This article is a transcript of the podcast by the same title (released Nov 14, 2024). It is the final episode in a series of questions we posed to Father Karl Stehlin on the topic of Fatima and Communism. Some of our audience prefers to watch a video [see here], others prefer to hear an audio-only podcast, and still others prefer the written word. We invite you to state your preference in the comments below.
The most recent Fatima Crusader, Issue 133, addresses the growth of Communism throughout the world. This topic is too vast to cover in a single issue of The Fatima Crusader, so we are producing additional articles (see here), videos (see here) and podcasts addressing this most-pressing issue.
The Devil Strives to Confound Fatima
There has been much confusion over Our Lady’s Message at Fatima leading to disagreement and “controversy.” Most of this has been intentional, by design. Make no mistake, this is an aim of the devil, and he puts all his preternatural force behind it. Consider three primary examples.
Fatima “Controversies”
1) The manner of Consecration was obfuscated by confusing two different requests from Heaven. One was given by Our Lord to Bl. Alexandrina da Costa for the consecration of the world to bring World War II to an end. The other was given to Sister Lucia of Fatima for the consecration of Russia specifically to bring about Russia’s conversion and a period of peace. The former was done by Pius XII on October 31, 1942. The latter has never been done, though many spread the error that John Paul II made this consecration in 1984. [Read more here: “Sr. Lucia Insisted Upon the Consecration of Russia – Appendix I,” website appendix to The Fatima Crusader, Issue 132 (Spring 2024).]
2) The Third Secret was not released in 1960 and then what was released in 2000 was missing the words of Our Lady. The disingenuous claim was made by Vatican officials that the prophecies of Fatima were complete. Yet Pope Benedict would correct that in 2010 on his visit to Fatima. [Read more here: The Fatima Crusader, Issue 130 (Spring 2023).]
3) Sister Lucia’s testimony has been falsified. She was formally silenced by the Pope in 1960. The vast work of Father Joaquin Alonso, the official Fatima archivist, was suppressed in 1975 just before it was scheduled for publication. His work included 24 volumes containing some 5396 documents. A small portion of his work was allowed to be printed, but only after being heavily edited. The rest remains locked under the strictest guard. In the 1980s, letters were forged in Sister Lucia’s name. False interviews of Sister Lucia have been conducted. And all these sources usually claimed that the Consecration of Russia was complete and Fatima was effectively a thing of the past. There is even an abundance of scientific and forensic evidence indicating that, at times, an imposter was trotted out in her place for various public events. [Read more here: The Fatima Crusader, Issue 132 (Spring 2024).]
Problems Stemming from Misquotes
Given so much deceit, it is not surprising that there is confusion over the Message. To complicate matters further, poor translations of Sister Lucia’s words have been published and key facts are sometimes mixed up.
These errors have led some well-intentioned Catholics, who wish to be faithful to Our Lady, to think that the time of Fatima has passed us by. They mistakenly think that “the window of opportunity” for having Russia consecrated is now closed. And so, it is now pointless to continue praying or petitioning for the proper consecration. As evidence for this they point to the great apostasy within the Church, the loss of true doctrine, the suppression of true worship, the abandonment of true morals, the forgetting of past devotions and disciplines, the crisis in priestly and religious vocations, the terrible scandals in the hierarchy, in short, the great revolution which has so dramatically changed Catholicism in these the past six decades.
And while these things have indeed happened, they actually confirm Our Lady of Fatima’s prophetic warnings, but they do not indicate that the time of Fatima has passed us by. Her words and those of Our Lord Himself correct that error. I’ll review the essential facts regarding this at the end of this podcast.
But much of this confusion seems to revolve around the phrase “it will be late.” as some think Our Lady and Our Lord said, “it will be too late.” That is false.
Fatima Expert and Renowned Mariologist
But first, let’s pose this question to Fatima expert and Marian scholar, Fr. Karl Stehlin. You can find many of his talks at our website and social media channels, and he has an excellent book on Fatima; it’s easy to read and divided into three short volumes. It’s called Fatima: A Spiritual Light For Our Times. We cannot recommend these books enough.
Father, is it now too late, or will it ever be too late, for the Pope to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
Father Stehlin’s Reply
No, it will never be too late – because this is exactly what Our Lady says.
But, it will be late. Very late. And Russia will have spread its errors all over the world, Our Lady says. This is absolutely what happened.
But, when he says it will be late, it will be a moment and we are living through that. And when this moment comes, it demands first of all a deep regret. We must make an act of contrition. All of us. We must truly be contrite [offer fitting reparation] if we want this time to accelerate.
When will the Consecration come? How it will it come? We don’t know. It seems it will never come. With such a Pope as we have now, can anyone even imagine such a thing? Now, the next Pope… who will that be? It’s hard to imagine. But Our Lady is strong enough.
And therefore, it is also our task to implore Our Lady, through our being faithful to Her, loving Her, to implore Her. Because Our Lady hears Her little children. And the more the children really insist: “Mother please, show that You are Our Mother. We need You. We are lost. Please help us now because nothing remains. Jesus Christ says if these days were not shortened, even the just would fall away. We are in this moment. We have no strength anymore. We are at the end of our powers. Help us now, Mother Mary!”
And then She will help us. How? When? With which means? It’s not important for us to know. She knows. And we trust Her.
Words from Our Lord and Our Lady Clarify the Matter
Dear Devotee of Our Lady, when dealing with this particular question of “late” vs. “too late” please consider the following key words from Heaven.
On July 13, 1917, Our Lady infallibly promised:
“In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
These are Our Lady’s words; they are certain. So, as long as we have not seen Russia’s conversion to the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church, outside of which there is no salvation, and we have not seen a period of world peace, then we know we are still awaiting the Consecration of Russia to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. We are awaiting Her Triumph, and the time of Fatima is certainly not passed.
The Warning at Rianjo
That should be enough. But there is more. In August of 1931, at Rianjo, Spain, Our Lord told Sister Lucia:
“Make it known to My ministers, given that they follow the example of the King of France in delaying the execution of My command, they will likewise follow him into misfortune. It is never too late to have recourse to Jesus and Mary.”
So, Our Lord explicitly says it will never be too late. He is cautioning us to never fall into this error of despair – which is a work of the devil – no matter how terrible things get, including severe punishments of His ministers. That term refers to the Pope and the bishops. And His command to the King of France refers to Our Lord’s request in 1689, through Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, for the Consecration of France to the Sacred Heart. The French kings not only delayed, but they did not obey. And so they suffered the loss of their crown, their authority, their life, and the corruption of their nation; both Altar and Throne were destroyed in France. [Read more here.]
And truly if you think about it, this concept, that it’s never too late to turn to Our Lord and Our Lady, should be something every Catholic knows in the depths of their souls; it is part of our sense of the Faith. And yet, there is still some more very important evidence we should review.
Private Revelation to Sister Lucia (1936)
In May 1936, as the flames of communist revolution were erupting in Spain, Italy was invading Ethiopia, Japan was expanding its empire in East Asia, the world was in a great depression, and all of Europe was heading towards a war more terrible than the Great War (which supposedly was going to be the war to end all wars), Sister Lucia asked Our Lord why He would not grant Russia the grace of conversion without its consecration. Our Savior replied:
“Because I wish all of My Church to recognize this consecration as a triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in order thereafter, to extend and place alongside devotion to My Divine Heart, devotion to this Immaculate Heart.” Lucia then replied “But, My God, the Holy Father will not believe me if You do not move him by special inspiration.” Our Lord replied “Oh! The Holy Father! Pray very much for the Holy Father. He will do it, but it will be late! However, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will save Russia. It has been entrusted to Her.”
Our Lord says they, the Pope and bishops, will do the Consecration. But it will be late. And by then Russia will have spread its errors. This has indeed happened – and is still happening! We are clearly living in this time of “lateness.” [Read more here.]
There Is No Controversy for God Has Revealed His Certain Will
These words of Our Lord should be enough to quell this controversy. Again and again, Heaven has said the Pope will consecrate Russia, and that it will come late. And from Our Lord’s words we also know the consecration must directly lead to the conversion of Russia, so that Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will be clearly seen as the instrument of Russia’s salvation, so that the whole Church will be devoted to the Immaculate Heart alongside the Sacred Heart.
At the root, this really is a spiritual battle: Good vs. Evil. All of this will only be resolved by direct divine intervention. The last few articles in The Fatima Crusader, Issue 133, address the solution. [Spoiler alert!] God has decreed, from before all time, that the victory will come through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us!
Immaculate Heart of Mary, be our salvation.
Read more about how the ‘errors of Russia’ have spread across the world in the 133rd Issue of The Fatima Crusader (Fall 2024), Communism: An Error of Russia.