The Pope

The Holy Father: Attacked from all sides.

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Fr. Z posted a request for prayer and sacrifice to be offered for the intentions of the Holy Father, in view of the very public dissent he suffers from priests, bishops, cardinals, and of course, dissenting Catholic groups as well as secular groups and media. It truly is unprecedented what is happening worldwide. It may seem as if the general dissent simply coasted into place, but that is not the case. It has been fermenting for a very long time, and it required only a few determined statements concerning Catholic teaching, faith and morals, as well as liturgical direction, for the venom to explode.

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Just look at the headlines in Catholic media. Austrian bishops and clergy are in open revolt , priests of the diocese of Linz have forced the resignation of a newly appointed bishop for their diocese, the Cardinal in the UK refused to allow Archbishop Burke to celebrate Mass in Westminster in June - the list goes on. Indeed, the Holy Father is being attacked from all sides.

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What's going on.

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Such things were foretold in the prophecy of St. John Bosco, and later in the Fatima revelations - "The Holy Father will have much to suffer." Even more specifically, in the approved apparition at Akita, Our Lady left the following warning - which appears to be reaching fulfillment in these days:

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"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms that will remain for you will be the Rosary and Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the pope, the bishops, and the priests."

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"The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their conferees…churches and altars sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromise and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them." - Source

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Art: Vision of Don Bosco. Recently the Holy Father asked for prayers for the "Barque of Peter". It seemed to me this was an (inadvertent) allusion to the prophecy of Don Bosco. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.