The following article is taken from the final keynote speech given in English by Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza during the 2023 National Conference of the American TFP on October 29. Prince Bertrand is the head of the Imperial House of Brazil and a direct descendent of King Saint Louis IX of France.
Reverend Fathers, TFP directors and members, TFP friends and supporters, ladies and gentlemen:
This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property.
Much has changed over the last fifty years. The Revolutionary process, which Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira described and denounced in his book Revolution and Counter-Revolution, has advanced enormously.
We have seen the decay of morals, reaching levels many of us never thought we would live to see.
For example, you have witnessed the death of over 63 million unborn children in America through abortion. You have seen the nationwide legalization of same-sex counterfeit marriage.
Today’s culture of sin targets the the innocence of young children through gender ideology in classrooms, horrible books in libraries and Drag Queen Story Hours.
In addition, bad fashions, speech, and morals are all dragging society downwards, as was foreseen by Our Lady at Fatima.
This drive toward evil is now reaching its most extreme manifestations. Thus, there is an alarming rise in Satanism and the occult. This is found in Satan clubs, annual Satanic conventions, and demonic invocations at local government meetings.
By far, the greatest problem is the crisis inside Holy Mother Church, both here and worldwide.
A reaction against all these things I just mentioned would be much easier if the situation inside the Church were in order. However, what we see is doctrinal errors, confusion, scandals and what Paul VI called “a process of self-destruction” inside the Church.
Eternal and Natural Law: The Foundation of Morals and Law
This tragic state makes our fight so much more complicated since those who should be resolving the doubts of the faithful are sowing the seeds of confusion.
In just fifty years, things have gone from unthinkable to normal.
And yet all these things, even the Satanic Revolution, were foreseen by Prof. Plinio in Revolution and Counter-revolution decades ago. Through his analysis of history, we understand the Revolutionary processes that are at work in society. We also can apply Counter-revolutionary tactics to fight for Christian civilization in our days.
For this reason, the processes of evil are not the only things that have changed since 1973. We must also address the positive counter-revolutionary reactions to these threats.
In the United States, there is a strong reaction against the Revolution that serves as a model for the world.
The Revolutionaries did not expect, for example, the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision after fifty years. They never thought there would be the cultural wars that continue from the sixties to our days with great intensity.
They did not anticipate the faithful to resist the progressivist changes introduced within the Church. This resistance has reached such a point that most progressivists and even Pope Francis acknowledge that this reaction primarily comes from the United States.
None of these reactions were supposed to happen.
But, to the revolutionaries’ dismay, it did.
On this anniversary, we must also look at this side of the fight. We must recall the victories we have won and the battles we have fought.
During this conference, the speakers have spoken on these themes. You have seen how the work of the American TFP over the years has played a pivotal role in this reaction.
I would like to highlight some instances of the efficacy of the American TFP’s action, which will give us the courage to face the future.
For example, the American TFP has always been on the frontlines in the fight against abortion. Through newspaper ads, public street campaigns, articles and talks, the TFP helped shift the debate from a purely “health” issue to a moral one.
The TFP has worked together with the pro-life movement to frame the debate by addressing the root of the problem found in the sexual Revolution.
The American TFP has also fought against the advance of the sexual revolutionary agenda found in the homosexual, transgender and other movements wherever they appear.
And thanks to these efforts, we see a counter-offensive in America against the LGBT agenda, especially in schools.
In the economic realm, the American TFP has been especially active in its fight against communism and socialism.
Learn All About the Prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success About Our Times
I would especially like to mention the TFPs’ message against French Self-Managing Socialism in 1981. I do this because Dr. Plinio entrusted the management of this massive campaign to the American TFP.
This six-page message was published in forty-five newspapers in nineteen countries. It helped defeat the maneuver, which had the potential to spread all over the world.
Let us also call to mind the campaign for the freedom of Lithuania from Soviet Russia in 1990. Again, I do this because the American TFP also played a unique role. The American TFP alone collected over eight hundred thousand out of the over 5.2 million signatures demanding Lithuanian independence. This petition drive played a major role in keeping Lithuania free and exposing the false promises of Gorbachev’s Russia.
The publication of the book, Return to Order, is also a milestone we cannot ignore. The bestselling book has had a profound impact on the debate over America’s future. It not only denounces the problems of our decadent society but proposes an organic Christian society as the solution.
Finally, I would like to recognize the vital work of the American TFP in defense of the Holy, Roman, Catholic, and Apostolic Church over these past fifty years.
The TFP has promoted public prayer and Marian devotion, as seen by the October Rosary Crusade. This effort has resulted in over 300,000 public square rosary rallies since it began in 2007. The America Needs Fatima campaign promotes Fatima devotion through visits, publications and books.
However, the American TFP also addresses the crisis inside the Church by denouncing liberation theology and progressivist errors.
We especially take note of the recently published book on the Synod on Synodality. The American TFP sent the book to every bishop, priest, and deacon in the country and helped send it to all the bishops worldwide.
As you have seen here, this campaign has set the tone for the debate around this issue to the point that many liberal Catholic writers have denounced the book and the American TFP.
This is a mere sampling of the effect the American TFP is having on public opinion. We could mention so much more, but time will not permit.
And so, I want to congratulate the American TFP members and supporters for fifty years of fighting the good fight. You never gave up and constantly pressed the attack.
What you have accomplished in the United States is truly extraordinary. Your action echoes all over the world.
I can say with certainty that Professor Plinio would be pleased with your work.
But I can also say that he wouldn’t want you to stop here. He would encourage you to continue fighting for the ideals of tradition, family, and property in every field and on every occasion.
We have gained a lot of ground. But we are still living in a world dominated by the Revolution. We have accomplished much, but there is still much to be done.
We must continue to fight the Revolution and do so vigorously. We cannot neglect this duty, even unto our last breath.
10 Razones Por las Cuales el “Matrimonio” Homosexual es Dañino y tiene que Ser Desaprobado
Only with this kind of dedication can we end the devil’s reign on earth, and we will then see the Reign of Mary foreseen at Fatima.
I will end with a quote from Our Lady of Good Success, who has a very special relationship with the American TFP.
In the year 2000, some TFP members consecrated the American TFP to Our Lady of Good Success in front of her miraculous statue in Quito, Ecuador.
It is fitting to recall here the words of Our Lady to the sixteenth-century visionary Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres, who was afflicted by the many evils of her times. Our Lady of Good Success made this promise to her:
“I, in a marvelous way, will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, trampling him under my heel and chaining him in the infernal abyss, finally freeing the Church from his cruel tyranny.”
I invite the American TFP to always bear in mind this promise of she, who is your patroness. No matter how impossible it may appear at times, our victory against the Revolution is certain! You must confide in Our Lady, who has watched over you during these fifty-long years.
Through her help, you have already accomplished great feats. And I can assure you, if you continue the fight for Christian civilization, you will achieve ever greater and more heroic ones!