A new book clearly laying out Pope John Paul II's deep connection with Fatima was presented in Moscow last week, causing some observers in Russia to suggest that a papal visit to Russia is now one step nearer.

On October 16, the 23rd anniversary of John Paul II's pontificate, Aura Miguel, the most prominent Portuguese journalist in the Vatican press corps, presented in Moscow her book "The Secret that Leads the Pope."

"Events like this one (the presentation of the book) make the visit of the Pope to Russia even more likely," proclaimed Russian journalist Alexej Bugalov, correspondent for the Tass news agency at the Vatican.

Opening the ceremony, Bugalov spoke with great emotion of the Pope's recent visit to Kazakhstan, recalling fondly one of the banners at the papal Mass which proclaimed: "Holiness, we are waiting for you in Russia."

"Even if these words have not yet been pronounced by the Russian Orthodox Church," Bugalov continued, "they are pronounced by the simple faithful."

The thesis of Miguel's book is simple but intriguing: that the papacy of John Paul II is mysteriously sustained - "led" (as the title says) - by the Secret of Fatima.

Many, particularly in the Catholic world, know the story of the apparitions of Mary in Cova da Iria, Fatima, Portugal which began on May 13, 1917 and continued for six months, always on the 13th of the month (except in August, when the three children were imprisoned by the town's mayor). Scores of books in many languages have been written on Fatima, but few have traced out the connections between the Fatima apparitions and the papacy of Karol Wojtyla.

By presenting her book in Russia, Miguel has revealed a link between the life and work of Pope John Paul II and the Secret of Fatima that, until now, most Russian people had never heard of.

The book begins with the Pope's reawakening in the hospital after the assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square in May, 1981. One of those close to the Holy Father reminded him that the date of the assassination attempt was precisely the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima.

John Paul II, despite his precarious condition, immediately requested that all of the documents regarding the mystery of Fatima be brought to him.

The author speaks of the "clamorous" experience of the Pope, of his "entering into the mystery" by means of a bullet, of his attempts to follow the instructions given by Mary in her later apparitions of 1925, 1926 and 1929; of his correspondence with Sister Lucia, the only seer still living, who only after the consecration carried out in 1984 confirmed the fulfillment, in her view, of the Virgin's requests.

The author did not know the contents of the third secret when she published the first edition of the book and did not wait for the Holy Father to make it public. The subsequent revelation of the secret, however, only confirmed the thesis of the book, which was then re-issued, with the new information and explanatory notes.

Aura Miguel, during her presentation, made reference to Vittorio Messori's interview with the Holy Father in 1994, in which the renowned Italian journalist wanted to attribute to Pope John Paul II a decisive role in world history of the last 10 years. But the Pope demurred, saying he did nothing but proclaim the Gospel: "Proclaiming the Gospel brings, on it own, the affirmation of human values and of respect for the human person, and his freedom."

When Messori insisted, in a subsequent interview, on the Holy Father's role in the fall of communism, John Paul II, somewhat mysteriously, spoke of the message of Fatima, stressing that three young girls could not have understood or interpreted what they had heard. They were ignorant, did not know geography, history or the social changes that were occuring at that time, he said. "Perhaps this is also why the Pope was called from a far-away country," the Holy Father said, "and perhaps this is also why there had to be the assassination attempt in St. Peter's Square on the very day of May 13, 1981... so that all would become more transparent and understandable, so that the voice of God which speaks in the history of men through "the signs of the times," could be more easily heard and understood."

Aura Miguel added, "If the Pope believes that the assassination attempt was useful, this usefulness benefits all Christians, in the East and the West. It is also, then, thanks to the protective hand of the Virgin - which deflected the bullet - that we have had a pontificate in which the constant desire has been a unified Europe, which, even in its diversity, breathes with two lungs, Rome and Byzantium."

Though it cannot be known in this world whether it is really through this inexplicable connection between Fatima and the papacy of John Paul II that Communism fell and that Russia has opened itself to a more democratic and free regime, with the beginnings of religious liberty, it is clear that, through these events, the formerly perscuted Christians in the East have benefited.

A brief address by Viktor Popkov, the director of the book's Russian publishing house, confirmed this benefit, saying many Russian Christians look with hope to the mystery of Fatima, which speaks of a Russia which must "free herself from her errors."

This young Orthodox, who had first-hand experience of communist concentration camps, conveyed in a few simple words something of what Christians during those dark years experienced, when even carrying a religious book was considered an act against the state, punishable by harsh penalities.

"The 1970s were years of desperation," Popkov said. "All attempts to rebel or to construct something ended badly, so much so that many asked themselves what was the point of doing anything, of living the faith, spreading it, organizing seminars, teaching the catechism..."

The election of a Polish Pope in 1978 was a sign for many: "A slavic Pope, one of us, who knows well what communism is...," Popkov said. "At that moment the light of hope was lit that something big was beginning."

Yuri Karlov closed the evening's presentations with the following address which, for its clearness and incisiveness, we print in its entirety: "Again a thought, without which perhaps my attempt to understand the miracle of Fatima as a message meant for all Christians would be incomplete. We have spoken of the concrete ways in which the prophecies have been fulfilled on a political level; we have spoken of Gorbachev, his contacts, important political documents. But we must also keep in mind something else, which, allow me to repeat again, is that this was a message much more complex, addressed to all of us.

"Not only did Gorbachev visit the Vatican, but also the Metropolitan Yudenarij; not only did communist bureaucrats establish contact with the Vatican, but there was also the great Russian Orthodox Leader, Metropolitan Nikodim, the man who personally converted me to the Orthodox faith. There were complex negotiations with Metropolitan Kirill and finally a thought from Gorbachev himself, which at that time would have been difficult to publicize. Already, then, when speaking of the changes in our (Soviet Union) attitude toward religion, towards Christianity, towards the Church, Gorbachev said: "We stand in front of a triangle: the State, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Vatican. In this triangle, all must be well-defined. It could be that Fatima will truly be of help in this."

(Alessandro Schirru, an Italian Catholic journalist, has lived in Moscow with his wife and nine children since the early 1990s.)

Do not the secrets of Fatima contain a prophecy of the conversion of Russia? Obviously, this is has not occured yet (as one look at Russian society reveals). It is hard to see how it will occur during the pontificate of this pope since he has de-emphaized efforts at conversion to the Catholic Church in favor of ecumenism, such as the "two lungs" rhetoric, which obviously connotes the non-urgency, if not the non-necessity, of conversion.

Every leader weighs his power by his ability to prophecize correctly. The world is virtualy being haunted by demons. The sole and true prophecy is the one of God Who warned us about His abandoning us for sake of testing and education. Indeed, let us have a taste of Jiang's 1000 year worldwide communist reign, then maybe we will finaly come to understand Who God really is, and how indispensable He is to overthrow such powerful global god like reign against which we can less and less do because of lack of courrage.

I just love when the Pope declares us the "other" lung of the Church...it was the Catholics who schismed, period. If they want reunification, then the Popes have to swallow their pride and acknowledge their equality to each and every patriarch and not as over lords of the church....then there are those other little things like the made up concept of purgetory and such falicies.

Thanks for your concern for our conversion, I think we settled those issues in a series of wars stretching from the Catholic betrayal of Kieven Russ when it faced the Mongol hordes. Read this and memorize it: WE ARE NOT AND DO NOT WANT TO BE CATHOLIC

EVER!!!!!

. If you can't accept that, don't cross the border, capish?

John Paul II, somewhat mysteriously, spoke of the message of Fatima, stressing that three young girls could not have understood or interpreted what they had heard.

Especially since one of them was a BOY. (Francisco)

Ex89 (who once spent 5 days in Fatima with her now-deceased Grammy)

I hardly think that Holy Orthodoxy is loosing vitality. It has revived instantateously with the coming of freedom to its traditional heartland, is now the fastest growing Christian confession in Africa, and in 1995 was the fastest growing religious confession in percentage terms in the U.S. (almost all by conversion) and is now running neck and neck with Islam for that distinction. Orthodox monastic professions are running at their highest level world-wide at least since the days of the Tsars, if not ever, and we have no clergy shortages.

Perhaps he de-emphasize conversion because he knows that now and until the Second Coming, unless the Popes of Rome repent of their pride in declaring themselves to be the "Vicars of Christ" (as if He who promised, "Lo I am with you to the end of the age" is absent so as to need a vicar) and humbly submit to the canons and teachings of the Ecumenical Councils of the Holy Orthodox Church as they did before the 11th century, papal overtures to the Orthodox will always be met with the words St. Aleksander Nevsky used in replying to the Crusdaders who sought to reduce Holy Russia to papal rule:

"The traditions of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Councils we scrupulously keep. As for your words we hear them not. We do not want your doctrine."

These words were spoken by the saint in reply to the embassies of the Teutonic Knights before he defeated them, by the grace of God, in the Battle on the Ice.

Scared? Excuse me but as of last check, we are the fastest growing Christian church in America and we do not have to advertise on billboards for priests...as a matter of fact our Docternal purity and the fact that parish priests are married is bringing quite a few Catholic priests over. And since Eastern Europe (with the discarding of Communism) has once more overwhelmingly become Orthodox and our major missions in Kenya, India and most of SE Asia...hardly. Are the Catholics paranoid of loosing people so that they have to come to Orthodox countries to poach?

Less afraid as to more insulted. After the not so nice history and countless betrayals of the last thousand years...please, you should be able to understand this. That and the Pope's kissing of the Koran and acknowledging of Islam and pandering to the NWO crowd in the past decade sure as hell doesn't endear him to us.

Your outbursts reflect badly on yourself and the faith you espouse.

Whenever there is a piece which extols JP II's role in undermining atheistic communism, the greatest naysayers are invariably those who claim to be Orthodox, rather than others who might be expected to have a greater animus, such as Jews, atheists, Protestants or pagans.

Maybe this is because Orthodoxy's own contribution to the opposition of communism, was at best, unremarkable.

Yes, thousands of dead priests is sooo unremarkable. You are so right. I am so sorry, we should be kissing your arse, especially when our other great liberators had so much Vatican support, you know those nifty northern guys from Germany: the Nazies.

I have nothing directly against Catholicism, except on the theological level...but when you act hunky doory like nothing is wrong, you insult our intelligence by making the last millinium of transgressions seem indifferent...well they are not. As things stand now, you'll have a better chance of reunifying with the 40 thousand + branches of protestantism then with Orthodoxy.

If you want our forgiveness for your transgressions, as Christians we'll give it to you but if you want us to simply forget them or ignore them while singing your praises then, brother, I can only say: get off the crack...it's killing your brain cells.

When ever Catholics start talking to us Orthodox it almost always comes down to trying to talk to us like some errant children who've wondered away from their parents...the prodical sons...well sorry, we're not. So next time you can't figure out where the hostility is coming from, try for once to see things form our point of view...and we are not your prodical children...you were the ones who Schismed and invented dogma on the fly.

These words were spoken by the saint in reply to the embassies of the Teutonic Knights before he defeated them, by the grace of God, in the Battle on the Ice.

You mean when Bart Star beat the Cowboys in the closing seconds? ;-)

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