(Author’s note: This is part 2 of the series on Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace. Part 1 last week focused on the burden on the Vatican to resolve the impasse, on the CBCP not to be blamed for following Vatican orders, and on the Philippine Church as the ultimate victim of suppression by Vatican Conservatives. Part 2 focuses on why the Vatican Conservatives cannot win against the Virgin, who will prevail if there is a conflict between them.)
The Catholic Church is as human as it is divine. It is capable of error and is not immune to criticism, as long as the criticism is constructive and non-adversarial. As a devout Catholic, it is hard for this author to criticize the Church, the Vatican, or even the Papacy. Yet to be silent is a sin of omission. That is my dilemma as an author. I have to speak out. I cannot be silent.
“The Virgin versus the Vatican” must be qualified. It is not the entire Vatican or Church that is opposed to Mediatrix devotion, but only its Conservative elements who were and still are behind the suppression of devotion to Our Lady Mediatrix for the last seven decades since the birth of Mediatrix devotion in the early 1950s. The suppression is ongoing, but it does not matter because the Virgin has won, as explained in Part 1.
The position of the Conservatives is strengthened by the fact that to oppose them is to oppose the Vatican and the Church since they were in control of the Vatican for centuries until Pope Francis, the first Liberal. Yet, even with the recent rise of the Liberals under Pope Francis, the suppression of Our Lady Mediatrix continues.
The statement of Bishop Pablo David, CBCP president, that the Mediatrix apparitions were not authentic, with finality, is understandable in light of the authority of the Vatican over him and the CBCP, even though it is besmirched by the recantations of the eight Filipino bishops in an official commission created by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Because evidence proving the authenticity of the Mediatrix apparitions had been destroyed on orders of the very Vatican Conservatives who ordered the investigation, especially of the miraculous rose petals that healed people, the chances of a new investigation to restore the credibility of the CDF is nearly impossible. They had made up their minds to preempt devotion to the Virgin.
But the impasse favors Our Lady Mediatrix because the devotion to her, allowed by the CBCP, continues to spread today, unhampered by the Vatican Conservatives. The pseudo victory of the Vatican Conservatives in the suppression of the apparitions is overwhelmed by the true victory of the Virgin in an ever-growing dynamic Filipino Marian movement.
The Dark Side of the Catholic Church
The dark days of the Catholic Church are contained in a book, which this author refuses to endorse to the faithful because it contains the scandalous sins of the Papacy and the Vatican, especially during the Middle Ages.
The sins of Church people, in fact, triggered the Reformation, the birth of Protestantism, the biggest splinter or revolt in Church history. St. Ignatius and the Jesuits launched the Counter-Reformation in response to restore the Church’s degraded image. The bulk of Protestant sects today do not believe in the role of the Virgin as a bridge or “mediatrix” to the Lord.
In the last few decades, there has been a massive falling away of Catholics, which triggered the same crisis in the Reformation period. The Born Again movement and other sects emerged. The splinter groups are just as massive as the Protestant revolt but scattered into many small sects. The crisis triggered the need for reforms similar to the Jesuit-led Counter-Reformation.
Today, we must follow the Jesuit model to reform and restore the Church rather than abandon it and leave it for other Christian sects. Reform, not rejection, is the way toward restoration. Vatican II was the response to massive reforms to restore the Church. Unfortunately, Vatican II intensified the war between Conservatives and Liberals. It also triggered the “apostasy” or civil war between the Vatican and the Church, which was predicted by Our Lady of Fatima.
Ultimately, the Lord and our Lady will prevail, and we should not worry too much. It is better to pray for the Church than to join in the conflicts. Let the Conservatives and Liberals fight it out. We, the faithful, pray for peace within the Church and the world threatened by global forces like an economic meltdown, nuclear war, and climate change.
The Church is in good hands despite the many crises through the decades. Jesus, before he ascended to heaven, promised that the Church will prevail.
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