Author’s note. Portions at the end of this article were extracted from a previous article for clarity and continuity. This is a Holy Week presentation.

According to an informal survey by lay Mediatrix devotees circa 1990s, the majority of Filipino Bishops nationwide believed in the Mediatrix but remained silent for fear of Vatican reprisals as in the past. They would say, “Speaking off the record … “

It is about time they followed their consciences and spoke out freely by questioning the veracity of statements made by Victor Cardinal Fernandez (as explained below), current Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), the Vatican office that investigates and authenticates reported apparitions.

Filipino Bishops, in a united voice, can present their case directly to Pope Francis even in the absence of an endorsement from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

If they do not, it may be seen as a “sin of omission.” Pope Francis is a reasonable man who upholds the Marian devotion and who will listen to the united voice of the Filipino Bishops. Fear is the enemy, and courage is needed to protect the Mediatrix devotion.

We cannot blame the CBCP, which will always be loyal to the Vatican, that is why it cannot speak out against Fernandez. If it is does speak out, it may be considered a “schism” (a break away from the Papacy).

But Filipino Bishops can unite and break their silence, if they are brave enough to rightfully defend Our Lady Mediatrix. It is a matter of presenting their united voice directly to Pope Francis through Bishops who have access to the Papacy.

Cardinal Fernandez of the DDF Authenticates a Draft Papal Decree

The handwritten Ottaviani Document proves without a doubt that the Papal decree saying the Mediatrix apparitions were a hoax is NON-EXISTENT. Yet, Victor Cardinal Fernandez, the current Prefect of the DDF, recently authenticated as true this controversial Octavianni Document.

The 1951 Ottaviani Document was not an official promulgation. It was a draft full of handwritten deletions and additions and could not possibly be a formal promulgation from Pope Pius XII.

(Photo below is for digital version only)

Yet, Fernandez authenticated it as true. As a protocol, the Vatican issues formal promulgations, not drafts.

There is no copy of this Papal declaration in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, a requirement for a Papal declaration to be effective, according to Canon Law. In other words, the Pius XII decree claiming the Mediatrix was a hoax is NON-EXISTENT. That draft decree is the hoax.

Why then did Fernandez insist on authenticating a draft decree? Was it because he had no real evidence of the Mediatrix as a hoax to present and was forced to authenticate a draft to save face, to protect the image of the Church? Is the image of the Church more important to them than the truth that there was no evidence the Mediatrix was a hoax?

It is embarrassing for the Church to admit it has been wrong in its seven decades of Mediatrix suppression. It is better to sweep it under the rug.

Would it not have been better if Fernandez, in all humility, admitted that the Ottaviani Document was not a formal Papal promulgation but merely a draft? Would that gesture of humility in fact have saved the face of the Church? Authenticating a draft did the exact opposite. It made the Church and the Vatican lose face more. In his despair to stick to the premise of the Mediatrix hoax, was Fernandex in fact forced to authenticate a draft?

Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani may not be the culprit. He simply did his duty back in 1951, as ordered by his superiors, to come up with a draft to be edited and approved by them. Yet Fernandez authenticated the draft document.

Any move by Fernandez and the DDF to reverse a policy of Marian suppression that has been implemented for seven decades will actually put the Church in a very bad light.

The Fernandez blunder implies that the Vatican pronouncement of the Mediatrix hoax “with finality” was not final at all. Yet, it became the basis for seven decades of Marian suppression.