A parish priest on Saturday urged the public to repent and pray the Rosary daily to attain genuine and lasting peace, amid growing tensions around the world.
Fr. Carlos Reyes, the parish priest of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Makati City, said that “man’s continued sinfulness has offended God, and it is about time to repent and pray, especially the Rosary, to avert the wrath of God before it is too late.”
“It is important to attain spiritual healing by asking for God’s forgiveness during these troubled times,” he said in an interview with Philippine News Agency.
Reyes was referring to the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, on 13 May 1917. During the time, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared to three shepherd children on the 13th of each month until October and sent a message of repentance and prayer.
The Church proclaimed the supernatural character of the apparitions in 1930 and a shrine was erected at Fatima. It was visited by Blessed Paul VI in 1967, and later by St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Reyes said the human race should heed the call of the Blessed Virgin to repent and return to God.
“Troubles in the world like wars, terror attacks, natural disasters, and the coronavirus, are part of the purification process for mankind to heed the call for penance, penance, penance,” Reyes said.
Meanwhile, the Pontifical International Marian Academy has announced in a press conference that it would launch an international observatory on Marian apparitions to protect vulnerable followers from false seers and swindlers.
According to a statement, the observatory aims “to provide concrete support to the study, authentication, and correct disclosure of such events, always in harmony with church teaching, relevant authorities, and applicable norms of the Holy See.”
PIMA was founded in 1946 to promote scientific, speculative, and critical studies of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to promote Marian devotion.