Nicholas Gruner
Encyclopedia
Nicholas Nightingale Gruner (born May 4, 1942) is a Roman Catholic
priest
and promoter of the message of Our Lady of Fatima
, a manifestation of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, particularly its anti-communist aspects during the Cold War
. However, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop
Gabriel Montalvo Higuera
, in an August 10, 2004 clarification on his priestly status specifically stated that Gruner is "not a priest in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church." This is disputed by Father Gruner and others as he has since become incardinated as a priest in good standing in the archdiocese of Hyderabad.
. If that did not happen, Sister Lucia explained, communist "errors" would triumph, the Catholic Church would be persecuted, the Papacy would enter a period of tribulation, faithful Catholics would be martyred and whole nations would be destroyed.
In accord with Sister Lucia's avowal, Pope Pius XII consecrated the entire world (including Russia, but not mentioning it specifically) to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942. However, that proved, at least initially, to be insufficient for Sister Lúcia, who indicated that the Pope and all the bishops of the Church should make the Consecration simultaneously. In 1984, Pope John Paul II followed his predecessor in consecrating the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but without specifically mentioning Russia, and again without the bishops joining in. Father Gruner has dedicated his life not only to publicizing Fatima's message of world peace, but urging his readers to petition the Catholic Church for all bishops to participate in the Consecration of Russia.
, Canada
, to Malcom and Jessie (née Mullally) Gruner. His paternal grandmother claimed the family was related to Florence Nightingale
. He is a graduate of McGill University
with post-graduate degrees in theology
from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome
. Gruner was ordained at Avellino
, Italy on August 22, 1976 by Bishop Pasquale Veneziahttp://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bvenezia.html. In 1978, he launched a periodical dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima
, which was a journal mostly dedicated to praying the rosary, until Father Gruner became focused particularly on the consecration of the Soviet Union controversy.
Gruner held that John Paul II was held by the consent of his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, to an alleged Vatican/Moscow concordat, which had been signed between His Holiness and then-Premier Nikita Khrushchev
of the Soviet Union. This was primarily because the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, also supported this alleged concordat. Throughout the eighties, the Fatima Crusader made further frequent allegations that the Vatican had been infiltrated and subverted, and that the Soviet Union was engaging in deliberate deception when it depicted Mikhail Gorbachev
and perestroika
as initiators of internal communist reform after the Soviet war in Afghanistan
in the 1980s. In 1988, he urged a letter writing campaign against arms control talks.
When the Soviet Union finally disintegrated in 1991, Fatima pietist groups, like the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
and Fatima Family Apostolate
, rejoiced, regarding this as evidence of the efficacy of the dedication of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that John Paul II had conducted nine years beforehand, but which Gruner and the Fatima Crusader discount based on the lack of evidence of a spiritual conversion in Russia.
Father Gruner initiated a radio and television campaign for his message, leading his organization's claimed membership to reach an estimated four hundred thousand by the early nineties. Since then, the "Crusader" has continued to argue for the Consecration of Russia and maintained that such action is urgent.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
and promoter of the message of Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
, a manifestation of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, Portugal in 1917, particularly its anti-communist aspects during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. However, the apostolic nuncio, Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
Gabriel Montalvo Higuera
Gabriel Montalvo Higuera
Gabriel Montalvo Higuera was born in Bogotá, Colombia. He was an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, and was the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States from 1998 until 2005.- Ministry and Assignments:...
, in an August 10, 2004 clarification on his priestly status specifically stated that Gruner is "not a priest in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church." This is disputed by Father Gruner and others as he has since become incardinated as a priest in good standing in the archdiocese of Hyderabad.
Origins of Fatima Anti-Communism
In 1929, Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children entrusted with alleged revelations from the church-sanctioned Marian apparition at Fatima, Portugal, revealed that the Virgin Mary had requested that Russia should be consecrated to Her Immaculate HeartConsecration of Russia
The Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a belief in the Roman Catholic Church that a specific act of consecration on the part of the Pope has been required by the Virgin Mary in return for which there would be world peace....
. If that did not happen, Sister Lucia explained, communist "errors" would triumph, the Catholic Church would be persecuted, the Papacy would enter a period of tribulation, faithful Catholics would be martyred and whole nations would be destroyed.
In accord with Sister Lucia's avowal, Pope Pius XII consecrated the entire world (including Russia, but not mentioning it specifically) to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942. However, that proved, at least initially, to be insufficient for Sister Lúcia, who indicated that the Pope and all the bishops of the Church should make the Consecration simultaneously. In 1984, Pope John Paul II followed his predecessor in consecrating the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, but without specifically mentioning Russia, and again without the bishops joining in. Father Gruner has dedicated his life not only to publicizing Fatima's message of world peace, but urging his readers to petition the Catholic Church for all bishops to participate in the Consecration of Russia.
Gruner and the Fatima Crusader
The fifth of seven children, Gruner was born in MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to Malcom and Jessie (née Mullally) Gruner. His paternal grandmother claimed the family was related to Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
. He is a graduate of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
with post-graduate degrees in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Gruner was ordained at Avellino
Avellino
Avellino is a town and comune, capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains 42 km north-east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.-History:Before the Roman conquest, the...
, Italy on August 22, 1976 by Bishop Pasquale Veneziahttp://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bvenezia.html. In 1978, he launched a periodical dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fátima is a famous title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared in apparitions reported by three shepherd children at Fátima in Portugal. These occurred on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting on May 13...
, which was a journal mostly dedicated to praying the rosary, until Father Gruner became focused particularly on the consecration of the Soviet Union controversy.
Gruner held that John Paul II was held by the consent of his predecessor, Pope John XXIII, to an alleged Vatican/Moscow concordat, which had been signed between His Holiness and then-Premier Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
of the Soviet Union. This was primarily because the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, also supported this alleged concordat. Throughout the eighties, the Fatima Crusader made further frequent allegations that the Vatican had been infiltrated and subverted, and that the Soviet Union was engaging in deliberate deception when it depicted Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
as initiators of internal communist reform after the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
in the 1980s. In 1988, he urged a letter writing campaign against arms control talks.
When the Soviet Union finally disintegrated in 1991, Fatima pietist groups, like the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima is a public international association of the Christian faithful that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents...
and Fatima Family Apostolate
Fatima Family Apostolate
The Fatima Family Apostolate is a U.S. based Roman Catholic Apostolate that is headquartered in Hanceville, Alabama. Founded in 1986 by Fr. Robert J. Fox and named after Our Lady of Fátima...
, rejoiced, regarding this as evidence of the efficacy of the dedication of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that John Paul II had conducted nine years beforehand, but which Gruner and the Fatima Crusader discount based on the lack of evidence of a spiritual conversion in Russia.
Father Gruner initiated a radio and television campaign for his message, leading his organization's claimed membership to reach an estimated four hundred thousand by the early nineties. Since then, the "Crusader" has continued to argue for the Consecration of Russia and maintained that such action is urgent.