Mulling over LEE LOFASO to STEVE ASHER 27 Apr 2003

Hi Lee!

>LL>Most Catholics do not follow the same logic, since
>LL>"dispensationalism" is a Protestant concept.

SA>Quite so, and while the Catholics I come in contact with have little
SA>knowledge of prophecy or interest in it (much like everyone else I
SA>know), there is a powerful current within Catholicism which drives
SA>it to convert the world and bring about an "Age of Mary". It sees
SA>Mary as conquering, though not militarily[?], and has parallels with
SA>things like the Project For The New American Century.

 LL> While "cult" can have a positive connotation, such as the
"cult of
 LL> Fatima" or the "cult of Lourdes", it can also have a
very negative
 LL> connotation, as in the case where some Catholics misuse religion as
 LL> a means of converting others to their particular point of view. 

I cannot say I've come across much of that in this city; not much
of note that Catholics could misuse [or use] to convert others to
a particular view. They are fairly low key... [see below].

SA>E.g. the [apparition of] Mary is reported to have said at Fatima:
SA>"In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph; the Holy Father will
SA>consecrate Russia to me, it will be converted and a certain period
SA>of peace will be granted to the world."
SA>["The Woman Shall Conquer", by Don Sharkey - has Imprimatur and
SA>Nihil Obstat 1952]

 LL> The cult of Fatima is not forced on those who do not believe.  And
 LL> no other cult is.  However, some Catholics try to impose their
 LL> views on others, including on other Catholics.  Recently, the third
 LL> part of the secret of Fatima has been released by the Vatican. 

The person who gave me that book is a Catholic priest, who has come
under notice of the local C. heirarchy for being a bit heretical in 
some of his beliefs & practices. He has no knowledge of prophecy as 
far as I can see, and no interest, but I snapped up the book when
he offered it to me.

 LL> Pope John Paul II had his righthand man, Ratzinger, write an
 LL> interpretation of that portion of the secret.  At the end of that
 LL> interpretation, Ratzinger said very specifically that it was not an
 LL> official interpretation, only an individual interpretation. 
 LL> Others, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, could interpret things any
 LL> way they want. Also, no Catholic is forced to believe the
 LL> apparitions of Mary as being real events.  Some believe, others do
 LL> not.

While they may not be forced to believe the apparitions of Mary, it seems
that they are forced to believe dogma such as the assumption of Mary; to
voluntarily believe otherwise is to indicate that [the person] "has
fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic faith", according
to Pope Pius XII when proclaiming that dogma of Mary's assumption in 1950.

SA>The current Pope certainly was instrumental, with Reagan & Gorbachev,
SA>in bringing about the end of the Soviet Union.

 LL> Religion had much more to do with it than politics.  The Cold War
 LL> had gone on for decades, with no thaw occurring until JP II came
 LL> along. Coincidence?  Or a deliberate plan by the Vatican?

SA>It goes on "Saints and mystics tell us that a glorious age is coming
SA>in which the Blessed Virgin will be recognized by men as their Queen.
SA>This will be the Age of Mary."

 LL> That would be an opinion stated by the author, not being any part
 LL> of the text of the secret of Fatima.

Quite so, and by itself would be of little importance.

 LL>   What is meant by the "Age of Mary" is open to question.

Some would equate it with the "New Age", when humans acknowledge
the "earth mother" or goddess, Gaia. 

 LL>   Some Catholics want the pope to name Mary as Co-Mediatrix (kind 
 LL> of like co-ruler with Jesus).  Most Catholics take an entirely 
 LL> different view, regarding Mary as important but not equal with God.

Very wise, for there is one mediator between God and man - Jesus Christ.

>>> Continued to next message

Cheers, Steve..

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