And what is your source for this attack on our Roman Catholic religion? Perhaps you should take a few minutes and read a bit of history, including about the Battle of Lepanto which SAVED Europe from Moslem rule in the year 1571.
Battle of Lepanto On October 7, 1571, a great victory over the mighty Turkish fleet was won by Catholic naval forces primarily from Spain, Venice, and Genoa under the command of Don Juan of Austria. It was the last battle at sea between "oared" ships, which featured the most powerful navy in the world, a Moslem force with between 12,000 to 15,000 Christian slaves as rowers. The patchwork team of Catholic ships was powered by the Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Knowing that the Christian forces were at a distinct material disadvantage, the holy pontiff, St. Pope Pius V called for all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory. We know today that the victory was decisive, prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe, and evidenced the Hand of God working through Our Lady. At the hour of victory, St. Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: "The Christian fleet is victorious!" and shed tears of thanksgiving to God. What you may not know is that one of three admirals commanding the Catholic forces at Lepanto was Andrea Doria. He carried a small copy of Mexico's Our Lady of Guadalupe into battle. This image is now enshrined in the Church of San Stefano in Aveto, Italy. Not many know that at the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain, one can view a huge warship lantern that was captured from the Moslems in the Battle of Lepanto. In Rome, look up to the ceiling of S. Maria in Aracoeli and behold decorations in gold taken from the Turkish galleys. In the Doges' Palace in Venice, Italy, one can witness a giant Islamic flag that is now a trophy from a vanquished Turkish ship from the Victory. At Saint Mary Major Basilica in Rome, close to the tomb of the great St. Pope Pius V, one was once able to view yet another Islamic flag from the Battle, until 1965, when it was returned to Istanbul in an intended friendly token of concord. The Rosary At Lepanto, the Victory over the Moslems was won by the faithful praying the Rosary. Even though they had superior numbers, the Turks really were overmatched. Blessed Padre Pio, the Spiritual Father of the Blue Army, said: "The Rosary is the weapon," and how right he was! The Battle of Lepanto was at first celebrated liturgically as "Our Lady of Victory." Later, the feast of October 7th was renamed "Our Lady of the Rosary" and extended throughout the Universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1716 (who canonized Pope Pius V in 1712).
And with that we are back to Fatima, Portugal where Our Lady, when asked her name, said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." At Fatima, Our Lady taught us to pray the Rosary every day. Heaven presented its peace plan at Fatima and truly gave us hope for the world. Conversions were promised at Fatima: the conversion of sinners; the conversion of Russia; and what also appears to be the conversion of Islam.
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
I've always wondered, but never bothered to look up, for whom the famously ill-fated passenger liner was named. Now I know. Hurrah for FR!
I was referring to RC's attack on the Freemasons, which is an organization that encourages the belief in God.
Andrea Doria was among the heroes of Lepanto, as you say. The more you look into the history of that period, the more amazed you are. Christendom was engaged in civil war, of which the rise of Protestantism was only one aspect, and the Battle of Vienna and the Battle of Lepanto were won by ragtag bunches of troops from different cities and states who came together by what looks like a miracle.
The leader at Lepanto, Don John of Austria as Chesterton calls him, was an imperial bastard. His tomb is in Spain, in a room separate from the rest of his family. Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, was two damned busy fighting off the French to be bothered to show up at Vienna with his armies when the Turks invested the city.
The Battle of Lepanto was won by a combination of Genoese and Venetians, although those two cities spent most of their time fighting each other, in trade and war. Most of the Dorias hated Venice and supported rival candidates for the Kingdom of Naples.
Meantime, the French kings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were more often allied with the Sultan than anyone else. What else but a miracle could have defeated the Turks?