web:www.tfp.org, Tel.: 888-317-5571, Fax: (570) 450-6352.© 2002 by The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc.

This publication includes images from Dynamic Graphics, Corel,and Art Today which are protected by Copyright laws of the U.S.and elsewhere.

ISSN 1096-3782LCCN 98-641433M-56

Editor: C. Preston Noell III Associate Editors: Earl Appleby, Eugenia Guzman, John Horvat, Thomas J.McKenna Photography: Gary J. Isbell Foreign Correspondents: Raymond de Souza, Australia;Charles E. Schaffer, Austria; Jose Carlos Sepulveda, Brazil;Paul Foley, England; Benoit Bemelmans, France; BenoHofschulte, Germany; Juan M. Montes, Italy; Felipe Barandiarán, Spain

The American TFPThe American Society for the Defense of Tradi-tion, Family and Property (TFP) was founded in1973 to confront the profound crisis shaking themodern world. It is a civic, cultural and nonparti-san organization which, inspired by the tradition-al teachings of the Supreme Magisterium of theRoman Catholic Church, works in a legal andpeaceful manner in the realm of ideas to defendand promote the principles of private ownership,family and perennial Christian values with their

twofold function: individual and social. The TFP’swords and efforts have always been faithfully atthe service of Christian civilization.The first TFP was founded in Brazil by thefamous intellectual and Catholic leader Prof.Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in 1960. His work hasinspired the formation of other autonomousTFPs in 26 countries across the globe, thus con-stituting the world’s largest anticommunist andantisocialist network of Catholic inspiration.

CRUSADECRUSADE®

Page 20The battlebetween good andevil begins early

Page 9 America Needs

Fatima campaign progress report Page 3 Catholic prince toursthe country

AmericaLongs forChivalry

TraditionFamily

PropertyMagazine

March/April 2002

New: America Needs Fatima Progress Report inside!

Cover: Medieval tournamentsheld by Medieval Times inLyndhurst, New Jersey

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B Y J O H N H O R V A T I I

T F P V i e w p o i n t

We know the Taliban and al-Qaeda ter-rorists, the radical Islamic fundamentalistand the suicide bomber. September 11 hasengraved these images of the enemy all toowell in our minds.

However, as we contemplate the nextphase of the war on terrorism, there is a sub-versive side of our enemy we do not know well.

This enemy works from within.He is inside traditional Islam and under-

mines its structures. His eclectic style defiesmodern labels. His profile challenges ourstereotypes. His methods are unorthodoxand unpredictable.

His goal is revolution, the overthrow ofthe present social structures and the estab-lishment of something entirely new.

We cannot view him as a terrorist with-out ideology or write him off as a mere reli-gious fanatic. This enemy, revolutionaryIslam and especially its “Islamist” move-ments, has a unified doctrinal core, and aunique and electrifying mystical vision. It isorganized and operational.

These are not mullahs isolated from acorrupt world. Rather, they are versed in our

languages, attracted to our technology andeven imbued with our ways.

Embittered by real and imagined griev-ances against the West, these are forlornchildren of modernity united in a rejection ofpopular culture and consumerism. However,they are only too willing to live in and use ourown culture in their jihad against the philos-ophy, political institutions and values of thevaguely Christian West.

Ironically, these same mil-itants also mobilize their owntradition against itself. Theyhave developed an a-historicsharia, or “sacred law,” to fit theirnew ideology. These politicized butnot necessarily pious malcontentsfreely interpret the Koran to suit their strug-gle with modernity which they see as anextension of the age-old clash with Christiancivilization.

Thus, our enemy does not seek to go backto a historical past. Hiding behind appear-ances to the contrary, they have actuallydestroyed traditional hierarchies, tribal struc-tures and ancient customs in countries wherethey now rule such as Iran, Iraq and Sudan.

Indeed, using modern technology, radicalIslam aspires to a coming Islamist society. Thisenemy dreams of a new world aborning, basedon a yet “purer,” more “authentic” form of Islam.

Roger Garaudy, the French Marxist theo-retician turned Moslem, expressed it well:“Islam needs to become again an Islam of thepoor against an Islam of the princes and ulemawho make it the ‘opium of the people.’”1

Claiming to be neither capitalist nor com-munist, Islamist society is a markedly egali-tarian and even anarchical third way. Toquote the often subtle writings of Islamisttheoretician and “prophet” Sayyid Qutb, theIslamist seeks an entirely new order whereauthority is leveled and subject to Allahalone: a state where there is “no sovereigntyexcept God’s, no law except from God, andno authority of one man over another, as theauthority in all respects belongs to God.”2

In fact, Islamism represents a turbannedversion of the radical utopian ideas that soplagued the troubled twentieth century. Ourenemy is a vocal minority that has succeededin putting many in Islam at the service of aconfusing mixture of Marxist economics,anti-Western politics and postmodern angst.

It seeks to pit a “poor”and “oppressed” Islam

against the industrializedsecular West in a global

class struggle that threatensto escalate and intensify.However, this clash finds reso-

nance beyond Islam’s domain. Andwith this, the danger is compounded.

It resonates among jetsetting anti-global-ists who wander about the globe clamoringagainst “neo-liberalism,” American “terror-ism” and consumerism.

It resonates among liberation theologianswho have set Latin America aflame withtheir gospel according to Marx. BrazilianLeonardo Boff, a founder of the movement,recently exclaimed: “I think it very little thatone plane hit the Pentagon. Twenty-fiveplanes should have hit it. We must destroythe whole Pentagon.”3

It resonates with the anarchist fanning anti-American sentiment in Europe or the professorrailing against Western values in academia.

It resonated at the recent World SocialForum in Brazil with shouts of “Anotherworld is possible!” amid banners with ham-mer and sickles and posters of Che Guevara.

In combating our enemy in the waragainst terrorism, we would do well, then, toexpose the Marxist global class struggle of ouradversaries both within Islam and the Westand their increasingly united front to destroywhat little remains of Christian order.

Notes:1. Roger Garaudy, Mi vuelta al siglo en solitario

(Barcelona: Plaza & Janes Editores, 1991) p. 358.2. Sayyid Qutb, Milestones (Delhi: Markazi Mak-

taba Islami, 1995) p. 44.3. “O Nobel de Leonardo Boff,” O Globo, Nov. 10,

2001, p. 6.

The Enemy Within

“Twenty-five planes shouldhave hit it [the Pentagon].”

— Leonardo Boff

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 22

The present article was published in TheWashington Times, March 7, 2002 and inThe Wanderer, March 28, 2002.

Prince Bertrand

B Y T H O M A S J . M C K E N N A

T F P i nA c t i o n

As part of the American TFP’s lectureseries Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza recently undertook a tour

of American cities that included St. Louis,Missouri, and New Orleans and Alexandria,Louisiana. He spoke about the importance ofCatholic leadership in society and visitedwith Catholic and civic leaders. PrinceBertrand bears the title of Prince Imperial ofBrazil, being the brother and heir to PrinceLouis, the present head of the ImperialHouse of Brazil. Both Prince Louis andPrince Bertrand are distinguished membersof the Brazilian Society for the Defense ofTradition, Family and Property (TFP).

Upon his arrival in St. Louis, (which isnamed after Prince Bertrand’s direct ances-tor, St. Louis IX of France) the prince wasinterviewed on a local Catholic radio pro-gram, WYRT’s The Pilgrim’s Path, where hespoke of the ideal Catholic society. The nextday, after meetings with local leaders, hedelivered a speech to 80 friends and support-ers of the American TFP at a dinner hosted

in his honor at the Norwood Hills CountryClub.

Prince Bertrand, speaking at the Pius XIILibrary of St. Louis University, addressedover 150 people on the topic o “The Crossand the Crown,” an event co-sponsored byFriends of Vielles Maisons Françaises. In thisspeech, he described the symbolism of thecross atop the crowns of kings. This remind-ed all earthly monarchs that they areaccountable to God, from Whom theirauthority comes.

This symbolism has its roots in medievalChristendom, as do many good institutionsof our days. Built during that period weremany hospitals and universities, great cathe-drals and palaces. People from diametricallyopposite ends of the ideological spectrumhave attested to the marvels of the MiddleAges, as exemplified by Leo XIII’s encyclicalImmortale Dei and even Karl Marx’s DasKapital, which referred to that time as a“golden era of the proletariat.”

Prince Bertrand concluded by showing

that the key to a truly Christian civilization isthe practice of virtue. Our Lord mandatedthe Apostles, and through them allCatholics, to spread virtue, saying to them,“Going therefore, teach ye all nations” (Matt.28:19). Through spreading this virtue, theyworked towards fulfilling the words of theOur Father, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will bedone, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

After leaving St. Louis, Prince Bertrandtraveled to several Louisiana cities where hespoke to distinguished crowds and was theguest of honor at a number of receptions.Among these was the Latin American Diplo-matic Corps of New Orleans. Meeting in theSt. Joan of Arc room of the city’s Plimsol Club,Prince Bertrand addressed the diplomats onthe future of Latin America and pointed outits importance as a bloc of Catholic influence.He also discussed the threats of Communismand Marxist guerrilla movements presentlylooming over Latin America. At the close ofthe luncheon, the key to the city of NewOrleans was presented to Prince Bertrand onbehalf of the mayor.

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 3

Prince Bertrand speaks on the “Cross and the Crown” to a packed auditorium at St. Louis University.

In Saint Louis, Prince Bertrand toured the Busch family’s Grant’s Farm in a carriage pulledby the famous Clydesdale horses of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

Speaks on Leadership and Faith

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 24

The Cathedral Parish Forum in Perth,Western Australia, provides an occa-sion for young folks of the Archdio-

cese to ask any questions they like about theCatholic Church. It was at the end of onesuch discussions that the fundamentalistchap popped his head out of the crowd andasked: ‘Why do you Roman Catholics bap-tize infants? Not having reached the age ofreason, babies are too young to accept Jesusin their hearts as their Lord and Savior.Aren’t you just wetting their little heads forno purpose?”

I decided to leave the issue of “head-wet-ting” for another time. Every parent knowsthat the baby needs a bath from time to time— but surely the question was not aboutthat.

“Mark 16:16,” the young chap went on,“says ‘he that believes and is baptized, shallbe saved.’ Babies cannot believe. How canthey be baptized and saved? Belief is the firststep, baptism and salvation follow. Pleaseexplain.”

His head went down again as fast as ithad popped up.

“If you are correct in your understandingof Mark 16:16,” I said, “then you must con-clude that children who die before the age ofreason, around 7 years of age, cannot enterthe kingdom of God, even though they beinnocent of any personal sin. Heaven wouldnot be a place for children.”

His head popped up again, but before hecould utter anything, I said, “Please let mefinish. Then you can counter-argue.”

The little head disappeared once more.“The problem with this reasoning is that

it is flatly denied by Our Lord Himself.

Remember when they brought children toHim so that He might lay His hands on themin prayer, and the disciples rebuked them forit? Jesus said, ‘Suffer the little children, andforbid them not to come unto Me, for theirsis the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14-15).He specifically wants the children brought toHim. But you keep yours away.”

I expected the head to pop up again, andas surely as death and taxes, it did: “But He

said nothing about baptizing them, did He?”Down it went, once more.

I began to like the chap. His argumenta-tion seemed incisive, clear, and objective,intellectual qualities in short supply thesedays. I went on: “Not specifically, but thereare other Bible texts in which God wants usto bring our little children to Him. Let us asee a few examples.”

1. Newly-born baby boyswere covenanted to God“In the Old Testament, every little baby boy

was to be circumcised a mere eight daysafter being born. The child was covenantedwith God from that early age. No decentHebrew ever questioned God that the babywas too young and that it might be better towait till the boy reached the age of 18 todecide for himself whether to accept theLord in his heart as his personal Lord andSavior. They were commanded by God tocovenant their children, and those who didnot were in evident disobedience to God’sexplicit will.”

“God took infant circumcision so serious-ly that He nearly killed Moses for having lefthis son uncircumcised. Read about that inExodus 4:24-26.”

I waited a second or two to allow the ideato sink in. “Can you imagine? God trying tokill the great Moses for having disobeyed thislaw! You know, of course, that Jesus Himselfwas circumcised in infancy in obedience toGod’s commandment (Luke 2:21). Hence,your argument that one must reach the ageof reason to believe and be baptized into thecovenant with God has no scriptural founda-tion.”

Again, the human periscope came up:“That was the Old Testament. In the New,these things have been abolished.” Out ofsight once more.

2. Baptism is the circumcisionof the New Testament“Not really. Circumcision was but a pre-fig-ure of baptism. Baptized Christians are ‘cir-cumcised’ in the new covenant with God,not merely as a people, like the Hebrews, butas a Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.Saint Paul states it quite clearly: “You are cir-

Should Infants Be Baptized?B Y R A Y M O N D D E S O U Z A

Why do you RomanCatholics baptize

infants? Not havingreached the age of

reason, babies are tooyoung to accept Jesus in

their hearts as their Lordand Savior.

C at h o l i cA p o l o g e t i c s

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 5

cumcised with circumcision not made byhand, in despoiling the body of flesh, but inthe circumcision of Christ; buried with Himin baptism’ (Col. 2:11-12)”

“Of course!” I continued. “Jesus came notto destroy, but to fulfill, to bring to perfection.That’s why the early Christians discontinuedcircumcision and immediately introducedbaptism for adults and infants as well.”

The submarine had not run out of ammu-nition. Up came the periscope: “Nowhere inthe New Testament do you find a verse pre-scribing infant baptism.”

Before he could go down, I replied: “Nordo you find a verse forbidding it, either.”

3. At Pentecost, Saint Petercalled every one to baptismThe argumentative periscope remained infull view of the crowd as I continued: “AfterSaint Peter preached his very first sermon tothe people gathered in Jerusalem for the feastof Pentecost, he said: ‘Do penance, and bebaptized every one of you, in the name ofJesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins:and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spir-it. For the promise is to you, and to your chil-dren, and to all that are far off, whomsoeverthe Lord Our God shall call’ (Acts 2:38-39).

“Since not only adults, but also childrenattended the Jerusalem feasts, there weremany children there with their parents, andmany may have been left behind in far offplaces. Saint Peter addresses them as well,when he says, ‘Be baptized every one ofyou…. The promise is to…your children, andto all that are far off, whomsoever the LordGod shall call.’”

4. Jesus wanted littlechildren to be with HimOur Lords’ love for children became quiteexplicit in some of His teachings:

“Suffer the little children, and forbid themnot to come unto Me, for theirs is the king-dom of heaven” (Matt. 19:14-15).

“I confess to Thee, Father, Lord of heavenand earth, because Thou hast hid thesethings from the wise and prudent and hastrevealed them to the little ones” (Matt. 11:25).

“Yes, have you never read, out of themouth of infants and sucklings Thou hastperfected praise?” (Matt. 21:16).

“See that you despise not one of these lit-tle ones, for I say to you, that their angels inheaven always see the face of my Father Whois in heaven” (Matt. 18:10).

“It is not the will of my Father that one ofthese little ones should perish” (Matt. 18:14).

5. The Apostles frequentlybaptized whole households“But the Apostles never baptized infants,”sneered our friend, beginning to lose his cool.

“Quite the opposite, mate,” I answered,“Quite the opposite. They baptized wholehouseholds, and any household worth its salthas children, little and big. Just look at Acts16:15; 16:32-33; 18:8. See also 1 Cor. 1:15; 1John 2:1 & 2:12-14; and 1 Pet. 2:1-2.

6. An unborn baby receives the Holy Spirit

“Only grown-ups who accept Jesus in theirhearts as their personal Lord and Savior canbe baptized and receive the Spirit!” The sub-marine submerged, apparently not to raise itsperiscope again. Demonstrably, he was notlistening, much to my disappointment.

“No, my friend. Haven’t you read in Lukechapter one that when the Blessed VirginMary opened Her immaculate lips to greether cousin Elizabeth, the infant leaped inElizabeth’s womb and she was filled with theHoly Spirit? The unborn baby John receivedthe gift that we receive in our baptism — nowonder he is known as John the Baptist!”

7. Christians have baptizedinfants throughout the ages“Lastly, infant baptism, having its origins inApostolic times, has been the constant prac-tice of Christians for nearly 2,000 years. Inthe fourth century, Saint Augustine wrotethat: “Such has been the constant andunvarying practice of the Church. She hasreceived it from the first Christians, and Shewill preserve it to the end” (Serm. 176, VerbisApostoli, u.2).

8. Many Protestantsbaptize infants tooThe last argument of my fundamentalistfriend was in essence that ‘Only Catholicsbaptize infants. No decent Protestant wouldever do it’.

Not true, of course. There are Lutherans,Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Methodist,Episcopalians, and Universalists who baptizetheir infants. They may differ among them-selves about the actual nature and purpose ofbaptism, but their infants are baptized. Ourfundamentalist friend opposes not onlyCatholics, but also millions of Protestantswho argue in defense of infant baptism, Biblein hand.

Crusade readers are cordially invited to suggest topics for the Apologetics section ofthe magazine. Please address your request to

St Gabriel CommunicationsPO Box 111, FORRESTFIELD WA, 6058 — AUSTRALIAor email to saintgabriel@bigpond.comFREE e-books on Catholic Apologetics are available to download from our website

with our compliments. Please visit:

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 26

Knights in Shining Armor

B Y N O R M A N F U L K E R S O N

Medieval Times are unique restaurants thatattracts almost 2,200 people a day. Sinceopening their first “castle” in 1983, they have

entertained more than twenty-five million people atseven locations nationwide.

The moment you enter the European-style castle,it is as if you returned in time to the eleventh century.King Alfonso and Queen Inez graciously invite you to

enter the breathtaking Hall of Arms,where colorful medieval banners hang

from the ceiling with the coats ofarms of prestigious families. Two

elaborately dressed trumpetersthen herald you into the

Ceremonial Arena toenjoy a feast fit for

a king and themain attraction, a

medieval joust. How can members of a nation

with the most modern and sophisti-cated army in the world be interested in

a style of warfare that hearkens to a timesome disdainfully label the “Dark Ages?”The underlying factor involved here is a

fascination Americans have for notions ofhonor, so well displayed in the medieval knight.

This could explain the enthusiasm shownfor the New York City firemen and the

heroism they displayed on Sep-tember 11. Those firemen,

like knights of old, placedhonor above every-

thing, even life itself,and in so doing, won

the adulation of anation. An outside observer

might find the appreciation

for knightly honor odd in a country that some monthsago debated giving POW status to a group of dishon-orable terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Suchactions are par for the course in a pluralistic nation.

One knight facing another in mortal combat, withall the magnificent trappings of that epoch, is not verypluralistic, however, and this is what makes jousting inAmerica a classic Only in American paradox. The war-fare of terrorists lurking in the dark, waiting to attackinnocent people, stands in stark contrast to the knightwho throws down the gauntlet and faces his adversaryin a manly way.

“Chivalry is not dead.”Randy Bernhardt is one of the knights as well as theshow manager at Medieval Times’ Lyndhurst, New Jer-sey, castle. Also a member of the Society for CreativeAnachronism, he showed nothing but enthusiasm forhis job. “I was born way too late,” he said. “I shouldhave been born a few hundred years ago.”

People of all ages come to watch Randy perform.While adults often appear in period costume, childrenare usually happy wielding a plastic swords. Theseminiature knights also write fan-mail letters to theirfavorite knights with such innocent questions as,“What is your horse’s name?” Randy has even had chil-dren come up to him before the show with hand-drawn pictures of knights slaying dragons. “Here, Idrew this for you,” they say. This type of reaction is notsurprising since, as Mr. Bernhardt explains, “all of us[Americans] wanted to be knights when we were kids,the stereotype knight in shining armor, battling drag-ons, and saving damsels in distress. We just luckedout, we got to do it.”

“Chivalry is not dead,” Michael Shepard chimedin. He is the head knight in Lyndhurst and admittedthat it is the reaction of children to the show whichmakes the job worthwhile. “Their eyes just light up,”he said.

O n ly i nA m e r i c a

America has the most modern army in the world, yet millions flockto see youthful dreams of medieval jousting become reality.

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Guess what theState sport of Maryland is? Such enthusiasm for chivalry, honor, and courage,expressed so well in the medieval joust, goes farbeyond a mere dinner show. We do not simply recreateanother era for a group of nostalgic people. Americanstake jousting very seriously.

Jousting is a popular sport in many parts of thecountry, and what was once simply a boyhood dreamhas become reality for many Americans. Matt Mach-tan of San Jose, California, for example, placed 3rd inthe 1999 National and 2000 World Jousting Champi-onships.

“I was the kid that fought withcardboard weapons and plasticarmor on the front lawn,” he said.“The Middle Ages...have alwayshad a special draw for me. We’dinvite other kids in the neighbor-hood and get all dressed up inwhatever armor we could find ormake out of grocery bags. By theend of the battle, the lawn wouldbe littered with bits of paper. Itwas glorious.”1 Being a fierce com-petitor, he even thinks joustingwill one day be featured in theOlympics.

Maryland could win the Gold ifthat ever happens. The TerrapinState was the first to adopt joust-

ing as the official state sport, back in 1962. It is a fam-ily affair for Marylanders whose jousting skills are fre-quently passed from one generation to the next. Tour-naments have been held in Maryland since early colo-nial times but became increasingly popular after theCivil War. Retaining the pageantry and customs ofmedieval tournaments, modern competitors are stillcalled “knights” or “maids.”

One such knight is on the great seal of Maryland.He is adorned in medieval armor and seated upon acharging horse.

The Freelancersprofessional joustingtroupeJousting is one of the mainattractions at the yearly Renais-sance Fair near Baltimore,.

Roy and Kate Cox are ownersof the Freelancers, a profession-al jousting troupe that enter-tains crowds of over 5,000 at thefair. Like Matt Machtan, joust-ing for Roy Cox is serious busi-ness, and he expects nothingless from his troupe. “Don’t tellme you’re a jouster and then getout there and play shield tag. Ijoust for one reason,” Coxgrowls; “I like to hit things.”2 Royhas been doing this for years

Enthusiasm for chivalry, honor, and courage, expressed so well inthe medieval joust, goes far beyond a mere dinner show.

Left and below: Medievaltournament at Medieval Times,Lyndhurst, New Jersey

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and demands a lot from his men, who havea complete training manual for knightsand squires with the code of conduct andeven dress codes.

Terry Whittaker, of Sarasota, withthe Freelancers since last April, has been

studying the Middle Ages his whole life.“The time period has always been inter-esting for me,” he said, “because there wasa certain amount of honor.” The kings didnot “lead men from an ivory tower,” hecontinued. “They were out there on the

battlefield.”

“It is myreason for living.”One of the squires for the Free-lancers is Ian Humphrey. At 14years of age, Ian expresseddesires similar to the boy MattMachtan. Squiring is veryimportant for him since it isthe beginning of a process

which will one day lead toknighthood, as it did for Matt.

“It is what I look forward toevery year,” Ian said, “It is my reason

for living right now. I have wanted to be a knight sinceI could read. I studied about knights and their history,like Sir Lancelot, Arthur, and Galway.”

“The world we live in right now has forgotten his-tory,” he continued. “We need to bring that back again.That is what this [jousting] is all about. And I reallywant to be a part of it.”

Ian does not mention his dreams to schoolmatesbecause “they wouldn’t understand. You have to be init to understand.”

What Ian does not realize is that many boys likehim also dream of one day being knights.

Medieval dreams of knightly jousts are dailybecoming a reality in the most modern nation onearth. Millions of Americans wait to see grown menfulfill boyhood dreams of being knights in shiningarmor.

Notes:1. David Templeton, “Joust Do It: a modern-day jousting pro

takes on ‘A Knights Tale,’” Northern California Bohemian, May24-30, 2001.

2. Lisa Richardson, “The Knight Life,” Los Angeles Times,Oct. 28, 2001.

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 28

“It is my reason for living right now. I have wanted to be a knight since I could read.”

Six knights representing the six kingdoms of

Spain display their lances andarmor for the spectators.

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America Needs Fatima ®PROGRESS REPORTMarch ~ April 2002

Fatima Apostolate ExpandedB Y G A R Y J . I S B E L L

New!

A fter months of hard work andpersistence, Crusade Maga-zine is now reaching more than

59,000 people and the prospects of thisnumber increasing are very real. Besides carry-ing news and updates on the Fatima apostolate,Crusade Magazine will bring to its readers a largevariety of wholesome, informative, and formative

Catholic articles such as commentaries oncurrent events, articles on the family,Catholic apologetics, “Forgotten Truths,”

stories for children, and much more. When Our Lady appeared in Fati-

ma in 1917, she came to request theconversion of the world to God, and

to warn humanity of the drastic con-sequences that would take placeshould the world not comply with herrequest. The two great wars and so

many other sufferingsthat still scourge

our times are

nothing but the result of the lack ofattention given to the Mother of God

and her message. As her children, however, with our

eyes placed on Heaven and on her Immacu-late Heart, we move ahead and spare no effort inspreading the message of Fatima, which we firmlybelieve is the hope of salvation for our unhappyworld. There was a time when God sent prophetsto guide his people. Today, we are highly privileged,because God chose to send His own Mother. Theduty of those who call themselves children of Maryis to spread her prophetic and divine message.

With this in mind, we place our meager andimperfect but enthusiastic efforts at the disposi-tion of the Queen of Heaven. We keep well in mindthat the victory belongs to God and not to His ene-mies who have for now apparently dominated theworld. The real battle takes place in the hearts ofmen and it is our objective to reach as many soulsas possible with the message of Fatima.

We hope and pray that each soul who has theopportunity to read Crusade Magazine will find inits pages great incentives to live better lives as wellas tools for their own individual apostolate to helpothers reform their lives, since this is the essence ofthe Fatima message.

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 9

Left: Theron Mock Yen from the AmericanTFP, helps stuff 59,000 Crusade Magazinesat the American TFP headquarters inSpring Grove, Penn. Right: Fatima Pilgrim Statue surroundedby bundles of Crusade Magazine.

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 210

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Crusade: America Needs Fatima has a longhistory of protesting blasphemy. Are youconsidering any other anti-blasphemy effortsin the near future?

Robert E. Ritchie: Yes. The American TFP and itsAmerica Needs Fatima campaign have had the honorof protesting blasphemy since 1978. Our first campaignwas against Planned Parenthood. They had printed abrochure with an extremely disrespectful depiction ofOur Lady of the Immaculate Conception on its backcover. To defend Our Lady’s honor we gathered almost2,000 people in a rally of reparation in front of PlannedParenthood’s headquarters in downtown New York.The efficacy of the rally was such that Planned Parent-hood, in a rare gesture, issued a written apology beforethe protest was over.

That was the first effort, and many others have fol-lowed over the years.

Right now, we’re actually protesting a half dozenblasphemies. I’ll list some of them quickly: the blasphe-mous theater play Jesus Has Two Mommies, recentlyshowed at the Copley Theater in Boston; a blasphe-mous exhibit at COPIA museum in Napa, California,that displays figurines of the pope and some nuns andangels defecating; the homosexual play Corpus Christithat portrays Our Lord as a homosexual, soon to beshown at a theater in downtown Baltimore and just runat the elite Wellesley College for girls in Massachusetts;finally, the postcards of Andre Serrano’s “Piss Christ”being sold until recently at the Baltimore Museum ofArt. As you can see, it’s a real avalanche of blasphemies.

Most of our attention at the moment is focused ondenouncing the blasphemous cards sold by the greetingcard company NobleWorks, since these cards reach a

much wider audiencethan the horrendousinsults to Our Lord andOur Lady already men-tioned. Among other dis-tasteful and scandalousofferings, NobleWorkshas a Mother’s Day cardshowing Jesus walkingout of the house and HolyMary warning him towear clean undergar-ments in case He is cruci-fied! NobleWorks offers a

variety of Christmas cards with obscene messages andfour-letter words. One goes so far as to show Our Ladysurrounded by angels with the message: “Losing those15 pounds was sure to be a .....!” And their birthday cardselection includes a card showing a priest near a urinalwith a sign reading, “holy water” overhead. The cards arefar too disgusting to describe in full detail. They arebeing sold in stores all across America.

We’re carrying out a four-point action plan againstthis in defense of the honor of our sacred beliefs:

1) Writing to NobleWorks, asking them to removethe offensive cards and to apologize for having spreadthem across America. This we have already done. Theydid not respond, but we know they received our letterbecause we sent it by certified mail.

2) Coordinating an email protest, motivating thou-sands of Catholics, to contact NobleWorks to expresstheir outrage in a legally and peaceful manner, viaemail, fax, phone, or letter. This part of the campaign isalready in high gear.

3) Rallying hundreds of thousands of ANF membersand friends in a national grassroots effort to alert peo-ple and invite them to sign and send a card of protestto NobleWorks. In similar protests in the past, we’vedistributed up to five million cards with wonderfulresults. This part of the campaign is now underway.

4) Gathering hundreds of dedicated Catholics tostand in front of NobleWorks in protest of these blas-phemous cards and to pray in reparation for such a ter-rible offense against God and His Holy Mother. This isplanned for Saturday, June 22.

Crusade: In your view, what is the worst evilproduced by blasphemy?

Protesting Against the Sin of BlasphemyInterview with ANF Executive Director

In similarprotests in the

past, we’vedistributed up

to 5 millioncards withwonderful

results.

The first public protestby the American TFPwas held in 1978 infront of PlannedParenthood’s offices inNew York City.

Mr. Robert E. Ritchie, Executive Director of the AmericaNeeds Fatima campaign, during interview with Crusade

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 2 11

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Mr. Ritchie: Many evils result from the sin of blasphe-my. However, before discussing the evil effects of blasphe-my, I think the evil of the sin itself should be mentioned.While other sins lure the sinner into sin through sometype of false promise — pleasure, security, prestige —blasphemy offers the sinner nothing. So, this sin is per-formed out of pure hatred for God. Such hatred of Godmakes blasphemy an especially grave sin.

Today, we’re facing an epidemic of blasphemy. It’s nolonger an isolated case of blasphemy here or there, by thisor that fringe group. Gradually and systematically, it’sbecome part of mainstream culture. It’s been in the lan-guage for years. It’s been in the entertainment industryfor years. Hollywood has produced one blasphemous filmafter another. Where we see the most recent explosion ofblasphemy and sacrilege is in the art world. Every week, itseems, some museum or art gallery makes headlines withsome new blasphemy.

Unfortunately, blasphemy is now part of the main-stream. How are Catholics reacting to this “mainstream-ing”? This is the key question. I am happy to say thatmany Catholics react energetically, based on principle,when they discover blasphemy or sacrilege. They speakout against blasphemy even if it means personal sacrifice.They are heroes. Their faith is strong. They love God andunderstand the gravity of the sin of blasphemy. As a con-sequence, their faith is not battered to pieces by the pro-moters of blasphemy.

On the other hand, so many Catholics are complacentand apathetic about the problem. It’s hard to understand.They see the Sacred Person of Our Lord Jesus Christattacked again and again; and all they do is yawn. Theyread about shameful insults to the Holy Mother of God;and they plan their next vacation. The Catholic Faith isattacked and dishonored; and they talk about baseballscores. When that happens, you have to wonder if faith orlove still lives in their hearts. I consider this loss of faithand indifference among the worst effects of the sin ofblasphemy.

Crusade: What are the benefits of your anti-blasphemy campaigns?

Mr. Ritchie: Nothing is more rewarding to a Catholicthan upholding God’s rights, His glory, and His honor.Isn’t that what Saint Michael did when he rallied the goodangels with his cry “Who is like unto God!” and expelledLucifer and the revolted angels from Heaven?

In that first Heavenly confrontation, Saint Michaeldivided the waters. The good angels were rewarded withHeaven, while the evil spirits were driven into Hell. Thisepisode highlights the notion of good and evil. It alsounderlines the idea of reward or chastisement for our

actions. Protestingblasphemy in today’srelativistic society car-ries out the healthyfunction of revivingthe notion of good andevil. It makes peoplethink, helps themdecide for God, anddeters them from sin.

Many practical benefitsresult from our anti-blas-phemy campaigns. The protestwe held against the theaterplay The Most Fabulous StoryEver Told is a good example.

As far as I know, the American TFP and its ANF cam-paign were the only ones to move tens of thousands ofvolunteers in a nationwide protest against that blasphe-mous work by Paul Rudnick. We found out about it inDecember of 1998 and moved thousands of people tostart making phone calls and writing letters in protest. Atthat time, the play was still at the non-profit New YorkTheater Workshop.

The play presents Scripture from a homosexual perspec-tive. It replaced Adam and Eve with homosexuals “Adam”and “Steve.” Horribly immoral scenes and obscenities referto Our Lady as a lesbian in order to explain the ImmaculateConception. This is the most shocking aspect of the play.

The Minetta Theater started showing The Most Fabu-lous Story in February. But our protest campaign was onlyin high-gear in mid-March. During March and April wecontacted some 750,000 people by distributing protestpostcards through our volunteer grassroots network.

I’m convinced we had a big impact because on April12 The New York Times published an article titled “Heav-en didn’t help” with the subtitle “In the beginning therewas light, and in the end there just weren’t enough peo-ple to see it,” in which one of the show’s producersexplains that despite the factthat the theater laid out largeamounts of money in advertis-ing, they were not able to selltickets.

According to him, the theaterjust couldn’t find the right audi-ence, that even after extensiveefforts to promote the play theyhit a “brick wall” — those are hiswords. Evidently, the play wasshut down for lack of interest,and I am convinced our protestplayed a large part in that.

Fred Shibler prepares abanner to be used in aprotest against ablasphemous exhibit atthe COPIA Museum onMarch 17, 2002, inNapa, California.

Anti-blasphemy protestfliers against NobleWorks

UU RR GG EE NN TT !!Order your

protest fliersagainst

NobleWorkstoday by calling

toll free:1-888-317-5571

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 212

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Taken by the calendarWe were very pleased to receivethe beautiful calendar. My hus-band just returned to the Churchin the last four years. He looked ateach of the features of our BlessedMother. He was so impressed byher. I have seen a change in himsince he was taken in by the calen-dar. I hope he continues to growcloser to the Heavenly Family.

K.M. — Iota, La.

I am a Catholic artistI appreciate your flyers and thankyou for making people aware of theblasphemy in art. I am a Catholicartist, and my art fights for Jesusand His Church — the CatholicChurch. I just want to thank youfor standing up for the CatholicChurch.

G.R. — Springfield, Ill.

I am not Catholic Your articles cheer and encourageme enormously.

Your description of the littleboy’s room (in the article on theMissing Ingredient) reminded meof my own first bedroom, oversixty years ago.

I was glad to see your referenceto Fr. Brankin’s article on “Beauty.”I found this wonderfully helpful. Iam not a Roman Catholic,although I do, in my own way, sup-port traditional Roman Catholi-cism (I am, in point of fact, a “con-tinuing” Anglican).

Thank you for drawing myattention to the word “temper-ance.” I had not thought to use it inmy own writing on the subject ofbeauty.

I am, personally most gratefulto you for your encouragement oftrue femininity and modesty. I find

hope in the very young, who are asof yet, not brainwashed.

M.H. — United Kingdom

I needed this book!I received two Books of Confidence.This small, but beautiful book waswhat I needed at this time and for-ever. I am sure many people willbenefit from it and will renew theirfaith, trust and confidence in God.

F.M. — Walthan, Mass.

The Book of ConfidenceThis is such a wonderful book! Iread from page fourteen (the sec-tion “many souls are afraid of‘God’”) to another parent and shesaid, “that is so beautiful!” She real-ly needed to hear that because acertain televangelist had judgedher (all of us) mentally and emo-tionally ill as having demons. Thisbook is marvelous!

C.F. — Denver, Colo.

Harry Potter MassThank you for Crusade Magazineand the articles on “Harry Potter.”We read them and passed themalong to other family members. Iheard recently that some priestheld a Harry Potter mass completewith wizard hats and encouragedthe children to dress up as HarryPotter. What could he have beenthinking?

M.H. — Plymouth, Minn.

Wish I could send millions!

I received my 2002 Fatima mem-bership card and it is beautiful.

I wish I could send you millionsof dollars, but I cannot. Our Lady ofFatima has always been my inspira-tion. I cannot send money, but Ihave passed out thousands of fliers.

I also had a peaceful protestwhen Dogma came out, where wehad about 300 people. After twodays, they quit showing the slan-derous movie. I also sent protestcards to my Senator and Congress-men and the art galleries.

H.B. — Mobile, Ala.

Ordained a priestThank you for the 2002 AmericaNeeds Fatima Membership Card.

I was ordained a priest on Janu-ary 5, 2002, in Leon, Nicaragua. Ihad a bad experience in a seminaryin the United States. Our rectordid not even believe in the Immac-ulate Conception or in the RealPresence of Our Lord in theEucharist. During my last semes-ter there, he even took the taber-nacle out of the chapel. That is whyI decided to go back to my nativecountry to finish my priesthoodformation.

You can count on my prayersand I will offer my Saturday Mass-es for your intentions.

Rev. F.D. — Montclair, Calif.

Rosary kits for studentsThank you very much for therosary kits given to our students.

I did not want another day to goby without acknowledging receiptof your gift. I will also distributefliers on The Book of Confidencemade available by your organiza-tion. Epiphany Catholic Parish stu-dents and I send our most sincerethanks and prayers.

I am indebted to the many whogive of their own to help. OurBlessed Mother’s intercession andAmerica Needs Fatima have madebig differences in our lives.

L.E. — El Monte, Calif.

America Needs Fatimarecently distributed morethan 220,000 free Fatimacalendars and 80,000Books of Confidence.Also, Fatima Proclaimersare constantlydistributing the freeRosary Kit fliers.

Crusade MagazineP. O Box 341Hanover, PA 17331or e-mail: crusade@tfp.orgor Call: (888) 317-5571

Weappreciate

yourcomments.

Mail to:

Our Readers Write....

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Some especially generous ANF members have paved the way into thefuture for the Fatima message by including America Needs Fatima in theirWill. We are forever grateful to these special devotees of Our Lady.

If you are thinking about helping America Needs Fatima flourish farinto the future, you may ask your attorney to include either of the phrasesbelow in your will:

Option I:“I give and bequeath the sum of $______ dollars to be used for the

general purposes of America Needs Fatima, a special campaign of TheFoundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc., of 1358 Jefferson Rd., SpringGrove, PA 17362, a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt charity.”

Option II:“I give, devise and bequeath to America Needs Fatima, a special cam-

paign of The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc., of 1358 JeffersonRd., Spring Grove, PA 17362, a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt charity, for its generalpurposes all (or state fraction or percent) of the rest, residue and remain-der of my estate, whether real or personal.”

Imagine being just fivefeet away from Our Lady! Wouldn’t it begreat to be but five feet away from her?But, what about having Our Lord withinus? If only we would think of this whenwe receive Holy Communion.

As Sister Lucia recounts, when OurLady appears, everything is white,everything is clean and everything ispure. She is, after all, the Virgin of vir-gins: entirely pure. The hymn Ave MarisStella reminds us that Mary became thegate of heaven, while remaining a virgin.That is to say, it was through her thatChrist, Our Lord, came into the worldand yet her virginity suffered nothing.Always entirely pure, she attracts us byher purity.

Also, we learn the way of an apostlethrough the example of Our Lady. Whenshe appeared, she attracted us to thebeauty of purity. Let us never make themistake of adopting questionable cus-toms as far as purity goes, in order that

people will accept us. No! To invite peo-ple to be pure, we must first show themthe beauty of purity. Impurity seeks alldarkness to hide its evil deeds but purityloves daylight and thrives in open air.

At Fatima, Our Lady spoke to animpure world using all the symbols ofpurity. Was that an invitation only to thelittle shepherds or was it to the world? Shewas dressed in white and bathed in light.

This reminds us of when Our Lordspoke of the lilies of the field, “But I sayto you that not even Solomon in all hisglory was arrayed as one of these” (Matt.6:29). Likewise, no one in all his or herglory was ever dressed as Our Lady was:in light.

(Adapted from an address on June 5, 1984)

She was “a Lady dressed all in white, more brilliant than the sun, shedding alight that was clearer and more intense than that of a crystal goblet filled withcrystalline water and struck by the rays of the most brilliant sun.” Her face, inde-scribably beautiful, was “neither sad nor happy, but serious,” with an air of mildreproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were praying, were resting on herbreast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand. Her clothesseemed to be made of light. The tunic was white. The veil, white and edged withgold, covered the head of the Virgin and descended to her feet. Neither her hairnor her ears could be seen....

Description of Our Lady by Sr. Lucia

Clothed in Light

Dear Mr. Ritchie,

I have already placed the America Needs Fatimacampaign in my Will and have used the phrase youhave suggested.

I would like to speak with you about placingAmerica Needs Fatima in my Will. Kindly call me at:( ) - Time of day: :00 A.M./P.M.

Name

Address

City ST Zip

Phone: ( ) -

Email:

B Y P L I N I O C O R R Ê A D E O L I V E I R A

Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way!

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 2 13

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 214

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

Siberia — its very name evokes theicy chill of Communism, for it wasto the gulags of Siberia that the

ruthless Stalin exiled those who daredoppose him.

Today, through the apostolic zeal ofLuci sull’Este (Light Over the East),America Needs Fatima’s Italian counter-part, the Light of Christ is warmingcountless hearts in that icy land.

Last October, volunteers from thatTFP apostolate retraced their steps toIrkustk, Siberia’s capital, to receive thePilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatimathat they had lent the people of Irskustkthe previous May. During Her six-monthvisit, Our Lady had traveled thousandsof miles, visiting Her children in morethan 25 cities and reaching the remoteends of that vast region.

On their arrival, the young men werewarmly received by His Excellency,Jerzy Mazur, Bishop of Irkustk. Hisepiscopal residence teamed withpriests and religious whohad come from all cornersto bid farewell to the Pil-grim Virgin.

The two days of cere-monies, which included anorgan concert, were attend-ed by many non-Catholics,and at each Mass, the VicarGeneral reminded all pres-ent that only RomanCatholics in the state ofgrace should receive Com-munion.

Most priests serving theSiberian faithful are Poles,although there are some

Russians and even a few Americans. AnAmerican priest advised the TFP volun-teers that 9 of every 10 Siberian youthsuse drugs. As in almost every nation,including our own, the family is undersiege. Wives are often deserted by theirhusbands and single mothers by theirparamours, while the pervasive abuse ofalcohol contributes to the abandonmentof children.

The nuns are dedicated to enrichingthe lives of children through choir,drama and a variety of character-build-ing activities. Many parents enrollingtheir children in such programs are notCatholic, but they are glad to entrusttheir children to the Sisters’ good care,knowing that they will be safe and offthe streets.

The missionary spirit of the priestsserving Siberia is impressive. The pastorof the Cathedral came to Siberia fromPoland on a bicycle and is carrying outan apostolate with the young men of

Irkustk in the style of Saint John Bosco.He joins his boys on the soccer field inorder to lead them to more spiritualgoals.

In 1989, the Bishop of Alaska askedone of his priests, an American, to say aMass in Magadan in Siberia’s extremenortheast. On arriving in this remoteregion, the priest experienced a quitenegative impression.

Later, he felt that he had come to acrossroad in his priesthood. He made aretreat of 40 days, begging God to showhim the right way. It was during thistime of recollection that he experienced

in the intimate depths ofhis soul, an unmistakablecall from Our Lady to dedi-cate himself to serving thesouls of those abiding in thevery place to which hedreaded to return.

From that moment on,his fears were transformedinto a zealous and apostoliclove for the people of Maga-dan. The Pilgrim Statue vis-ited the site where thisAmerican priest had begunconstruction of a church.

Melting Hearts of Men:

A Siberian PilgrimageB Y J U L I A N M A R T I N

Returning from Siberia, Fatima volunteers posefor a picture with the Pilgrim statue inMoscow’s Red Square.

Siberian children participate in a skit of the Fatima apparitions at theImmaculate Heart of Mary Cathedral.

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 2 15

* * *

The Pilgrim Virgin also visited thecity of Pivovaricha near Irkustk. Manyinnocent prisoners of the Communistregime were deported to this city forforced labor. In 1989, three mass graveswere uncovered in this vicinity contain-ing the bodies of thousands of victims.Present day plaques remind visitors toremember these innocents and to workso that such an atrocity is never repeat-ed. At this special place, a prayer wassaid to Our Lady for the repose of thesouls of those buried there.

On October 13, the Feast of Our Ladyof Fatima, a Solemn High Mass was cel-

ebrated at the cathedral of Irkustk. Thechildren of the parish presented acharming skit about the apparitions ofFatima. The Rosary was recited in tendifferent languages and the ceremoniesclosed with a candlelight processionaround the Cathedral.

The procession ended at the monu-ment that the Bishop had consecrated inhonor of the victims of Communism.Here, His Excellency spoke wordssteeped in Marian fervor while peopleplaced their candles around the memori-als to the fallen. He also graciouslythanked Luci sull’Este for its valuablecontribution to the development of theMarian apostolate in Siberia.

The following morning, the Bishop,accompanied by many of his flock,escorted the Pilgrim Statue to the air-port thanking the TFP volunteers onceagain for their help and moral support.

Stopping in Moscow via Rome, thevolunteers said a prayer by the Statue ofOur Lady of Fatima in Red Square,imploring her to fulfill the promise shemade at Fatima:

“In the end, my Immaculate Heartwill triumph!”

In recent years, the diffusion of the Fatima message in Polandhas been of great encouragement. In each country, differentmeans exist or are available for the purpose of spreading a mes-sage whether in book format, newsletter, or a simple leaflet.

Beginning in January 2001, a Fatima promotion flier wasinserted in thousands of Catholic newspapers and, in conse-quence, more than 210,000 Fatima books were sold. This bookcontains the complete story of Our Lady of Fatima’s apparitionsand her message to the world.

Most of the Bishops in Poland received a complimentarycopy of the Fatima book and 15 of them responded with thank-

you notes.The Polish TFP also began the

Przymierze z Maryja magazine (MaryAlliance), published and sent to morethan 80,000 Catholics. Illustrated at theright are the covers of the first two issues.

The “Mary in Every Home” campaign was agreat success. This campaign consisted of thedistribution of large posters of Our Lady of Fati-ma for the purpose of enthroning Our Lady intheir homes.

Our Lady of Fatima Apostolate Expands in Poland

The Pilgrim Fatima statue is carried in a procession led byBishop Jerzy Mazur.

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

1) If the Fatima mes-sage continues to beignored, what do youthink the impact onAmerica will be?Disastrous 70%Very negative 18%Somewhat Neg. 5%Somewhat Pos. 1%Very Positive 1%Undecided 5%

2) How much effortshould Catholic fami-lies put into livingOur Lady's Fatimamessage?Total Effort 88%Medium Effort 10%Small Effort 1%Little Effort 1%No Effort 0%

3) After September11, do Catholic fami-lies need Our Lady'sprotection more orless than before?Much More 78%More 16%Same 6%Less 0%Much Less 0%

4) Do you trust thatOur Lady will espe-cially protect those

who seriously live theFatima message?Yes 97%No 0%Undecided 3%

5) Do you think mostCatholics know thatOur Lady promisedthe triumph of HerImmaculate Heart atFatima?Yes 31%No 58%Undecided 11%

6) Do you think mostCatholics know OurLady of Fatima prom-ised salvation tothose who have devo-tion to Her Immacu-late Heart?Yes 36%No 56%Undecided 8%

7) Which aspect ofthe Fatima message isthe most important toovercome the climateof fear and confusionin America?Rosary 54%Repentance 7%Sacrifice 1%Chastisement 1%

Promise of OurLady's Victory 3%

1st Saturday Devotions 1%

All 33%

8) Can Americaexpect peace andblessings if OurLady's Fatimarequests continueto be ignored?Yes 3%No 87%Undecided 10%

9) In a famous inter-view with FatherFuentes, Sister Luciasaid, "There is noproblem, no matterhow difficult, that wecannot be resolvedby the prayer of theRosary."In your opinion, isthe Rosary theweapon to overcomethose who seek todestroy the UnitedStates and whatremains of the Chris-tian world?Yes 97%No 1%Undecided 2%

10) If the 70 millionCatholics in Americapracticed the Fatimamessage, would therebe peace in Americaand the world?Yes 85%No 3%Undecided 12%

11) What part of theFatima message ismost important forCatholic families topractice today?Family Rosary 72%Amendment

of life 6%Sacraments 7%Other 8%Penance 3%1st Saturday

Devotions 1%Supernatural trust3%

12) After the threeFatima children sawHell, Our Ladywarned that if mendid not convert, Rus-sia would spread itserrors throughoutthe would, therewould be wars, perse-cutions of theChurch, the good

would be martyred,the Holy Fatherwould suffer greatly,and several nationswould be annihilated.In your opinion, hasthe world convertedas Our Lady asked?Yes 3%No 82%Undecided 15%

13) If Catholic fami-lies were to practicethe full Fatima mes-sage, would they havethe spiritual strengthto face the constantthreat of terrorismand other attacks ofthe devil?Yes 96%No 0%Undecided 4%

14) Do you thinkthere is a linkbetween the world'sneglect of Fatimaand the recent ter-rorist attacks?Yes 76%No 4%Undecided 20%

Crusade Magazine Outreach Survey Results

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 216

In addressing youth, we address our future. On a recent visit tothe Twin Cities, Robert Ritchie, director of the America Needs Fati-ma campaign, spoke to students at Saint Michael’s Academy on thestruggle to preserve one’s innocence. He used the 1956 award win-ning film The Red Balloon to illustrate a child’s fight to protect hisinnocence in a world that conspires to destroy it.

In Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Mr. Ritchie was invited by theSerra Club to speak at their February 12 meeting about Saint Louisde Montfort and his work, the Friends of the Cross, noting the dif-ference between the spirit of the Cross, and the spirit of the world. Mr. Ritchie was touched by the gracious reception extended himby Mrs. Mary Keuhn, and the warm welcome of the members ofSerra Club.

Message of Hope

ANF PROGRESS REPORT

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 17

B Y J E R E M I A S W E L L S

The seventy-year entrapment of thePapacy in Avignon left the state of theChurch in shambles. Rome had degeneratedinto an overgrown village with grass sprout-ing on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica. Innorthern Italy bloody feuds erupted betweenthe major city-states, accompanied by tor-ture, execution, and other savage cruelties.In defiance of the advice of Saint Catherineof Sienna, who recommended reconciliation,Pope Gregory XI sent an army, mostly mer-cenaries from Brittany and England, into thefield under Cardinal Robert of Genevaagainst a rebellious Bologna. A fortnightafter Gregory’s arrival in Rome, Robert’smercenaries massacred a civilian populationof 4,000 in the town of Cesena, which onlyincreased the anti-papal hatred in the otherItalian cities, especially Florence.

While at Avignon, some of the popes andmany of the cardinals lived frivolous and irre-sponsible lives that expended enormousamounts of money. To compensate for thefinancial drain, they raised the customarytaxes and multiplied their demands. Thisserved to increase the animosity towards thePapal See, especially in England and Ger-many, which felt that the excessive exactionswere enriching France. The Protestant revo-lutionaries in those countries utilized thiscomplaint over a hundred years later. Theturmoil impeded the necessary reforms,causing great damage to the religious andmoral state of affairs and giving rise to anti-clerical sects throughout Europe. As bad asthis situation was, worse was to follow.

Pope Urban VIDuring the conclave that followed Gregory’sdeath in 1378, a boisterous crowd gatheredoutside the Vatican and demanded that aRoman or at least an Italian pope be elected.

Nevertheless, the election went aheaddespite the disturbance. The cardinals chosethe archbishop of Bari in southern Italy, whotook the name of Urban VI. Although not acardinal, the native of Naples had earned agood reputation as an official in the Curiaboth at Avignon and at Rome. All the actionsof the subsequent days indicated that thecardinals acknowledged Urban as the right-ful Pope.

However, in those early days, a violent andimpetuous nature in Urban rose to the sur-face that remained unchecked and drovehim to attack the cardinals with threats andinsults. Since some of them were lacking invirtue and piety, some correction from thezealous Pope could be accepted as reason-able. However, the wild and imprudentattacks deeply offended the luxuriousprelates and made any working arrangementdifficult if not impossible. A rebellion againstthe Pontiff was clearly contemplated by thecardinals, who were mostly French, and wasencouraged by the French King who wishedto bring back the days of Avignon.

Western SchismOne by one, the cardinals slipped out ofRome and assembled at Anagni where theydeclared that Urban’s election had beeninvalid because of the disturbance by theRoman population outside the conclave.They subsequently elected Robert of Geneva,who had led the slaughter at Cesena, as ananti-pope who called himself Clement VII.Robert in the summer of 1379 moved hiscuria back to a more congenial and hos-pitable Avignon. France, Scotland, Spain, andNaples, all of whom were motivated more bypolitical necessities, joined Robert’s obedi-ence; the rest of Christendom stayed faithfulto Urban. This terrible calamity, the GreatWestern Schism, broke the unity of Christen-dom which had contributed so much to thesupernatural ideal represented by the Mysti-cal Body of Christ and increased the com-mitment of Christian thinking to the merelymaterial aspects of life.

Although saints and blessed, because ofthe confusion, were found in both camps,Saint Catherine of Sienna placed the perni-cious chain of events in their proper perspec-tive. In a letter to three of the cardinals, thegreat mystic warned, “You clearly know thetruth, that Pope Urban VI is truly Pope cho-sen in orderly election, not influenced by fear,truly by divine inspiration than by yourhuman industry. Now you have turned yourback on him as craven and miserableknights. What is the cause? The poison ofself-love, which has infected the world.Instead of being angels on earth, you havetaken the office of devils. You are leading usinto obedience to Antichrist, a member ofthe devil as you are too, so long as you shallabide in this heresy.”1

Great chaos and scandal ensued, whichunderstandably brought more disrespect

The Papacy in CrisisChapter 1

Part three: The Great Western Schism

R e v o lu t i o na n d

c o u n t e rr e v o lu t i o n i n H i s t o ry

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 218

towards the Holy See. Both claimantsto the Papacy made shameful dealswith lay princes to strengthen theirposition. When discord touches thehead, it necessarily spreads to thewhole body. The thorough reformthat was urgently needed throughoutthe Church was sadly neglected, espe-cially the need to bring the bishopsand the clergy back to their responsi-bility of caring for the souls of thefaithful, to provide seminaries totrain the parochial clergy and to cor-rect the errors in the various universities andschools.

The violence that followed, the list ofmediocre popes, and the perfidious intriguesof the French crown do not make for enlight-ened or edifying reading. When SaintCatherine looked at the lives of the Cardi-nals, she “looked in vain for virtue and holi-ness,” and that can apply to the wholedeplorable mess, which incredibly driftedinto a condition even more deplorable.

Three popesIn 1409, the cardinals of the Roman and Avi-gnon obediences deserted their chosen pon-tiffs and at the so-called Council of Pisa—which was totally illegal—deposed the twositting popes and elected their successor. Thetwo deposed popes refused to abdicate, so theChurch was faced with the impossiblepredicament of having three of them. Theright to vote in the council was extended touniversity professors of theology and canonlaw in violation of all conciliar tradition,which heretofore included only bishops, gen-erals of the mendicant orders, abbots, and pri-ors. The pernicious, anti-papal ideas ofWilliam of Ockham and Marsilius of Paduahad moved from the realm of thought into thearena of action by a revolutionary council thatclaimed jurisdiction over all, including popes.

Jesus Christ conferred on Saint Peter andall subsequent popes supreme spiritualpower and authority. The popes receive thatpower not from the Church but from Christhimself. That the Church climbed out of suchan abyss of confusion and dangerous ten-dencies can only be attributed to the guid-ance of the Holy Ghost.

Council of ConstanceWith a potential tidal wave of destructionthreatening to carry all before it, those most

concerned appealed to Sigismund, the HolyRoman emperor — or, since he was nevercrowned, the King of the Romans — to usethe prestige of his office and call for anothercouncil. He convoked a council at the Ger-man city of Constance on the lake of thatname, but it was controlled by churchmenwith the most revolutionary intentions. Ledby Pierre d’Ailly, onetime chancellor of theUniversity of Paris, now cardinal and bishopof Cambrai, the General Council assertedthat the Pope must be subject to its jurisdic-tion and in the third, fourth and fifth ses-sions went on to declare that the Pope couldnot dissolve the council without its own con-sent.

The conciliarist bloc then proceeded toforce each of the papal claimants to resign.Baldassare Cossa, the second in the Pisanline, meekly abdicated after he was threat-ened with a trial. Then they went after Gre-gory XII, the true Pope and here the action ofDivine Providence becomes clearly visible.The Pope agreed providing they allowed himto officially convoke the Council. Surprising-ly they agreed. By this maneuver, all thedecrees that were passed before that timewere voided, although the more radicalmembers adhered to them, and Gregory’sprimacy was implicitly yet officially recog-nized. Pedro de Luna, the last of the Avignonline, remained obstinate to the end, but hischief supporters, including Saint VincentFerrer and the King of Aragon, gave theirallegiance to the conciliar depositions. AfterLuna was deposed, he fled back to his ances-tral castle and obscurity.

Among the important decrees enactedduring the authorized sessions was a stipula-tion that the next council must be held with-in five years, another one seven years laterand thereafter at intervals of ten years. Thecouncil then proceeded to its great business

of electing Martin V as the firstundisputed Pope in forty years. Thecondemnation of the heresies of JohnWyclif, recently deceased, and JohnHus, soon to be deceased, will be dis-cussed in a subsequent chapter.

Pope Martin, because of the revo-lutionary ferment that invaded thehearts of many rebellious church-men, abhorred the idea of anothercouncil. Nevertheless, under strongpressure, he called for one anyway tomeet at Pavia in 1423. After a plague

forced the council to Sienna, Martin’s legatestook advantage of the small attendancecaused by the numerous wars in Europe todissolve it and call for another in Basle in1431. Before then, however Martin, afterneglecting to effect a much needed reform ofecclesiastical affairs to head off anotherpotential schism, passed from the scene tobe replaced by another temporizing Pope,Eugene IV (1431-47).

The Council of Florence2

The beginning of the XVIII EcumenicalCouncil followed the same anti-papal demo-cratic trend as the previous one. By far, themajority of the delegates were neither in thehierarchy of the Church nor in Holy Orders.From the start, they took the position thatthe council was superior to the Pope andexpected him to comply with their demands.They proposed such a complete revolution inChurch discipline that if the priests followedsuit they would rebel against their bishopsand the faithful would disregard their priests.To a large extent that is, unfortunately whathappened a hundred years later. Althoughthe actions of Divine Providence rarelyappear in historical documents, its presencemust be assumed for the danger to thedivinely established constitution of theChurch was so great that the promised pro-tection of Christ (Matt. 16:18) was utterlynecessary, as we shall see.

In the early days, Eugenius had sent thedelegates a bull dissolving the council andthey answered by stating that it was thePope’s duty to obey a General Council andwithout its own consent, it could not be dis-solved or transferred. More revolutionaryand hostile instructions followed. In April of1432, the Pope and his cardinals wereordered to present themselves before thecouncil within three months and issued dire

The facade of the Cathedral of Ferrara. It was here where thecouncil of Ferrara first met in January of 1438.

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 19

threats for non-compliance. Several cardi-nals defected and by the middle of the sum-mer, only six of the original twenty-oneremained faithful to Eugenius. The kings ofFrance, England, Scotland, and Castile lenttheir support by sending large delegations.

The council, now feeling the surge of vic-tory, increased the persecution by makingmore demands and by stripping away papalprerogatives. In the summer of 1433, theyremoved from the Holy See its right toappoint bishops and abbots and ordered thePope to announce solemnly his acceptanceof all the council’s decrees and instructions.Sick and under military attack, Eugeniusinaugurated a series of concessions, whichattempted to appease their harsh demandswhile trying to prevent a complete capitula-tion.

While the Church faced this terribleordeal, the Duchy of Milan invaded thePapal States and conquered large tracts ofland. The beleaguered Pope’s Roman ene-mies and his own hired soldiers who saw achance to enrich themselves joined theattack. Eugenius fled the Vatican and fromone palace to another, staying just ahead ofa calamitous capture. Suffering from illnessand the loss of his territory with his treasuryempty and abandoned by most of his sup-porters, Eugenius yielded to all the demandsof the council.

A few months later, revolutionariesstormed the city of Rome and proclaimed arepublic. The Pope, disguised as a Benedic-tine monk, went to the Tiber and boarded aboat, but he was recognized before he couldget away. Despite a barrage of rocks hittingthe boat, he made his escape uninjured toFlorence where he set up residence in aDominican monastery.

While at Florence, Eugenius began to dis-play an impressive regal calm and confidencein God’s justice that won back many of thosewho had defected. Conversely, the wild andimpulsive claims of the revolutionaries atBasle repelled many of the more moderatechurchmen who feared another schism.

The invasion of southeast Europe by theTurks, which will be covered in a future arti-cle, contributed to the solution of the crisis.Quickly realizing that the true power inChristendom lay with the Pope, the Greeksasked him to convene a General Council at aconvenient location. With increasing confi-dence in his superior authority, he sent a bull

in September 1437 to Basle transferring thecouncil to Ferrara in the northeast portion ofthe Papal States, which about half the dele-gates answered. A plague in the latter citynecessitated another move to Florence. Ayear later at this formally convoked Ecu-menical Council, the Greeks yielded on themajor points that the Holy Ghost proceededfrom both the Father and the Son (filioque)and that the Pope held primacy over the Uni-versal Church. Unfortunately, the union wasshort-lived, for in their bitter stubbornnessthe mass of the people in Constantinoplemaintained their anti-papal spirit. Thefamous saying “Better the turban of theprophet than the Pope’s tiara” sums up theirmentality, and they got their wish in 1453.

An increasingly small group of malcon-tents remained in Basle, but their ability tocause any further mischief was broken.France and Germany took steps to reducepapal influence in their realms and increasetheir own which, of course, foreshadowedominous consequences for the future. Three

years before his death in 1447, Eugeniusreturned to Rome to make peace with thewarring factions and to begin, once again,the restoration of the Holy See and the PapalStates. The Church survived each of thecrises enumerated in this chapter, but thearea, infected by the decay of faith and theloss of supernatural life, grew larger andlarger.

___________________________________Bibliographical note

Along with the works cited in the previous partby Hughes and Pastor, we principally relied on LouisSalembier, The Great Schism of the West (New York,1907), and Joseph Gill, S.J., Eugenius IV, (Westmin-ster, Md., 1961).

Notes:

1. Adapted from Saint Catherine of Sienna asSeen in Her Letters (London, 1905).

2. Sometimes called the Council of Basle-Fer-rara-Florence.

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Part II

fa m i lys e r i e s

The AngelI was five years old when I went to my firstCarnival or Mardi Gras in 1905. Carnival is abig ado in Brazil. In my time, people wouldgather in the town square, wear costumeswith masks and skip around waving colorfulballoons attached to sticks.

At such a time, Mama would dress us upand send us to town with Acacia. My sistersseemed to have a lot of fun but I was terri-fied! All I could do was hold on to the otherchildren because I was so frightened.

I hated those awful masks that peoplewore and thought, in my little head, that they

were people’s real faces. I imagined that sure-ly those people came from that deep hole inthe earth full of fire.

The more people jumped and bangedtheir sticks on the ground, the more scared Ibecame. At a certain point, it was too muchfor me and I wanted to go home. Acacia wasbusy talking with some friends and no onewas paying attention to me, so I decided tofind my own way. Driven by fear, I began towalk away from the crowd. I was so scared Idid not even cry. I had no idea where myhouse was but headed for the big gate at theend of the square.

As I walked, I remembered the good Jesuson the cross on top of the bureau. He was athome all by Himself and I wished I hadbrought Him with me. Nevertheless, I knewthat He was my Daddy in heaven and waswatching out for me from there. I knew Hecould see me all by myself in the middle ofthat crowd.

It was then that a big man grabbed myhand. He wore a horrible mask and his eyesflashed. Oh! I don’t know how I didn’t die. Ishould have died of fright. He began to pull meaway. I had walked a few paces, my hand in thebig hand of the masked man when, on the

B Y P A U L I N E S A N D E R S

F o r g ot t e nT r u t h s

“O ye that love the Lord, see thatye hate the thing that is evil.”

“Love is of God,’ says St. John, “and everyone thatloveth is born of God, and knoweth God…, For God isLove.” But love involves and necessitates hate. Godhates evil, and such hatred must be an essential attrib-ute of God. The power of hatred, then, is as truly aDivine gift to man created in the image of God, and asnecessary an element in the Christian character, as loveis. “O ye that love the Lord,” said the Psalmist of old, “seethat ye hate the thing that is evil.” He that is incapableof hating is so because he is incapable of loving. Theintensity of the power of hating will always be in pro-

portion to the power of loving. We feel instinctively thata man who cannot hate, whose anger and moral indig-nation can never be roused, is a poor creature. A strongman will always be strong in his likes and dislikes. Allthis may, and as a matter of fact generally does, workevil. But it is not essentially evil but good. Love can workevil as truly as hate can, for it may be exercised on anunworthy object and in a wrong way, but it is not there-fore an evil thing, and no more is hate. They are bothpart of the equipment of man’s nature. They worktogether, they grow together and together they die.

Fr. B. W. Maturin, Self Knowledge and Self-Discipline, Roman Catholic Books, pp. 182-183.

B Y F A T H E R B . W . M A T U R I N

Cecyand Her Friend

c r u s a d e M a r c h / A p r i l 2 0 0 220

other side of me, I felt a person. I knew it wasthe angel that my Father in heaven had sent totake me safely home. I had seen that angel in apicture in the house of a friend of my father,Captain Bezerra. So, now I knew it was he, thatsame angel of the picture that was here withme. I could not see him with my eyes but Iknew that he was there as surely as I knew thebig man was on the other side of me.

Suddenly, the ugly masked man let go ofmy hand with a shove and disappeared intothe crowd.

Now, instead of being frightened, I feltperfectly happy by my “New Friend,” as Icalled him. He stood calm and strong by myside. I no longer felt afraid or scared. Onlylater, when I was six, did I learn that hisname was Guardian Angel.

We had almost reached the gate when Aca-cia came running. “Cecy, Cecy! Where haveyou been?” she asked, panting for breath andeyes opened wide. She was surprised to findme calm, content and not one bit afraid. Thatwas because I felt safe with my New Friend.

I never told Acacia or my parents aboutanything that had happened.

From that day on, my New Friend wasalways by my side. I did not see him withmy eyes or hear him with my ears, yet I sawand heard him clearly in some other way.Wherever I went, he went too. Every time Ipulled up my chair to keep company to thecrucified Jesus on the bureau he was there,standing by me all the time.

A trip to the seashoreRight after carnival I heard Daddy talkingabout us going to the seashore. The nextday my mother and Acacia were busy pack-ing suitcases and getting everything readyfor the trip.

What fun! We were going to the seashore!My New Friend would come too, that Iknew. All of us were going. Even Abelino,the soldier that washed Congo, the horse, wascoming to drive the buggy. The house would belocked until we returned.

I was thinking of all this as I put my teddybear in a little basket that Acacia had given me.I was also trying to fit in my big doll but shewould only go into the basket sitting down.

Suddenly, I remembered something. Itmade me very sad. Even my teddy bear wasgoing to the seashore and the only one thatwould stay in the dark house was Jesus on

the cross on top of the bureau! He who wasmy Daddy in heaven and who had sent memy New Friend who had scared away the bigmasked man!

If I could, I would gladly stay with Himbut I knew Mama would not let me. What ifI took Him instead of the teddy bear and thedoll? That is what I would do! Acacia hadgiven me the basket for the teddy bear andthe doll but instead, I would take Jesus with-out Mama and Acacia having to know.

I went into the room, dragged the chair tothe bureau and took my Great Friend ever sogently in my arms. Going to my closet, I took

down my hooded cape and wrapped the crossthat I loved so much in it. Then I placed it inthe basket. That is how Daddy in heaven wentto the seashore. All during the trip, I held thebasket close and when we arrived at our lodg-ings, I kept it always at the foot of my bed.

We were many days at the seashore andwhen we returned to the city, I placed thecrucified Jesus back on the bureau. Mamaand Acacia never knew anything.

Adapted from a true story

c r u s a d e m a r c h / a p r i l 2 0 0 2 21

The United States Senate will soonexamine a proposal by Sen. SamBrownback, (R.-Kansas), that would

ban the cloning of human embryos for anypurpose, including harvesting of their stemcells for medical research.

About this momentous matter, CrusadeMagazine finds it very opportune to pub-lish some excerpts from the “Declarationon the Production and the Scientific andTherapeutic Use of Human EmbryonicStem Cells,” a document issued by the Pon-tifical Academy for Life (August 25, 2000).

This Vatican Academy judges it morallyillicit to produce or use living humanembryos for the collection of embryonicstem cells. The document from the HolySee presents five reasons for this. The fifthreason reads:

“For Catholics, this position is explicitlyconfirmed by the Magisterium of theChurch which, in the Encyclical Evangeli-um Vitae, with reference to the InstructioDomum Vitae of the Congregation for theDoctrine of the Faith, affirms: ‘The Churchhas always taught and continues to teachthat the result of human procreation, fromthe first moment of its existence, must beguaranteed that unconditional respectwhich is morally due to the human beingin his or her totality and unity in body andspirit: The human being is to be respectedand treated as a person from the momentof conception, and therefore from thatsame moment his rights as a person mustbe recognized, among which in the firstplace is the inviolable right of every inno-

cent human being to life.’”Moreover, the Academy also deems it

morally illicit to engage in so-called “thera-peutic cloning,” that is, producing clonedhuman embryos and then destroying themin order to harvest embryonic stem cells.

The document also makes it very clearthat “No end believed to be good, such asthe use of stem cells for the preparation ofother differentiated cells to be used inwhat looks to be promising therapeuticprocedures, can justify an intervention ofthis kind. A good end does not make rightan action which in itself is wrong” (ouremphasis).

These grave and definitive statementsemanating from the authority of theCatholic Church could hardly be more sup-portive of the position defended by Sena-tor Brownback.

Vatican Academy:

Harvesting oof EmbryonicStem Cells Is Morally Illicit

“A good enddoes not makeright an actionwhich in itself

is wrong.”