FATIMA FAITHFUL TOLD POPE JOHN PAUL II SPARED TO 'TOPPLE IRON CURTAIN'

Fatima faithful told Pope John Paul II spared to `topple Iron Curtain'

21/5/2011

US Cardinal Sean O'Malley told scores of thousands of pilgrims in Portugal that Our Lady of Fatima had spared Pope John Paul II's life from an assassin's bullet so that he could help "topple the Iron Curtain" of Soviet communism.

The archbishop of Boston recalled that the late pontiff, who was beatified in Rome on 1 May, had himself attributed his survival from the shooting in 1981 to the Virgin Mary, who many Catholics believe appeared to children in 1917 near the central Portuguese town of F tima.

Last Thursday, Cardinal O'Malley, who presided over this year's "international pilgrimage", said Our Lady of F tima would help "bridge" the conflict between "Christianity and Islam".

He noted that the town of F tima bares the name of Prophet Mohammed's "favourite daughter" and that the Koran includes "41 verses about Jesus and Mary".

Police estimated some 250,000 pilgrims gathered at F tima, Portugal's holiest shrine, to mark the anniversary of Our Lady's first appearance to three shepherd children.

http://www.theportugalnews.com/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=1113-23