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From http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=15689

Malachi Martin: Dispelling the myths

By Jon E. Dougherty

© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
After WorldNetDaily published my obituary of Dr. Malachi Martin last week, I was contacted by one of his closest friends and confidants who wanted the opportunity to clear up some errors and misconceptions about a great Catholic man.

Fr. Charles Fiore, who spoke with me at length over the weekend, wanted both critics and supporters to know one thing if they knew no other -- that, first and foremost, Malachi was always a fully functional and -- in the eyes of the Church -- "legal" priest, as well as an avid defender of the traditional Catholic Church.

"I want people to know that after 25 years as a Jesuit, Malachi did in fact receive a special dispensation personally from Pope Paul VI regarding his status within the Church," Fr. Fiore said. "That is perfectly rare, but also perfectly within the rights of the Holy See to grant."

"But Malachi also received permission to remain a priest and made sure he told Paul VI that he desired to keep his vow of chastity so he could continue his work as a laicized priest," Fr. Fiore told me. Malachi still gave Mass, still heard confession, and still was, in fact, a priest in every sense of the word.

Fr. Fiore, who lives in the Diocese of Madison, Wis., and belongs to the priestly fraternity of St. Peter, knew Fr. Martin for over 20 years. He worked, by personal request, as an editor for several of Malachi's best-selling books, and spoke with him at least weekly. In fact, he told me he had spoken with Malachi just a week or so before his death and had discussed, among other things, his newest book -- a nonfiction piece about Vatican power as the Church approaches the third millennium.

Regarding that book, "Primacy: How the Institutional Roman Catholic Church Became a Creature of the New World Order," Fr. Fiore said Malachi indeed believed it would be "his most controversial and important work." However, far from being fiction, the book would have dealt exclusively "with power and the papacy," and would have "analyzed the revolutionary shift in the ancient dogma of primacy that lies at the heart of what many now see as the first breakdown of papal power in two millennia."

In short, it was a book fashioned after one of the things Malachi was most noted for -- his uncanny ability to see through and predict the hidden geopolitics of the Vatican and its "complex global dealings with governments and nations."

"Among his legacies," Fr. Fiore said, "is a decades-long public record of predicting the unthinkable and getting it right every time. Malachi foretold events over the last 30 years that seemed unbelievable at first, but that in the end changed the lives of generations of men and women in every quarter of the world."

"The battle that concerns Martin is the fundamental survival of belief in God, and the struggle that supercedes our individual faiths is the one between us and those who would destroy all faiths," wrote Alan Caruba of Malachi once for "The Jewish Future."

"That was Malachi -- a traditionalist to the end," Fr. Fiore said. There goes that myth.

In fact, what Fr. Martin anguished over the most was the trend away from centuries-old traditions within the Church, and the disunity among religions -- the latter a frequent subject of our current Holy See, Pope John Paul II. Fr. Fiore told me -- and this was echoed by Malachi personally when I interviewed him on a radio show in 1997 -- that Fr. Martin could see the trend towards "liberalization" of the Catholic Church as early as 1964, when Paul VI released him from his vows of obedience and poverty. And he didn't like what he saw and foresaw.

"That was a main reason why Malachi asked to be released," Fr. Fiore said. "He knew that as a Jesuit with an ironclad vow of obedience, he could never speak out against the subversion he saw happening even back then. He had told Paul (VI) that the change of doctrine contained within Vatican II and other political changes were against his conscience."

The rest is, as they say, history. Malachi's books, as well as his scholarly writings, all reflect this point of view and were always uppermost in his mind until his last day. Throughout his commercial writing career -- which amounted to 16 works, many of them bestsellers -- Fr. Fiore said he was continually amazed at the accuracy of his work.

"His last book, 'Windswept House,' for example, was 80 percent factual, by Malachi's own admission to me," Fr. Fiore said. "Many of his works were that accurate."

That did not earn him praise from every sector of the Church, however, and Fr. Fiore -- a Church traditionalist and often outspoken critic of Church policies in his own right -- knows how cynical and potentially damaging that can be to a priest. Credibility often became an issue as forces within and without -- interested in maintaining a "less-than-traditional direction" for the Church -- attacked Malachi's work as a nonsensical impossibility. But, in reality, they could never refute it.

So there it is -- my corrected epitaph for a man who always put God first, not religion. My thanks to Fr. Fiore for setting me -- and those who also appreciated, admired and respected Malachi -- straight.

"May the Lord be with you," Fr. Martin. We'll miss you.

Jon E. Dougherty is the author of "Illegals: The Imminent Threat Posed by Our Unsecured U.S.-Mexico Border."

Are you writing a sequel to Windswept House?

Yes, but it will not be in any sense fictional. Essentially, it will be manual for survivors.

If I want to become a priest, what seminary do I go to?

It is impossible to answer these questions without knowing the background of candidates for priesthood. In general, however, I would recommend without hesitation that candidates examine the Institute of Christ the King founded by Monsignor Wach.

Is the Novus Ordo a valid mass?

The Novus Ordo rite can be celebrated in such a way as to configure a valid enactment of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary.

If Pope John Paul II has read the third secret of Fatima, why has he not revealed it?

He and his advisors do not think that the message of that third secret should be revealed to the ordinary citizens.

Are you planning on traveling and where are you speaking?

At this time, there are no plans to attend any speaking engagements.

How can one find out if a Papal Indult has indeed been made? There is a rumor that a Papal indult has been given to 41 dioceses in the USA granting the permission to stand during the Consecration?

All such rumors about such a papal indult belong to the land of myth and legend.

Could you give me your opinion of the Sedevacantist movement? As I'm sure you are aware, they believe that St. Peter's chair is vacant and that Pope John Paul II is not a valid pope. In fact, they believe that there hasn't been a valid pope since Pope Pius XII.

Any question about the Sedevacantist condition of the papal throne can only be decided authoritatively by somebody with authority to do so. I am not that person.

I personally like Dietrich Von Hildebrand's assessment of Vatican II. Do you agree with his overall position?

Yes, Von Hildebrand did understand the calamity achieved in Vatican II.

Do you feel that the next Pope unlike the present Pope will be a proponent of the New World Order of which you speak?

I do not know who the next pope will be; so I cannot predict his attitude of policy.

Are Catholics allowed to join Masonic Lodges? If not, why?

No, Catholics are not allowed to join the Masonic Lodge, because Masonry as an organization mentally aims at the destruction of Christianity.

You mentioned on tape that a great Apostasy is upon us and that many of our priests, bishops and cardinals are part either intentionally or unintentionally of this overthrow of the Catholic Church; how would one know whether he should be suspect of his own local clergy?

By examining what doctrines they preach, and their mode of life.

What is your opinion about the abundance of visionaries and seers that we hear about every day?

For the direction of one's life, one can rely explicitly on those which have received approval from the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church. As far as I know, these amount to about 6 or 9.

Could the antichrist be a clone?

No, the antichrist is not a clone, unfortunately.

What about the "three days of darkness" many seers mention?

Yes, it is an element in the chastisements prophesied by Our Lady at Fatima.
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Is Father Gruner correct that the consecration of Russia as Our Lady desired has not been executed? I'm very confused. Has the consecration been accepted?

No, the consecration demanded by Our Lady has not been performed by the Pope.

I belong to a parish of the Society of St.Pius X. I have heard you speak about the underground church and wondered if you were speaking of the Society. I'm sure you are aware of the problems and accusations made against the Society. What statement, if any, would like to make about the SSPX?

Provided valid Mass is not celebrated within your diocese, attendance at mass at any chapel of the SSPX satisfies all Catholic obligations. Likewise, the sacraments administered by members of the SSPX are quite valid.

My question is what exactly is the underground Church you refer to? Is it Catholics acting outside the normal Church structure?

Yes, that is exactly it. I am referring to a network of bishops, priests, nuns, chapels and schools operating outside the control of the canonical structure of the church.

Since you were a close associate of Cardinal Bea and he read the contents of the third secret of Fatima, did he reveal the contents to you and if he did, can you disclose them to the public?

Yes he did and I cannot.

Why do you suppose that Pope John Paul II excommunicated the saintly Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and does nothing to bishops like: Weakland, Gumbleton, Mahoney, Bernardin, Clark?

In the spiritual reality of the church, neither Marcel Lefebvre, nor his bishops and priests, nor the people who frequent the SSPX chapels suffered or suffer excommunication. I believe history will record that the intent to impose such an excommunication was invalid and illicit.

Do you think that the Antichrist is alive today and if so, do you think he will be revealed in the near future?

Yes. No, I don't think he will be revealed soon.

What do you think about the prophecies of Saint Malachy? He said there would only be two more popes after the Slavic Pope.

I cannot explain the accuracy of St. Malachy´s description of individual popes. His list implies there will be two more popes after John Paul II. We believe that John Paul II is the last pope of Catholic times, but this does not mean there won't be other popes; obviously, not popes of Catholic times.

What is your opinion of Pope John XXIII? Did he really try to stop the Council when he saw what was happening? Did he or did he not believe in Fatima?

No, Pope John XXIII did not try and stop the Council. He did not believe in Fatima.

Did the Enthronement described in Windswept House really take place? If so, has it been undone?

Yes, it did. It has not been undone.

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