Promote the Message of Our Lady

To the Church:

The first rule or law of the Church is, and has always been, the salvation of souls (cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 1752). Our Lady of Fatima said that if Her requests were granted, “many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” Clearly, the Fatima Message was given to us to save souls, and thus stands in perfect conformity with this mission of the Church. Our Lady of Fatima also tells us that “many souls go to hell because they have no one to pray for them and make sacrifices for them.” Thus, it is clear that obedience to the Fatima Message saves many souls. Disobedience to it results in the loss of many souls. The Church, therefore, has the obligation to promote this means of saving souls.

The Message of Fatima contains clear indications that the Church is expected to promote this Message. Our Lady, when asked what should be done with the money left at the Cova da Iria, asked for a chapel to be built on the site, and that a procession in Her honor be made. These requests indicate that Our Lady wished Fatima to be an established site of pilgrimage and prayer, and that the people’s devotion extend beyond Her short cycle of visits. Furthermore, Our Lady of Fatima reminded the clergy and the world of the power of the Rosary and the Scapular, which are two of the greatest means of saving souls. She indicated that these devotions should be vigorously promoted.

The Message of Fatima also recalled to the Church and to the world some fundamental responsibilities of the individual, such as performing one’s daily duty and keeping the Ten Commandments. Our Lady asked for an increase of prayer and sacrifice, and the abandonment of sin. She asked that we offer our prayers and sacrifices for the Holy Father, for poor sinners, and in reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. These are things that the Church should actively promote anyway, but with even more diligence since Our Lady of Fatima reminded all of us in the Church of this obligation.

Thus, when Our Lady of Fatima requested that the Church meet certain obligations, She was doing so for the good of souls, as God has given us this Message as a means of saving souls in our time. Our Lady said, “If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved.” By obedience to the demands of God given to us through Our Lady of Fatima, and by actively promoting the Message, the Church will fulfill its role of procuring for Him the eternal salvation of many souls.