Anything Under the Sun
Fatima strange coincidences (1)
First event
The story of Fatima begins on a warm day in May. But the story does not begin alone in the central section of Portugal. It begins in three widely separated locations: Portugal, Russia and Italy.
The first event took place in Rome. It was a happy day for the people of Italy. Giant church boomed out an invitation for men and women to witness a special event. Pope Benedict XV was consecrating a group of monsignors – elevating them to the rank of bishop.
Among the group knelt a young Italian priest, Msgr. Eugenio Pacelli. Like the others who knelt with him, he knew that the rank of bishop was the first step toward the highest office in the Catholic Church – the Papacy. But only a few ever rise so high, and there was certainly no indication on this May morning that anyone in this group would ever become Pope.
Yet, Eugenio Pacelli did. He became Pope Pius XII in 1939. No one can deny that he was, throughout his pontificate, one of the greatest opponents of Communism. He was the first piece in the picture that began to form on May 13, 1917.