by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Looking at the current crisis of the Faith, we can say that we are witnessing the crucifixion of the Holy Catholic Church. We are seeing a crime comparable to the deicide because the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. Killing the Church is like killing Christ. The only reason she does not die now is because she is immortal.
Thus, the Church appears today like Our Lord during the Passion as she walks dripping with blood and staggering under the weight of the Cross as she proceeds to the top of Calvary.
For two thousand years, the Church staggered through tribulation. She represents two thousand years of glory and martyrdom! Today, she appears to us at the height of her deformation.
We have known the Church as the most beautiful of all institutions. Today, we see her deprived of her beauty and disfigured. She has lost everything. We could say that she is almost unrecognizable…precisely this Church, who took our sins upon herself and suffered for us!
Yes, today, we are witnessing the martyrdom of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
We should mourn the situation of the Church every day, from the moment we wake up to when we go to bed. It should be a pain that weighs upon us in the depths of our being.
Oh, let us consider thus the Holy Roman Catholic Church founded by our Lord Jesus Christ! This Church descended from Heaven like a light upon the perfect city! What have her enemies done to her?
Excuse me, but the pain of this tragedy is such that it prevents me from speaking more…
Let us ask Our Lady to make us feel this pain to the depths of our souls.
The preceding article is taken from an informal lecture Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira gave on October 20, 1990. It has been translated and adapted for publication without his revision. –Ed.