Fr. Gruner and His Media Apostolates
Fr. Nicholas Gruner started out in the 1970s promoting the message of Fatima through a magazine called Fatima Crusader. He and his magazine have always taken a negative tone on the compliance of the Popes with the message of Fatima, specifically vis-a -vis the request for the Consecration of Russia, and has become more strident over the years. It has gone so far as charging a conspiracy between Pope John XXIII and the Soviet government not to attack communism in exchange for the participation of Russian Orthodox observers at the Second Vatican Council. This approach pervades the magazine, and always has, especially in its attitude toward the Roman Curia, BUT, not excepting the Popes themselves, including the present pontiff.
This magazine also attacks anyone who disagrees with Fr. Gruner's opinions on Fatima, showing contempt for all other Fatima apostles. This includes holy priests like Fr. Robert Fox, whose Fatima Family Apostolate has propagated the Fatima message to far greater audiences than Fr. Gruner could ever hope to do, taken tens of thousands of young people to Fatima, led them to consecrating themselves to the Immaculate Heart, led them to holy vocations to the priesthood, religious life and matrimony. It has also not failed to attack even Sr. Lucia, the surviving seer of Fatima, by charging that under obedience she is kept from speaking the truth. On the contrary, Sr. Lucia has positively contradicted Fr. Gruner's assertions in letters to others and statements to those who have visited her, including bishops. If these were lies, upholding the "Vatican line" as Gruner sees it, then Sister has lied, certain mortal sin in such a grave matter. This is, of course, preposterous! The current charges about the Vatican conspiracy over the Third Secret are simply a continuation of the same old thing.
In recent years Fr. Gruner has also aligned himself increasingly with ultra-traditionalists in the Church who, forgetting the doctrine of papal primacy clearly enunciated at Vatican I, oppose the acts and decrees of Vatican II and the recent pontiffs in a number of matters, taking to themselves the judgment of the sufficiency of papal acts and the interpretation of Sacred Tradition and the Papal Magisterium, contrary to both canon law and Catholic theology. This practice of private interpretation has led them to a public campaign of resistance to the Holy Father spelled out in another Gruner journal The Catholic (sic) Family News, under the title "We resist you to your face." The "you" is Pope John Paul II. All Catholics should resist this impious campaign to its face! [Note: This campaign is also a formal part of the editorial policy of another ultra-traditionalist newspaper The Remnant.]
Thus it is that today Fr. Gruner, who previously simply pushed his opinion on Fatima as he was free to do, is now engaged in a schismatic campaign of resistance to the Pope. Catholics who follow his lead of material disobedience to the Pope could find themselves in formal schism from the Church and excommunicated. This is because in the human will it is not very far from whining and complaining about what you don't like about the Church and this pontificate to formally (that is, with full moral culpability) breaking communion with Peter, especially when you have taken the first step of material resistance to papal authority.
© EWTN
This item 3441 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
