Subject: Letter from the Phillipines to the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei
Hello friends,
here I like to report about the sleazy action against the Lady of all Nations by a small number of extreme orthodox catholics from the Phillipines.
Initiated by a simular small group of persons from the Netherlands, they started an action by overflowing Phillipine episcopate with letters with questions about the line Who once was Mary in the prayer of All Nations.
According to these extreme orthodox catholics Mary could never had said that, as they refuse to see that it is nothing more than stating that Our Holy Mother once was a normal girl. Same you could say: Benedict XVI who once was Joseph Ratzinger.
But these extremist are merely jealous that the Lady of all Nations is here more popular as Our Lady of Fatima. Thats all,
So they kept on writing. But the bishops here refused to say anything negative about the Amsterdam Apparition.
So on October 25, 2004 they asked the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei what they had to say about this line Who once was Mary. It was one of the two questions in this letter.
Well, secretary Don Angelo Amato SDB answered that the Apparitions of Amsterdam were recognized by the Church, but a devotional prayer, as that of All Nations, is not a prayer of the canon of prayers by the Roman Catholic Church. Now there was concern about the line Who once was Mary, he advised not to use this line during congregational gatherings.
I hope that all people who believe in the apparitions of Amsterdam do not think that Fillipinos have problems with the prayer of All Nations. It is just a small group of fanatics who use anything to condemn this miracle. And in fact misuse the Phillipine bishops and the Roman Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei to fix them up with a problem where there is no problem.
We love the Lady of all Nations, Antonio from Manilla.
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Alverio
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RE: Letterfrom the Fillipines to the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei
Dear Antonio, I think that the secretary of the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei Don Angelo Amato made a mistake. The prayer of 'The Lady of All Nations' has since 1951 enjoyed Church approval by Msgr. Huibers, who was Bishop of Haarlem at the time.
I think Don Angelo Amato overlooked the fact that Cardinal Ratzinger in 1996 was consultated by Dutch bishop Bomers. Resulting in the clarification regarding the title and the prayer of 'The Lady of All Nations'.
On May 31, 1996, the feast of The Visitation of Mary, Msgr. Bomers declared, in aggreement with his earlier consultation with Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) that there is no objection against the public veneration and the prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title 'Lady of all Nations'.
I think, in the pressure of the circumstances, Msgr. Angelo Amato overlooked the fact that his boss prior gave green light to the Prayer of all Nations, including the line Who once was Mary!
Rev. Fr. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, S.T.D. is rector of the Diocesan Seminary of Imus and Member of the International Theological Commission, but not the Chairman of the ECDF, a consultative body meant to assist the Episcopal Conference itself and the individual bishops in the teaching of the faith.
It should be noted that ECDF (and the CBCP as such) does not replace an individual bishop's God-given authority to teach and safeguard the faith to the flock entrusted to him. The Rev. Fr. Luis Antonio G. Tagle is not the Chairman. That is Archbishop Pedro R. Dean, the Vice-Chairman is Archbishop Diosdado A. Talamayan. Dom Tagle is not even a member of the Commission of the doctrine of the faith, as the members are Bishop Antonieto D. Cabajog, Bishop Wilfredo D. Manlapaz, Bishop Emilio Z. Marquez, Bishop Jose S. Palma and Bishop Antonio R. Rańola.
We regret that this simpatico Bishop Tagle was misleaded and misused by opponents of the Lady of all Nations, who seems to act against the Roman Catholic Church itself, by opposing a recognized apparition.
Dear Dom José Maria, As you maybe know, the ECDF counts on the help of a group of Consultors, experts in the sacred sciences and professors in various faculties of theology. These Consultors are Rev. Fr. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, the Rev. Fr. Catalino G. Arevalo, S.J., Msgr. Sabino Vengco, Fr. Tamerlane R. Lana, O.P., Fr. Lope Robredillo, Fr. Jose Antonio E. Aureada, O.P., Fr. Rene Lagaya, SDB, Fr. Jerry Bitoon and Gregory D. Gaston. But decisions made by ECDF are to be attributed to the Bishops-members of the commission alone, among them the rev. Fr. Luis Tagle.
Vatican secretary Amato against the Lady of All Nations
SAN PABLO CITY - The secretary of Vatican City's Congregatio Pro Doctrina Fidei (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), Angelo Amato outraged many on the Phillipines and the world as he overuled prior judgement by Benedict XVI and wrote that he does not permit "to pray to the Mother of God" under the title of 'Lady of All Nations' with the added phrase 'who was once Mary'.
A strange move by Amato, as pope Benedict XVI as head of this same Congregation, discussed this matter in 1996, prior to the approval of the public veneration of The Blessed Virgin Mary under the title Mother (or Lady) of all Nations on May 31 that same year. In the judgement of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger there was no objection against the Prayer for all Nations, as it enjoyed Church approval since 1951, given by Msgr. Huibers, who was Bishop of Amsterdam at the time.
However, the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) was put under fire. Receiving letters directly adressed with the question 'how to understand the line "Who Once was Mary' from the Prayer visionary Ida Peerdeman receives from the mouth of Our Lady on February 11, 1951.
LORD JESUS CHRIST, SON OF THE FATHER, SEND NOW YOUR SPIRIT OVER THE EARTH. LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVE IN THE HEARTS OF ALL NATIONS, THAT THEY MAY BE PRESERVED FROM DEGENERATION, DISASTER AND WAR. MAY THE LADY OF ALL NATIONS, WHO ONCE WAS MARY, BE OUR ADVOCATE. AMEN.
Nearly every one who hears or says this prayer for the first time stops for a moment in surprise and wonders, as did the visionary: “But you have always been Mary, the same Mary now as you were then, and not anyone else!” Of course, we can always address Mary as “Mary”, like we repeat many times in the Hail Mary when we pray the Rosary.
But the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines had no idea how to response to the questions about 'Who once was Mary'.
So Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle, rector of the Diocesan Seminary of Imus wrote a letter to Rome. concerning the "form of devotion being promoted in our country known as Lady of All Nations". The answer by secretary Angelo Amato stunned the Phillipines, after a copy of his letter leaked to the Barangay Newspaper.
Amato wrote: "With regard to the devotion known as 'Lady of All Nations' and the Marian apparitions experienced by the late visionary Ida Peerdeman, I wish to advise Your Excellency that although the said apparitions have received approval from His Excellency the Most Rev. Joseph Maria Punt, Bishop of Haarlem (Holland), in his Comunications of 31 May 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has expressed concern regarding one particular aspect of that devotion whereby official prayers invoke the Blessed Virgin as Lady of All Nations 'who was once Mary'", wrote Most Rev. Angelo Amato SDB, the CPDF secretary.
Amato, the Titular Archbishop of Sila, Italy added: "In fact, this Dicastery, in a letter to His Excellency, The Most Rev. Francois Bacque, Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, has indicated that Marian devotion must be nourished and developed in accordance with the indications given by the Holy Father in "Redemptoris Mater" and "Rosarium Virginis Mariae" and not according to private apparitions nor according to a 'new' name of Mary, such as "Lady of All Nations who was once Mary".
"Your Excellency is requested to take into consideration the above mentioned advisory and inform the members of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Philippines that the CPDF does not permit any Catholic community of Christ's Faithful to pray to the Mother of God under the title of 'Lady of All Nations' with the added expression 'who was once Mary'.
Why secretary Amato overules the judgement of 1996 by his Chief Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. When the pope as head of the Congregation had no objection against the Prayer, as it had Church approval since 1951?
Through her suffering, united with the Redeemer, the Mother of Jesus also became the Lady, the Mother of All Nations and she wishes now in our time to be recognized and to be loved as such by all mankind. And this Who once was Mary may be applied to the Holy Father as wel: “Pope Benedict XVI, who once was Joseph Ratzinger!” The visionary herself made comparisons like the following to help others understand. Just as the little, playful girl Beatrix already had the vocation to one day become the Queen of the Netherlands, so too, Mary, who once lived as a hidden, simple little girl in the unknown town of Nazareth, became the Mother, the Lady of All Nations.
I think the Bishop's Conference of the Philippines never would have forwarded the question to Rome as they knew that Our Lady herself had explains the prayer on July 2, 1951, in a clear, short, and simple way: Who once was Mary’ means: many people have known Mary as Mary. Now, however, in this new era which is about to begin, I wish to be the Lady of All Nations.
Prudencio Cortes Letter from Angelo Amato by courtesy of The Barangay.
Do the opponents of the Lady of All Nations in the Philippines, and their Dutch instigators, realize that they are voicing the tricky old snake? And do the so-called confused Philippine bishops - by pretending not to understand the Lady's supernatural prayer and by asking Rome for an explanation - realize that they are playing the devil's game?
The real issue here is the question to the church, to all faithful which is: who is Mary really, and do we fully understand Her role as universal Mother given to us by the Lord Jesus on Cavarie. Is She just the ultimate Saint or does God foresaw her role in His divine plan of Salvation?
This discussion seems to me very important and ligitimate.
Yes, you are right. The real issue is that God foresaw her (Mary's) role in His divine plan of salvation. More even: He foresaw in Mary His incarnation.
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Salvador
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RE: Letter from the Phillipines to the Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei
What better way to subvert the legitimacy of the Church's approval of the prayer than to create doubt by disseminating false information. Such a ruse is very clever and meant to undermine the victory and era of peace that Our Mother, the Lady of All Nations, promised us. Remember the Lady of All Nations warned us to beware of false prophets! The Lady of All Nations asked over and over that the Order of Preachers, Dominicans, take charge of the chapel, the spreading of the messages and prayer. Now those who are currently there have stated that there aren't any. While that is true of Amsterdam, there are plenty Dominicans throughout the world who are orthodox, understand the truth, take a vow of charity, renowned as theologians and love to preach. Furthermore, they are Our Mother's personal order; the Order of Preachers is the only order that is required to make a vow to Our Lady.
Pray that Our Lady's request to the Dominicans be made known to them and that they obey her requests.
Continue to say the prayer of the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, of whom Christ asked us "...behold thy Mother".
The apparitions of the Holy Virgin in Amsterdam are very strange. There are to many controversies about all of these apparitions to lady I. Peerdeman+ (R.I.P.). The prayer has been changed. The most Catholics in Holland don't believe those apparitions, not even the from Fatima, the most of them doesn't know about Amsterdam at all. Too many apparitions, too much details about the future.
When someone says she warns about false prophets, Jesus said there long before. See Matthew 24, it's a warning for this time. Why couldn't be the apparitions of St. Mary false prophecies as well?
Why should we believe only the people who says they have apparitions of St. Mary or are seeing visions. It's rather dangerous to believe in all such things. And it 's Lord Jesus who says this 2000 years ago!!!
You don't have to believe in any apparitions but if you do you must be sure that they are approved by the local ordinary -bishop of that diocese. The prayer was approved in 1951. Veneration of the image was approved also. The apparitions were given official approbation by the late Bishop Boomers.
I agree with you that something is not quite right now that according to Bishop Punt the Vatican's Confraternity for the Doctrine of the Faith has suddenly stepped in and disapproved of the prayer with the phrase "who once was Mary". The fact is there is no such Vatican document. The fact is that approval could only come from the local ordinary which happened in 1951. According to the canon law of the Catholic Church approbation (approval) or disapproval can only be made by the bishop of a diocese. It certainly makes you wonder about Bishop Punt and those at the apparition sight.
