Most faithful Catholics sense that the messages of Our Lady of Fatima are now more important than ever. In his book Our Lady of Fatima, Dr. William Thomas Walsh included his 1946 interview with the oldest of the Fatima seers, Sister Lucia:

Sister Lucia: “What Our Lady wants is that the Pope and all the bishops in the world shall consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart on one special day. If this is done, she will convert Russia and there will be peace. If it is not done, the errors of Russia will spread through every country of the world.”

Dr. Walsh: “Does this mean, in your opinion, that every country, without exception, will be overcome by Communism?”

Sister Lucia: “Yes.”

Media outlets can now spread their lies with such impunity that they have no shame in declaring obvious facts to be lies and obvious nonsense to be truth.

It has never been more clear that the “errors of Russia” have spread throughout the world. If we study Pope Pius XI’s 1937 encyclical on atheistic Communism, Divini Redemptoris, we can recognize the extent to which “the errors of Russia” have become embedded in Western cultures today, even in nations that retain the semblance of democratic elections and capitalist economies:

Fatal Plague of Communism. “Later on, another of Our predecessors, the immortal Leo XIII, in his Encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris, defined Communism as ‘the fatal plague which insinuates itself into the very marrow of human society only to bring about its ruin.’”

False Messianic Idea. “The Communism of today, more emphatically than similar movements in the past, conceals in itself a false messianic idea. A pseudo-ideal of justice, of equality and fraternity in labor impregnates all its doctrine and activity with a deceptive mysticism, which communicates a zealous and contagious enthusiasm to the multitudes entrapped by delusive promises.”

You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy. “Communism, moreover, strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. . . . Nor is the individual granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement.”

How could this have happened if we had not been conquered in some hidden yet real sense?

By Nature Anti-Religious. “For the first time in history we are witnessing a struggle, cold-blooded in purpose and mapped out to the least detail, between man and ‘all that is called God.’ Communism is by its nature anti-religious. It considers religion as ‘the opiate of the people’ because the principles of religion which speak of a life beyond the grave dissuade the proletariat from the dream of a Soviet paradise which is of this world.

Destruction of the Family. “Refusing to human life any sacred or spiritual character, such a doctrine logically makes of marriage and the family a purely artificial and civil institution, the outcome of a specific economic system. There exists no matrimonial bond of a juridico-moral nature that is not subject to the whim of the individual or of the collectivity. Naturally, therefore, the notion of an indissoluble marriage-tie is scouted. Communism is particularly characterized by the rejection of any link that binds woman to the family and the home, and her emancipation is proclaimed as a basic principle. She is withdrawn from the family and the care of her children, to be thrust instead into public life and collective production under the same conditions as man. The care of home and children then devolves upon the collectivity. Finally, the right of education is denied to parents, for it is conceived as the exclusive prerogative of the community, in whose name and by whose mandate alone parents may exercise this right.”

Full of Errors and Sophisms. “Such, Venerable Brethren, is the new gospel which bolshevistic and atheistic Communism offers the world as the glad tidings of deliverance and salvation! It is a system full of errors and sophisms. It is in opposition both to reason and to Divine Revelation. It subverts the social order, because it means the destruction of its foundations; because it ignores the true origin and purpose of the State; because it denies the rights, dignity and liberty of human personality.”

We can see why Our Lady of Fatima’s prophetic messages center around the spread of the “errors of Russia” [Communism]. Those errors invariably separate man from God and can only be overcome through man returning to God.

Propagated by Deception. “How is it possible that such a system, long since rejected scientifically and now proved erroneous by experience, how is it, We ask, that such a system could spread so rapidly in all parts of the world? The explanation lies in the fact that too few have been able to grasp the nature of Communism. The majority instead succumb to its deception, skillfully concealed by the most extravagant promises. By pretending to desire only the betterment of the condition of the working classes, by urging the removal of the very real abuses chargeable to the liberalistic economic order, and by demanding a more equitable distribution of this world's goods (objectives entirely and undoubtedly legitimate), the Communist takes advantage of the present world-wide economic crisis to draw into the sphere of his influence even those sections of the populace which on principle reject all forms of materialism and terrorism. . . . These in turn become the apostles of the movement among the younger intelligentsia who are still too immature to recognize the intrinsic errors of the system.”

Exploitation of Racial and Political Divisions. “The preachers of Communism are also proficient in exploiting racial antagonisms and political divisions and oppositions. They take advantage of the lack of orientation characteristic of modern agnostic science in order to burrow into the universities, where they bolster up the principles of their doctrine with pseudo-scientific arguments.”

Diabolical Propaganda. “There is another explanation for the rapid diffusion of the Communistic ideas now seeping into every nation, great and small, advanced and backward, so that no corner of the earth is free from them. This explanation is to be found in a propaganda so truly diabolical that the world has perhaps never witnessed its like before. It is directed from one common center. It is shrewdly adapted to the varying conditions of diverse peoples. It has at its disposal great financial resources, gigantic organizations, international congresses, and countless trained workers. It makes use of pamphlets and reviews, of cinema, theater and radio, of schools and even universities. Little by little it penetrates into all classes of the people and even reaches the better-minded groups of the community, with the result that few are aware of the poison which increasingly pervades their minds and hearts.”

We must also recognize that the failures of the Catholic popes and bishops have exacerbated the grave situation caused by the spread of the errors of Russia.

The spread of these “errors of Russia” has been accomplished without any major military conquest of the formerly Christian nations that built up their armies to resist Communism. A snapshot of the current situation in the United States — which many would have thought would be among the last nations to adopt the “errors of Russia” — should be enough to persuade us that Sister Lucia’s grave warning has been realized:

• The media outlets can now spread their lies with such impunity that they have no shame in declaring obvious facts to be lies and obvious nonsense to be truth.
• Along the same lines, those who spent decades clamoring for freedom of speech to overthrow traditional values now insist on censorship and surveillance to protect their hard-fought victories, and seek to demonize (or cancel) anyone who begins to question the merits of their tyrannical initiatives.
• Agents of the New World Order can promote violent ANTIFA and BLM riots throughout the United States without fear of prosecution because they are “peaceful protests.”
• Conversely, those who simply question the quite apparent election irregularities that propelled Biden/Harris to the presidency are labeled as potential domestic terrorists.
• Those who questioned the allegations that Trump “colluded with Russia” to win the presidency were labeled racist Nazis, but now that the conspiracies are proven to be hoaxes the perpetrators face no real repercussions.
• For almost two years, governments and businesses terrorized citizens into wearing masks, losing their livelihoods, and getting experimental “vaccines” on the basis of “science” that was always dubious, but now that the science has been exposed as completely false these charlatans face no repercussions for the harms they caused.
• Our civic and religious leaders displayed their true intentions by closing the churches during the “pandemic” because worshipping God is not essential in the West.
• Our social engineers have exploited racial divisions to the detriment of all men and women who earnestly seek to have charitable relations with each other regardless of skin color.
• Although some “backward” states have attempted to impose limits on abortion, our highly educated and sophisticated leaders push for greater access to abortion at any stage in the pregnancy, including “fourth-trimester” abortions.
• As part of the ever-expanding LGBTQ movement, it is now taboo in many institutions to suggest that men and women cannot change their genders — we now live in a society in which the “science” tells us that men can become pregnant.

Ironically, it appears that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is one of the few world leaders who recognizes the problem of the errors of Russia, for he has been an outspoken critic of many (perhaps most) of the Great Reset initiatives animated by those errors.

How could this have happened if we had not been conquered in some hidden yet real sense? Perhaps we should be grateful that this conquest took place without a foreign military actually bombing our cities, but many nations have suffered devastating military defeats without experiencing anything approaching this magnitude of damage.

Although everyone — whether they believe in God or not — suffers these consequences of the “errors of Russia,” this is, at root, a religious problem. As Pope Pius XI wrote, Communism is only possible where societies have abandoned Christ:

“There would be today neither Socialism nor Communism if the rulers of the nations had not scorned the teachings and maternal warnings of the Church. On the bases of liberalism and laicism they wished to build other social edifices which, powerful and imposing as they seemed at first, all too soon revealed the weakness of their foundations, and today are crumbling one after another before our eyes, as everything must crumble that is not grounded on the one corner stone which is Christ Jesus.”

In hindsight, it should now be painfully obvious — especially for the poor people of Ukraine — that those world leaders knew that their actions would provoke the responses we see from Putin today.

Given that Communism is a religious problem, we can see why Our Lady of Fatima’s prophetic messages center around the spread of the “errors of Russia.” Once accepted, those errors invariably separate man from God and can only be overcome through a process of man returning to God.

We must also recognize that the failures of the Catholic popes and bishops have exacerbated the grave situation caused by the spread of the errors of Russia. If, as many Catholics believe, the complete Third Secret of Fatima warns of the apostasy within the Church, Catholics might have turned to God with greater fervor to resist the errors of Russia if they learned the Third Secret’s contents. But, contrary to the apparent direction of Our Lady of Fatima, the Third Secret of Fatima was not published by 1960. Instead, John XXIII decided to suppress the message and proceed with Vatican Il. We can scarcely see it as mere coincidence that Vatican II failed to condemn one of the greatest problems facing the world at the time, Communism.

Commenting on Divini Redemptoris in his Against the Heresies, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre wrote of this great dereliction of duty at Vatican II:

“Pope Pius XI does not hesitate to warn, not only the faithful, but the whole world against the perversity of Communism and the ‘fatal poison’ that it distills. Yet it was as if he had never spoken, for nothing changed, on the contrary, because the outcome of the second world war was that the Soviet Union extended its domination over all countries of Eastern Europe, and at Vatican II the subject became taboo. No one wanted to speak about Communism and still less reiterate the condemnation that had been levied by solemn acts of the magisterium.”

So Putin may be one of the greatest villains in the world, but there are several leaders of the Great Reset nations who have a much more apparent claim to that dishonor.

As the archbishop related, he and many other bishops had pushed for the Council to condemn Communism:

“Accompanied by Bishop Sigaud, Archbishop of Diamantina, I myself carried to Bishop Felici. Secretary of the Council, a document bearing the signatures of 450 Fathers, out of the total 2,350 bishops present, to demand that the Council officially condemn Communism. Not only was that not done, but the request was never even mentioned! When I asked Bishop Felici in order to learn the reasons why, he answered that this document signed by 450 bishops had been forgotten in a drawer!”

Even if there were no other problems with Vatican II, this would suffice to reveal that it was tragically defective.

Given this context, a relatively clear and simple picture emerges. As Our Lady of Fatima warned, the errors of Russia would spread if the popes did not consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart. The popes neglected to fulfill Our Lady’s requests, at least in part due to a lack of trust and courage, although more nefarious motives are certainly possible. Even worse, Vatican II failed to condemn Communism and indeed assisted the spread of the errors of Russia by weakening the Church’s ability to combat them. Now it appears that the errors of Russia, as advanced through the Great Reset, will enslave us all unless God intervenes.

Regardless of our position on Putin, faithful Catholics have important insights into what needs to be done at this point.

So this is the most grave and pressing problem facing our world today: the continuing spread of the errors of Russia. Ironically, it appears that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is one of the few world leaders who recognizes the problem of the errors of Russia, for he has been an outspoken critic of many (perhaps most) of the Great Reset initiatives animated by those errors.

Perhaps coincidentally, certain other world leaders in favor of the Great Reset recently decided to create another problem for Putin by advancing discussions about Ukraine joining NATO. In hindsight, it should now be painfully obvious — especially for the poor people of Ukraine — that those world leaders knew that their actions would provoke the responses we see from Putin today. So Putin may be one of the greatest villains in the world, but there are several leaders of the Great Reset nations who have a much more apparent claim to that dishonor. By all means, we can lament the current situation in Ukraine and pray for its peaceful resolution, but at this point it seems far too facile to blame the raging bear without at least pausing to consider whether those who prodded the bear out of its cage are as virtuous as they claim to be.

Regardless of our position on Putin, faithful Catholics have important insights into what needs to be done at this point. We need the pope and the world’s bishops to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. If we wish to expedite that — and the subsequent conversion of Russia and period of peace — we need to heed the other requests of Our Lady of Fatima: pray (especially the Rosary), do penance, practice the First Saturday devotions, and abandon sin.

If we want to help our Church, our nations, and the people of Ukraine, we need to turn to God, acting as though everything depends upon our efforts to be truly Christian.

As Pope Pius XI wrote when the errors of Russia were far less pernicious and prevalent, “the evil which today torments humanity can be conquered only by a world-wide crusade of prayer and penance”:

"But ‘unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it.’ And so, as a final and most efficacious remedy, We recommend, Venerable Brethren, that in your dioceses you use the most practical means to foster and intensify the spirit of prayer joined with Christian penance. When the Apostles asked the Savior why they had been unable to drive the evil spirit from a demoniac, Our Lord answered: ‘This kind is not cast out but by prayer and fasting.’ So, too, the evil which today torments humanity can be conquered only by a world-wide crusade of prayer and penance. We ask especially the Contemplative Orders, men and women, to redouble their prayers and sacrifices to obtain from heaven efficacious aid for the Church in the present struggle. Let them implore also the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Virgin who, having crushed the head of the serpent of old, remains the sure protectress and invincible ‘Help of Christians.’”

This was once common sense for Catholics. If we want to help our Church, our nations, and the people of Ukraine, we need to turn to God, praying and acting as though everything depends upon our cooperation with God’s graces to be truly Christian. Until we do that, we can be reasonably sure that God will not intervene to spare us from this fatal plague. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! 

More on the Ukraine situation — THE ERRORS of GLOBALISM: Russia, Ukraine, and the Suicide of the West