To His Holiness, Pope Francis Easter Sunday 2020
Dear Holy Father:
Last August 2019, cardinals and bishops representing each continent, wrote you a letter concerning the alarming degree of suffering and danger throughout the world. Now, in light of the historic pandemic of COVID-19 Coronavirus, the world faces exponentially greater disaster on personal, social, political, economic, and humanitarian aspects, both presently and its long-term societal effects for the future. We, therefore, feel the pastoral and moral imperative to once again appeal to you, Holy Father.
As we jointly know, behind all these external events, a spiritual battle is taking place, more than ever, between good and evil, light and darkness, in the hearts of humanity. Here, the real battle must be fought. Humanity is in great need of conversion, and of supernatural help which can only come from the Lord Jesus, and from his Mother.
As Christians, we believe that on the Cross, Jesus Christ, our divine Redeemer, has gained full victory over Satan. We also believe that in a special way, the Lord at Golgotha entrusted his beloved people to Mary, the Spiritual Mother of all humanity. As the “Woman clothed with the Sun,” clothed with the redeeming power of her Son, she stands in battle with the dragon (cf. Rev. 12), now more than ever before.
We need our Mother, but she also mysteriously needs us. If we honor Our Lady in the full greatness which our Lord has granted her, then she can fully exercise her motherly roles on our behalf, and, as at Cana, can intercede with her Son to do miracles in our times.
In the last two thousand years, the Church has recognized, in four dogmas, the special privileges the Father has granted Mary as the Mother of his divine Son. Yet, never has the Church solemnly recognized her human but crucial role in God’s plan of salvation, as the New Eve next to the New Adam.
We are convinced that the Heavenly Father awaits his Church to dogmatically proclaim Mary as the “Spiritual Mother of all Peoples”, in a solemn declaration of her unique cooperation with Jesus in the Redemption, and her consequential roles in the distribution of grace and intercession for humanity, for which he will respond with a historic new outpouring of his Holy Spirit and the eventual grace of world peace.
As you know, many saints of our time, including St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Maximilian Kolbe, together with over 8 million faithful, and more than 800 bishops and cardinals, have already petitioned the Holy See for this cause, since Cardinal Mercier began this movement in 1915. With our humble voices, we join them now, at this critical moment of human history.
Our Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom. We ask you, dear Holy Father, to use them now, in these critical times with the Coronavirus and its ongoing global effects, and with your powerful word, in the fullness of your office as Successor of Peter, to crown the Blessed Virgin Mary by proclaiming the great role that she played in God’s plan of Redemption, accomplished by the Risen Christ who we celebrate now in Easter. Surely, it will release great graces for today!
In filial love, obedience, and solidarity,
Juan Cardinal Sandoval
Mexico, Central America
Archbishop Felix Job Nigeria, Africa
Telesphore Cardinal Toppo India, Asia
Bishop John Keenan
Scotland, Europe
Bishop David Ricken
USA, North America
Bishop Antonio Baseotto
Argentina, South America
Archbishop Denys Raboula Antoine Beylouni.
Auxiliary Patriarch Emeritus of Syriac Catholics
Archbishop Chucrallah-Nabil E Hage
Maronite Archbishop of Tyre, Lebanon