Posted on 05/05/2010 10:48:55 AM PDT by markomalley
"Fatima is a particularly significant place for this Pope," said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi on Tuesday, noting that it was also a destination for two former Popes. The Holy Father has a thorough knowledge of the history of the Marian sanctuary, he added.
Fr. Lombardi held a press conference at the Vatican to prepare the media for the Pope's next trip out of the Vatican. He will be visiting Portugal from May 11-14.
The spokesman referred to the Pope's stop in Fatima on May 13 as the highlight and "heart" of the upcoming four-day trip to Portugal, according to Vatican Radio. But, he pointed out, Benedict XVI will not be the first Pope to visit the Marian shrine.
Two other Pontiffs have been to Fatima. In 1967, the sanctuary hosted Paul VI, and John Paul II visited in 1982, 1991 and 2000, at which time the visionaries Jacinta and Francesco were beatified.
The Portuguese shrine is not unfamiliar to Pope Benedict, since as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger extensively studied the message of Fatima. Fr. Lombardi said on Tuesday that the Pope has been involved with history of the Marian sanctuary in a "very deep, personal way."
It was him, for example, who was called upon to give a theological perspective when the third secret of Fatima was made public in 2000.
The Vatican spokesman said that the Holy Father will also deliver an intense message during his Fatima visit. Upon his arrival at the sanctuary on May 12, he will remember John Paul II and the 29th anniversary of the assassination attempt that nearly took his life on May 13, 1981.
This visit marks the Holy Father's 15th Apostolic Journey abroad in his five years and is his first to Portugal as Pope.
During today's general audience, the Holy Father greeted the people of Portugal in their language, telling them that he will be there this coming weekend at the invitation of the president of the nation and the episcopal conference.
He said he was "happy to be able to visit the 'land of Holy Mary'" on the 10th anniversary of the beatification of the shepherd children.
According to Portuguese press reports, local police are planning for a cumulative total of 450,000 people at the celebrations in Lisbon, Fatima and Portugal during the four-day visit.
It sort of does away with simplicity of heart, doesn’t it? and makes everything into some sort of desperate game or even becoming some sort of self-anointed heralds or prophets.
It could even become—unwittingly-—a different form of idolatry, without the “graven image”, but one that is somewhere in the depths of the psyche.
We often forget certain passages in the Sacred Scriptures that are full of meaning for us; for example, when Jesus asked that Nathaniel come to Him. He knew something about Nathaniel—something that was good that no one else but God knew. And Jesus said of Nathaniel, “He is a true Israelite; he is a man without guile.”
Why did you do that? You made me nearly fall off my chair.
“Do you think you prevent people from becoming Catholics by your posts?”
All I know is that false doctrine must be countered with the Truth, lest people fall into deception. Someone saying “Here is something you can do as a Christian..” and have it be idolatry and blasphemy must not stand. If they didn’t call it Christian and instead called it Mormon or Scientology or whatever, it would be easier. But this group not only calls what they do Christian, but they claim to be THE ONLY Christians! This is deadly. People could be totally fooled and lost to damnation following this outrageous idolatry and blasphemy. It must be countered. It must be stopped if it is something that can be stopped.
If even *one* person, if just *only one* in all the years I am given on earth, if JUST ONE, avoids deception and damnation because of some work God has performed through me, then PRAISE YAHWEH!!!
“I follow the Vatican.”
Please instead, consider following Christ. At the very least, please don’t spread Vatican idolatry and blasphemy and call it Christian in public. Those that don’t yet know better may be lead into deception.
>>but they claim to be THE ONLY Christians!<<
What in the Sam Hill are you talking about?
Not Catholics.
THIRD QUESTION
Why was the expression “subsists in” adopted instead of the simple word “is”?
RESPONSE
The use of this expression, which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church. Rather, it comes from and brings out more clearly the fact that there are “numerous elements of sanctification and of truth” which are found outside her structure, but which “as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, impel towards Catholic Unity”.[11]
“It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church”[12].
Some people are just doofusi. Speaking generally.
Wow.
Yes.
It got right past me that for some non-Catholics self-ordination and self-promotion is the answer to the Catholic clergy who have to be ordained by somebody else.
This is getting silly.
Start with the image in your mirror.
You haven’t answered the question.
Should the Catholics be gathered in one place and stop posting on FR?
Hopefully Outership gave an obvious YES to both.
Saying that you are telling us to follow God, not you, is not an answer, because the Vatican says the same thing. We find the Bible to confirm our view. So why should we follow you?
Clearly it's not a matter of Scripture. We read Scripture, whatever you may think and say about us. And it's not a matter of reason, because, well, of the lack of reason in the argument that either Mary is not Jesus' mother, or she is but we shouldn't say so.
This has now achieved very close to supreme silliness.
>>If even *one* person, if just *only one* in all the years I am given on earth, if JUST ONE, avoids deception and damnation because of some work God has performed through me, then PRAISE YAHWEH!!!<<
The Devil comes as an Angel of Light.
Some Catholics like to play the martyr so much, which is pretty ironic considering well documented Catholic church history.
That is not what the Vatican teaches. What does your Bible say about bearing false witness?
The devil made me do it. ;)
“I assume you think that Catholics should be banned from FR altogether?”
I would like all those in error and all those deceived and all those in idolatry and all those who love blasphemy to repent of it and to turn to Christ. At the very least I pray that they will not spread any of these things further.
“...is it your website...”
No. I’m not affiliated with it in any way and I have never met or even talked to the person who made it. I found it while searching for websites that had Biblical studies on the Book of Revelation.
This is the best site out of all the ones I found. I keep that tagline so others have a place to go to if they want to better understand Biblical prophesy. He does a great job going through the book line by line and explaining everything.
Where do you think the whole our Lady of Fatima is really Mohammed's daughter thing came from?
But hate mongering is a high bar and statements which condemn religious beliefs are not automatically hate mongering.
On this thread, Catholic churches have been called "NAMBLA mills" and you said to just refute it. Certain things are too outrageous to refute. Have their been some Catholic priests who were pedophiles? Certainly, but there have also been plenty of non-Catholic clergy who were pedophiles.
In the mid-20th century, Protestants began to relax their rules on artificial contraception. To the best of my knowledge, NO Protestant denomination teaches that artificial contraception is wrong and some even allow abortion. The Pill IS an abortifacient, so I'm curious what your reaction would be if I decided to call Pentecostal churches "abortion mills"? Could I call Calvinists "abortionists"?
Nope, still haven’t gotten an answer.
:-)
That one’s a keeper for sure.
And —yes—”no can do” is dead on.
AMEN!!
Do you think Catholics should be banned from FR? YES or NO.
No. I’m not affiliated with it in any way and I have never met or even talked to the person who made it. I found it while searching for websites that had Biblical studies on the Book of Revelation.
Well, we've all experienced putting a word or phrase in Google and getting some very disturbing results.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.