Towards Lepanto
Towards Lepanto
This article is from 1985 and it was the very first to be published by Orlando Fedeli in his newspaper named Veritas
Ya mi galera de oro
My gold galley alreadytiene sueltas las amarras
has its moorings looseY están prontos a vogar
And they are ready to rowlos veinte remos de plata
And the twenty silver oars
These verses by José Maria Pemán came to mind when we decided to launch the first issue of our newsletter. Small crowd, no pretensions. No big ocean liner. A fragile little galley in the chaotic sea of modern crisis. We are small. We are weak. We are few. But Catholic truth is our treasure. Fighting for the truth — Veritas — is our ideal. Fight for the One who said: "Ego sum Veritas", Christ our Lord.
It is the sun of Catholic truth that gilds our fragile galley. It is only golden because it carries in chests, in the depths of soul, the treasure of the truths of the Roman Catholic creed. It is the spirit of faith that throbs in its white candle marked with the cross of blood. It is the wind of the Crusade that drives it. And we sailed to Lepanto.
Once, Don Bosco had a prophetic vision of a battle between the ship of the Church and the skiffs of the Revolution. The Catholic ship, having moved away from the columns that kept it safe — the devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Virgin Mary — found itself attacked by a swarm of enemy ships that used all kinds of weapons and books against it, "for books are weapons too", said Don Bosco.
After all, during a meeting of the Pope with the Bishops — a council, therefore (wouldn't it be Vatican II?) — the Church was invaded by enemies. In the fighting two Popes were killed. Finally, a new Pope, noticing the deviation of the Church, led her back to the columns of the Eucharist and Our Lady. The enemies mutually destroyed each other, sinking in the sea. And some small ships that, from the beginning, fought in defense of the Church, hastened to submit to the Great Ship of the Pope. And then there was a great calm at sea.
The heroic galley combat at Lepanto became an image (a picture). Today, the struggle takes place in Parliaments, in the Press, on Television, in Schools, in Pulpits. Today, the attacks against Christian Faith, Morals and Civilization prepare the triumph of egalitarian and atheist communism, the victory of the Gnostic anti-civilization.
Russia, Poland, Hungary, Baltic and Balkan countries, China, Cuba and Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Ethiopia, Angola and Mozambique and now Nicaragua, are some of the countries that groan under the Marxist totalitarian tyranny
. In Brazil, the same decline seems to be being prepared. If Brazil falls, it will certainly drag the whole of Latin America with its fall.Blood is already flowing in our field and there are invasions of property under the benediction and incitement of the progressive heresy. In our chambers there is already talk of legalizing abortion and approving new laws that will feed the socialist cancer that is eating away the country. Immorality is rampant in shows and in the press. From the pulpits, revolution, lies and permissiveness are preached. And we cry out for the right to express error while protesting against the power of Peter, for having silenced – temporarily – a master who teaches falsehood
. Justice and peace commissions spread revolt, contestation and discord. Pastors who continually have the word peace in their mouths spread war, reminding them of the false prophets who repeated "Pax, pax! Cum non esse pax" (Jer. VIII, 11).In this battle, prophesied by Don Bosco, we want to participate with our small and fragile group, faithful to the Church and to the Papacy. We will fight with all our strength against progressivism and modernism, which ravage the Catholic camp, communism and socialism, and all egalitarian and totalitarian doctrines that destroy Christian civilization.
We want to fight even if we only have the spear of an argument. Even if we are few. Even if we are alone. We will never give in to the pantheistic and totalitarian revolution, to the gnostic and egalitarian revolution.
We are Catholics. We will fight for God. They smile at our pretense. They are rightly considered our strengths.
Do you think our cause is foolish? Certainly, if they are appraised with human eyes.
But it is the cross of blood in our candles, it is the cross of baptism in our souls that gives us reason and strength to fight.
Me dan voces desde el muelle
They shout at me from the dockcontra mi empresa insensata
against my foolish companyyo sonrío junto al mastil
I smile next to the masty no me vuelvo a escucharlas
and I don't hear them again
Me dan voces desde el muelle
They shout at me from the dockpero son las voces vanas
but they are vain voicesque no es de buenos pilotos
that it is not from good pilotsvolver atras la mirada
to look to what is behind
Because the wind that drives us comes from the depths of our history. It is the same wind in Pelayo's banners in Covadonga. It is the wind that propelled Portugal's caravel across the seas. It is the conquering wind that carried the pioneer soul through forests and continents. It is the wind that comes from the depths of our history. It is the wind of victory. It is the wind of divine grace that drives our golden galley.
And because this grace requires our cooperation, we are ready to move, with all our strength, "los veinte remos de plata".
Hacia Lepanto la proa
Towards Lepantoa arrancarse la ultima amarra
tear off the last mooringA la mar todos a una
To the sea all as oneLos veinte remos de plata
The twenty silver oars
Catholics we are. We will fight for God.
Remember that this article was written in 1985, before the fall of communism.
Orlando Fedeli is referring to the commendation of Leonardo Boff. A priest that was secularized by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger for spousing (and leading) Marxist, Communists, Liberation Theology ideas.
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