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his is a special edition of Calx Mariae, because of its length and the circumstances in which it has been produced. For the past three months, our temporal and spiritual life has been altered as never before. Not only have political leaders ordered the lockdown of nations but spiritual leaders have blocked access to the sacraments in many parts of the world. The full meaning of this is still emerging and questions will continue to arise in the months ahead. Many of these questions were addressed at our online Rome Life Forum on the theme “Coronavirus in the light of Fatima: a tragedy and a source of hope”, covered fully in the FOCUS section of this edition. Are we experiencing the aftermath of leaving Our Lady’s call made in Fatima unanswered? Do her requests still stand today? Is this a chastisement? What can we do to remedy the situation? In 1917, like now, it was a lovely summer, but the battles of the Somme, Verdun, the Nivelle offensive, and unrestricted submarine warfare had, as historian Warren Carroll put it, made Europe resemble an antechamber of Hell. Benedict XV spoke of the “suicide of civilised Europe” and made his appeal to the Queen of Peace on 5 May: “To Mary, then, who is the Mother of Mercy and omnipotent by grace, let loving and devout appeal go up from every corner of the earth – from noble temples and tiniest chapels, from royal palaces and mansions of the rich as from the poorest hut – from blood-drenched plains and seas. Let it bear to Her the anguished cry of mothers and wives, the wailing of innocent little ones, the sighs of every generous heart: that Her most tender and benign solicitude may be moved and the peace we ask for be obtained for our agitated world.” Only eight days later, on 13 May, she came. In the fields of Cova da Iria, she gave the three little shepherds instructions to bring about the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart, so that a period of peace might be granted to the world. First, prayer, particularly devotion to the Holy Rosary and the Brown Scapular; second, reparation for the sins and outrages perpetrated against God’s grace and blasphemies against the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary; and third, the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. She warned that if Russia was not consecrated, it would spread its errors throughout the world. The evil of atheistic communism, which first seized power in Russia, still spreads today, not least through the influence of the government of China. This ideological virus, of which COVID-19 could act as a symbolic reminder, has truly infected our society. Abortion, first legalised in communist Russia, is now promoted by the United Nations as “essential healthcare”. The strategic goals of communism include breaking down all standards of morality, by promoting pornography; presenting homosexuality as “normal, natural, healthy”; replacing revealed religion with “social” religion; discrediting the family; encouraging promiscuity and divorce, and “liberating” children from the “negative and suppressive influence of parents”. Lucia, Francesco and Jacinta knew nothing of Russia where the revolution was still a few months away. But Our Lady’s wishes were clear and infinitely dear to them. Three years later, just before her death, Jacinta told Lucia: “We shall never meet again. Pray for me a lot till I go to Heaven, and afterwards, I’ll pray for you. Never tell anybody the secret even if they kill you. Love Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary very much and make many sacrifices for sinners.” She was not quite ten years old, yet she knew how the errors Our Lady warned against are to be overcome. Our Lady predicted all the atrocities borne throughout the last 100 years, and which we continue to bear today. But she gave instructions on how to end these horrors and bring peace to our agitated world. She will keep her promises and it is by striving tirelessly for the fulfilment of her requests that we will help to hasten the triumph of Her Immaculate Heart.
EDITOR Maria Madise EDITORIAL BOARD Liam Gibson Matthew McCusker John Smeaton John-Henry Westen DESIGN & PRODUCTION EDITOR Selina Fang EDITORIAL OFFICE VOICE OF THE FAMILY Unit B, 3 Whitacre Mews, Stannary Street, SE11 4AB, London, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7820 3148 Email: editor@voiceofthefamily.com www.voiceofthefamily.com/calxmariae PUBLICATION IS SPONSORED BY:
Special thanks to: DISCLAIMER: Great care is taken to credit photos and seek permission before publishing. If you have a query regarding copyright, please contact the Editor. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission. Donations for the continuation of this magazine in print will be gratefully received by Voice of the Family at the address above or online via:
www.voiceofthefamily.com/donate Calx Mariae seeks to contribute to the rebuilding of Christian civilisation by providing features and analysis in the areas of life, family and culture. Our aim in producing this magazine is to strengthen our readers in the faith and in their witness to the truth about human life and the family. Calx Mariae is published by Voice of the Family, an international coalition of prolife and pro-family organisations formed in support of Catholic teaching on the family. The following truths are particularly at the heart of Voice of the Family’s work: 9 Marriage, the exclusive, life-long union of one man and one woman, is the foundation of a stable and flourishing society and is the greatest protector of children, born and unborn. 9 The procreative and unitive ends of the conjugal act cannot licitly be separated; the rejection of this truth lies at the root of modern attacks on life and the family. 9 Parents are the primary educators of their children and the protection of this right is essential for building a new “culture of life”.
A PANDEMIC THAT DEFINED abortion AS “ESSENTIAL”
pro-life action
FROM THE EDITOR
by MARIA MADISE
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n 25 March, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, launched a $2 billion “global humanitarian response plan” to help “the world’s poorest countries” deal with the coronavirus pandemic.1 He tweeted: “COVID-19 is menacing the whole of humanity – and so the whole of humanity must fight back.” However, Guterres’ plan to “address the needs of the most vulnerable people” designates “sexual and reproductive health” as a strategic priority and makes it a specific objective of the UN’s response.2 Guterres’ policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on women, published in April, similarly pointed out that: “While early reports reveal more men are dying as a result of COVID-19, the health of women generally is adversely impacted through the reallocation of resources and priorities, including sexual and reproductive health services.”3 The term “sexual and reproductive health” has long been understood by UN agencies and many of the world’s most powerful governments to include contraception and abortion. This is made explicitly clear by the UN Human Rights Commission’s “COVID-19 Guidance”, which states: “[r]esources should not be diverted away from essential sexual and reproductive health services” and describes them as “a life-saving priority and integral to the response, including access to contraception; …safe abortion care; and effective referral pathways…”4 The coronavirus pandemic, therefore, has provided the abortion advocates in the UN with a golden opportunity to promote even greater access to contraception and abortion across the globe. In fact, it seems that the UN health agency, the World Health Organization (WHO) was well prepared to advance its abortion agenda during the COVID-19 lockdown.5
SUMMER 2020
Dr. Antonella Lavalanet, a medical officer with the WHO’s “Maternal and Perinatal Health & Preventing Unsafe Abortion Team”, revealed at the end of March that the UN authority on global health is working on a statement that would identify abortion as an “essential service” amid the COVID-19 outbreak.6 However, mifepristone and misoprostol, the drugs used in chemical abortions, have been on the WHO list of “essential medicines” since, at least, 2007.7 This means access to these must be maintained, as a matter of priority, even if supply chains are damaged, due to something like a pandemic. The WHO 2018 guidance on medical abortion explains that abortion drugs are considered essential in view of situations where access to abortion facilities become restricted: “…many interventions in medical abortion care, particularly those in early pregnancy, can be provided at the primary care level and on an outpatient basis, which further increases access to care. …Given the nature of the medical abortion
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