Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron....
I Timothy 4:1-2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
II Timothy 4:2-4
These words of Scripture clearly define the day and age we live in. May God grant us all discerning hearts as we seek to serve the true and living God in these last days. I am passing this little article on to all of you as an example of how quickly things are progressing to the end. For those of you who do not know about Fátima, it is a place in Portugal, where an apparition of Mary supposedly appeared about ninety years ago. Many “miracles” have taken place there, and many strange things have happened. It is clear to me that a powerful demon has presented himself as an angel of light, and deceived many. The one world religious whore of Revelations is emerging quickly. The message of toleration has become the gospel of the day. The Roman Catholic Church seems to be one of those on the forefront who are pushing a dangerous one world church. Let us beware.
Concerning the Jewish people the official Roman Catholic Catechism states:
“Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways. The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish people, the first to hear the Word of God.” The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God’s revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews “belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ”, “for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”
And when one considers the future, God’s People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming (or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.
Concerning the Muslims the Catechism states:
The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”
Fátima is proposed to become an interfaith shrine:
Delegates attending the Vatican and United Nations (UN) inspired annual interfaith congress “The Future of God”, held during October in Fátima, heard how the Shrine is to be developed into a centre where all the religions of the world will gather to pay homage to their various gods. The Congress was held in the Paul VI Pastoral Centre and presided over by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon José de Cruz Policarpo.
The Shrine’s rector, Monsignor Luciano Guerra, told the Congress that Fátima “will change for the better.” Addressing Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Orthodox, Buddhist and African Pagan representatives he stated: “The future of Fátima, or the adoration of God and His mother at this holy Shrine, must pass through the creation of a shrine where different religions can mingle. The inter-religious dialogue in Portugal, and in the Catholic Church, is still in an embryonic phase, but the Shrine of Fátima is not indifferent to this fact and is already open to being a universalistic place of vocation.”
The Hindu representative Ansshok Ansraj described how already in the Far East millions of Hindus are getting “positive vibrations” from visiting Marian shrines without endangering their faith.
Monsignor Guerra pointed out that the very fact that Fátima is the name of a Muslim and Mohammed’s daughter is indicative that the Shrine must be open to the co-existence of various faiths and beliefs. According to the Monsignor: “Therefore we must assume that it was the will of the Blessed Virgin Mary that this comes about this way.” Traditional Catholics opposed to the Congress were described by the Monsignor as “old fashioned, narrow minded, fanatic extremists and provocateurs.”
For the first time in the 86-year history of Fátima, all of the Pagan and ”Christian” delegates were invited to participate in the Ecumenical celebrations. One of the principle speakers, the Jesuit theologian Father Jacques Dupuis, was insistent that the religions of the world must unite. “The religion of the future will be a general converging of religions in a universal Christ that will satisfy all,” he said.
The Belgium-born theologian argued: “The other religious traditions in the world are part of God’s plan for humanity, and the Holy Spirit is operating and present in Buddhist, Hindu and other sacred writings of Christian and non-Christian faiths as well.” In an impassioned plea, he said, “The universality of God’s kingdom permits this, and this is nothing more than a diversified form of sharing in the same mystery of salvation. In the end it is hoped that the Christian will become a better Christian and each Hindu a better Hindu.”
An official statement put out by the Congress called for a non-proselytizing approach by all religions. “No one religion can irradiate another,” it said, “or strengthen itself by downplaying others, and an open dialogue is the way to building bridges and tearing down walls of centuries of hate. What is needed is that each religion be true to its faith integrally and treat each religion on the same footing of equality with no inferior or superiority complexes.” It emphasized that the secret to peace amongst all religions is admitting that contradictions exist between creeds but to concentrate on what unites them as opposed to what separates them.
Delegates agreed that religious shrines, including Fátima, should be revamped every 25 years to reflect modern day trends and beliefs. The Shrine of Fátima is about to undergo a complete reconstruction with a new stadium-like basilica being erected close by the existing one built in 1921.
