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Correspondence:
5/14/07
Question: Father Mitch has been part of a campaign against the Poem. Are you aware of his 2001 article posted on CatholicCulture.org entitled: "Is the Poem of the Man-God Simply a Bad Novel?"? Furthermore, in 1995 he was a guest on Mother Angelica Live (EWTN), where he was critical of Maria and her works.
http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?RecNum=3365
Name withheld upon request.
Response from Webmaster: In 1948, after reading the Poem, Pope Pius XII said: "Who reads it, will understand". While reading Father Mitch’s article, it becomes clear that he never read any part of what he critiqued. Therefore, as the Holy Pontiff prophesied, he was unable to understand. This presents a complex predicament, because Father Mitch is a well known, loved, respected TV personality and Theological Teacher.
Witnesses reported that just prior to the Fatima miracle, a Priest attempted to disperse the crowd, declaring it was a hoax. When that failed, he attempted to physically pick up the children and remove them. Again, the crowd prevented him. Perhaps Father Mitch has become overzealous at protecting the flock from something he incorrectly perceived as deception.
The miracle of Fatima was one of the greatest miracles of all time, for several reasons. It was witnessed by over 100,000 people, even as far as 32 miles away. All who witnessed it were astonished by the spectacular demonstration of the miracle. Not only did they see the fire of the sun detach itself and fall upon the earth, but they felt the intense heat. The flooded grounds and their soaked clothes from the torrential rain, just prior to the miracle, dried up immediately before their eyes. Some were up to their ankles in mud, then standing upon dry soil. Moreover, it was the only miracle in the history of the world that God performed at a predicted time and place. As the Holy Mother of God explained: "So that all may believe". And who believed? The atheist communist tabloids acknowledged it as a miracle by God the very next morning. It took thirteen long years before the Holy Roman Catholic Church acknowledged the Fatima Miracle to be of Divine origin. Previous to that, witnesses reported that Priests that believed and defended the children were transferred far away from the local Parishes, (Fatima: "Meet the Witnesses", by John M. Haffert). How badly we behave in response to great miracles, even back to the times when Moses parted the sea. And yet, we incredulous people wonder why there are so few miracles today. "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief"’ (Matt 13:58).
Persecution of Holy people dates back to the slaying of Abel, to the condemnation of Christ by the Chief Priests and Pharisees, to the Stoning of Saint Steven, to our present day. Consider how Saul, who was a good Jew, held the coats of those stoning Saint Steven. It is an enigma as to why some good people feel compelled to disparage some of the most wonderful gifts of God, along with those who make these gifts available to us. I’m sure those who condemned Padre Pio and Blessed Sister Faustina felt just as confident they were doing the right thing at the time. The word of God prevails, and at some point in the future, the finger of God in Maria’s writings will be fully recognized.
We had posted a detailed and respectful rebuttal to Father Mitch's article from this site. However, we recently replaced it with an exceptional response by Johnathan Baker from Mother of All Peoples.