Nolan,
(Re: Siser Lucia Dies at 97, in last week's Lettercol, regarding her vow of silence --N) Sr. Lucia WAS still under a vow of secrecy by Our Lady. She was told to give the secret to the church (Pope, I think) and than HE could reveal it. This did not occur until this Pope, after the fact.
As far as the "scandals," imagine them occurring at THAT time in history and you would appreciate how horrible they sounded to them. You have to remember the world condition of these faithful people and where they were coming from.
We concede to the degradation around us because it is familiar and seemingly "normal." I'm sure Fr. [Malachi] Martin was from the "old school" and these events were scandalous to him. Besides, Catholics truly believe that a loss of faith is a permanent death sentence to the soul and this occurring WITHIN the church itself, amongst its clergy, was a mortal wound to the faithful as a whole.
I hope this clears up things for you.
Phil
Phil Frank
I heard on a radio program Sister Lucia was never relieved of her vow of silence, even after the the third secret was supposedly revealed. Evidently, this statement may have been made in error. Thanks for writing. --Nolan
To send an email to Letters to the Editor write to: Crazedfanboy1@aol.com. Any emails sent to this address will be assumed intended for publication unless you specifically instruct me not to. I can and do respond privately, if that is your preference. Frequently, it's both ways.---Nolan
We welcome your feedback.