The Marian Multiplier
Luigi Cardinal Ciappi’s letter of August 24,1989, reveals the immense spiritual effects of consecration to
Mary and the importance of the daily living of consecration.
00120 Citta del Vaticano
Vatican City
August 24,1989
Dear Jerry and Gwen Coniker and all the families of The Apostolate,
I wish to encourage your continued stress on total consecration to Jesus through Mary.
Paragraph 4 of Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences states:
“By the hidden and kindly mystery of God’s will, a supernatural solidarity reigns among men. A consequence
of this is that the sin of one person harms other people, just as one person’s holiness helps others.”
If this is true, how true it is that when we give all our merits to Mary, she multiplies them by her own
incalculable merits. This puts into motion positive spiritual forces to repair the damage due to sin and significantly
change the course of history, if enough make this commitment.
Mary’s merits can multiply the effects of one person’s holiness and help countless souls. Only Heaven
knows the depth of holiness a soul must achieve to tip the scales for world peace.
I agree that this apostolate of family consecration is the best way to defeat the scourge of abortion and
renew family life.
The spiritual offensive must always be in the vanguard, presupposing all other activities.
The “Marian Era of Evangelization Campaign” can put into motion a chain of events to bring about that
era of peace promised at Fatima.With His Holiness Pope John Paul II, we look expectantly and prayerfully
for this era to begin with the dawn of the third millennium, the year 2001.
Praying for the success of your most needed apostolate, I remain,
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Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Mario Luigi Cardinal Ciappi, O.P.
Pro-Theologian of the Pontifical Household
Greatest Miracle in the History of the World
Luigi Cardinal Ciappi’s letter of October 9, 1994, talks about the greatest miracle in the history of the world
as he addressed the Apostolate for Family Consecration’s annual Totus Tuus Family Conference.
00120 Citta del Vaticano
Vatican City
October 9, 1994
Dear Jerry and Gwen:
Once again, your Totus Tuus “Consecrate Them in Truth” Conference will be serving the Church in a
very timely way.
I want to thank everyone who will be attending the Conference this November in Philadelphia, which
is focused on the priorities and spirituality of Pope John Paul II. It will truly give families a strong motivation
to deepen their knowledge of the Faith and to share it with others in their neighborhoods.
Your use of the social communications and the way in which you are using audio and video
tape is a “fail-safe method” of teaching and will allow families of today’s media culture, which
the Holy Father frequently mentions, to become powerful instruments of the Immaculata to
bring about the era of peace she promised at Fatima.
Yes, a miracle was promised at Fatima, the greatest miracle in the history of the world, second
only to the Resurrection. And that miracle will be an era of peace which has never really
been granted before to the world.
I believe that this peace will begin in the domestic church, the family, and go out to the parishes and
into the diocese, the country, and the world. This lasting peace will be the fruit of a life of service and of
evangelizing one’s family and neighbors with the truth that will set them free!
Our Blessed Mother promised us this era of peace if we say the daily Rosary, practice the First
Saturday Communion of Reparation, and live lives consecrated in the truth. This consecration includes giving
all of our possessions, both interior and exterior, to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and,
as you know, in the Apostolate for Family Consecration, we like to add, “in union with St. Joseph.”
As the primary theological advisor to The Apostolate for Family Consecration since 1979, I
have reminded its members frequently that consecration is not just a prayer or a devotion but
a commitment to a way of life which must be nourished through continuous formation in the
eternal truths of our faith.
Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary,
Mario Luigi Cardinal Ciappi, O.P.
Papal Theologian Emeritus for Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John
Paul I, and John Paul II
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V. Reparation for Sin
Excerpts from the Apostolic Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences, Pope Paul VI, January 1, 1967
[The numbers found at the end of the paragraphs refer to section numbers in Pope Paul VI’s document.]
Sins Must be Expiated
The truth has been divinely revealed that sins are followed by punishments. God’s holiness and justice
inflict them. Sins must be expiated…
In fact, every sin upsets the universal order God, in his indescribable wisdom and limitless love, has
established. Further, every sin does immense harm to the sinner himself and to the community of men. (2)
What Expiation Involves
The full taking away and, as it is called, reparation for sin requires two things. Firstly, friendship with
God must be restored. Amends must be made for offending his wisdom and goodness. This is done by a sincere
conversion of mind. Secondly, all the personal and social values, as well as those that are universal,
which sin has lessened or destroyed must be fully made good....
The very fact that punishment for sin exists and that it is so severe make it possible for us to understand
how foolish and malicious sin is and how harmful its consequences are.
The doctrine of Purgatory clearly demonstrates that even when the guilt of sin has been taken away,
punishment for it or the consequences of it may remain to be expiated or cleansed. (3)
The Communion of Saints
By the hidden and kindly mystery of God’s will a supernatural solidarity reigns among men. A consequence
of this is that the sin of one person harms other people just as one person’s holiness helps others. (4)
Following in Christ’s steps, those who believe in him have always tried to help one another along the
path which leads to the heavenly Father, through prayer, the exchange of spiritual goods and penitential
expiation. The more they have been immersed in the fervor of love, the more they have imitated Christ in
His sufferings. They have carried their crosses to make expiation for their own sins and the sins of others.
They were convinced that they could help their brothers to obtain salvation from God, Who is the Father
of mercies. This is the very ancient dogma called the Communion of Saints. It means that the life of each
individual son of God is joined in Christ and through Christ by a wonderful link to the life of all his other
Christian brethren.Together they form the supernatural unity of Christ’s Mystical Body so that, as it were,
a single mystical person is formed. (5)
What Indulgences Are: The Church’s Authoritative Intervention
The taking away of the temporal punishment due to sins when their guilt has already been forgiven
has been called specifically “indulgences…”
In fact, in granting an indulgence, the Church uses its powers as minister of Christ’s Redemption…
The authorities of the Church have two aims in granting indulgences. The first is to help the faithful
to expiate their sins. The second is to encourage them to do works of piety, penitence and charity, particularly
those which lead to growth in faith and which help the common good.
Further, if the faithful offer indulgences by way of intercession for the dead they cultivate charity in an
excellent way. (8)
VI. Take Up Your Cross Daily
As Holy Week approaches, Christ’s invitation to deny oneself and take up one’s cross is more pressing
than ever, the Holy Father said on Sunday, 1 April, before leading the recitation of the Angelus with the
faithful in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope said that this invitation particularly applies to young people, to
whom the Church presents the Lord’s message “without shortcuts”. Here is a translation of his reflection,
which was given in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
1. Today we begin the last stage of our Lenten journey, which next Sunday will bring us into Holy Week.
As we approach the great event of Easter, we hear Jesus’ invitation more pressing than ever: “If anyone
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would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23).
This demanding condition, which Jesus sets for anyone who wishes to follow him, must form the
Christian lifestyle, which Lent urges us to examine, renew and deepen. Jesus does not propose mortification
as an end in itself. In fact, “denying oneself” and “taking up one’s cross” mean thoroughly accepting
one’s responsibility before God and our neighbour. The Son of God was faithful to the mission entrusted to
him by the Father, to the point of shedding his blood for our salvation. He asks his followers to do the same
by giving themselves without reserve to God and to their brethren.
By treasuring these words of his, we discover how Lent is the time for a fruitful deepening of our faith.
It has a lofty educational value, particularly for young people, who are called to give clear direction to their
lives. To each of them Christ says again: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up
his cross daily and follow me”.
2. Dear young people, this is precisely the theme of my Message for the 16th World Youth Day, which will
be celebrated next Sunday, Palm Sunday, in every Diocese.
Christ is demanding with his disciples, and the Church does not hesitate to repropose his Gospel to you
“without shortcuts”. Those who are taught by the Divine Master lovingly embrace his Cross, which leads
to the fullness of life and happiness. Is it not the Cross which for 15 years now has led the pilgrimage of
young people on the occasion of the World Youth Days?
Next Sunday at the end of the Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square, this Cross, which has traveled around
the world, will be handed over by Rome’s young people to those of Toronto, the Canadian city that will host
the World Youth Meeting in July 2002.
3. To prepare ourselves for this inspiring ceremony, I invite you, dear young people of Rome, to come here,
to St. Peter’s Square, next Thursday afternoon. We will spend a time of prayer, reflection and celebration
together. I am expecting you in large numbers and, while waiting to meet you, I entrust you and your peers
from every nation and continent to the Blessed Virgin, that she may lead you to meet her Son, Jesus.
(Printed with permission of L’Osservatore Romono.)
VII. Summary Articles on the Fatima Message from the
Vatican Information Service
(Note: section numbers added.)
Presentation of Text of Third Secret of Fatima
1. VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office, the document “The
Message of Fatima’’ was presented. It has been prepared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
and carries the signatures of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., respectively
prefect and secretary of the congregation.
The document, which is over 40 pages long, has been published in English, French, Italian, Spanish,
German, Portuguese and Polish. It is made up of an introduction by Archbishop Bertone; the first and second
parts of the “secret’’ of Fatima in Sr. Lucia’s original text dated August 31, 1941 and addressed to the
bishop of Leiria-Fatima, and a translation; the photostatic reproduction of the original manuscript of the
third part of the “secret’’ and a translation; John Paul II’s letter to Sr. Lucia dated April 19, 2000, and a
translation; a summary of Sr. Lucia’s conversation with Archbishop Bertone and Bishop Serafim de Sousa
Ferreira e Silva of Leiria-Fatima which took place on April 27, 2000, in the Carmel Monastery of St. Teresa
of Coimbra, Portugal; the words of Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Sodano at the end of the beatification
of Jacinta and Francisco on May 13, 2000; a theological commentary by Cardinal Ratzinger.
2. In his introduction, Archbishop Bertone affirms that “Fatima is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modern
apparitions...in 1917 no one could have imagined all this: the three ‘pastorinhos’ of Fatima see, listen
and remember, and Lucia, the surviving witness, commits it all to paper when ordered to do so by the
Bishop of Leiria and with Our Lady's permission.’’
He continues: “The third part of the ‘secret’ was written…on January 3, 1944. There is only one manuscript,
which is here reproduced photostatically. The sealed envelope was initially in the custody of the
Bishop of Leiria. To ensure better protection for the ‘secret’ the envelope was placed in the secret archives
of the Holy Office on April 4, 1957. The Bishop of Leiria informed Sr. Lucia of this.’’
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3. The secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith indicates that “according to the records
of the Archives, the Commissary of the Holy Office, Fr. Pierre Paul Philippe O.P., with the agreement of
Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, brought the envelope containing the third part of the ‘secret of Fatima’ to Pope
John XXIII on August 17, 1959. ‘After some hesitation,’ His Holiness said: ‘We shall wait. I shall pray. I
shall let you know what I decide.’ In fact Pope John XXIII decided to return the sealed envelope to the Holy
Office and not to reveal the third part of the ‘secret.’ Paul VI read the contents with the Substitute,
Archbishop Angelo Dell’Acqua, on March 27, 1965 and returned the envelope to the Archives of the Holy
Office, deciding not to publish the text. John Paul II, for his part, asked for the envelope containing the
third part of the ‘secret’ following the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981,’’ and this was given to
Archbishop Eduardo Martinez Somalo, Substitute of the Secretariat of State, on July 18 of the same year.
On August 11 it was returned to the Archives of the Holy Office.
4. “As is well known,’’ added Archbishop Bertone, “Pope John Paul II immediately thought of consecrating
the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he himself composed a prayer for what he called an
‘Act of Entrustment’ which was to be celebrated in the Basilica of St. Mary Major on June 7, 1981.’’
“In order to respond more fully to the requests of ‘Our Lady,’ the Holy Father desired to make more
explicit during the Holy Year of the Redemption the Act of Entrustment of June 7, 1981, which had been
repeated in Fatima on May 13, 1982.’’
“Sr. Lucia,’’ continued the archbishop, “personally confirmed that this solemn and universal act of consecration
corresponded to what Our Lady wished. Hence any further discussion or request is without
basis.’’
5. Sr. Lucia had already hinted at the interpretation of the third part of the ‘secret’ in a letter to the Holy
Father dated May 12, 1982. That letter is also published in the document.
Finally, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone indicates that “the decision of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to
make public the third part of the ‘secret’ of Fatima brings to an end a period of history marked by tragic
human lust for power and evil, yet pervaded by the merciful love of God and the watchful care of the
Mother of Jesus and of the Church.’’
Complete Translation of the Original Text
1. VATICAN CITY, JUN 26, 2000 (VIS) - Given below is the complete translation of the original
Portuguese text of the third part of the secret of Fatima, revealed to the three shepherd children at Cova
da Iria-Fatima on July 13, 1917, and committed to paper by Sr. Lucia on January 3, 1944:
“I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of
Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine.
2. “After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw
an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they
would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards
him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice:
‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people
appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that
it was the Holy Father’. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at
the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching
there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step,
afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached
the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who
fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops,
priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the
two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they
gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.’’
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