In his philosophical self-portrait, Professor Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira shows how religious and philosophical doctrines shape the direction of history because everyone is endowed with a rational and free soul.
We act according to our conceptions about the universe, ourselves and life. Thus, religious and philosophical doctrines are the most dynamic factors which produce great transformations.
Prof. Corrêa de Oliviera’s insights based on religion explain why his life of study, action and prayer was so effective.
In his book, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, he explained and foresaw the Revolution we now face. It is a universal crisis that aims to destroy the final remnants of Christian civilization. He called us to the Counter-Revolution, and thanks to his certainty of victory, we dare continue the fight for the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as Our Lady foresaw at Fatima.
In our fast-changing yet decadent world, the Revolution has failed to deliver what it promises. It promised great prosperity, glowing health and endless pleasures. Those times are fading into the past.
It is now offering recession, war, epidemics, Satanism and frustration.
The Societies for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) are not the only ones saying this. Revolutionaries, who once presented the world as a great cruise ship, are now selling many of those ships for scrap. More and more people are mugged by the reality of our crisis. They are complaining and suffering from the effects of their frenetic intemperance.
Thus, we can say that the Revolution has failed.
When I say that the Revolution has failed, I am not saying that the Counter-Revolution has already triumphed. The Revolution still controls everything—governments, institutions, the culture, and—even more unfortunately—the Church’s structures.
We all know and sense this reality as the Revolution still controls things around us and persecutes us.
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Yet, the Revolution has failed because it has not captured the hearts and souls of everyone, which is the most important thing. Revolutionary activists have lost the enthusiasm and fire that existed in the past. As a result, our institutions are falling apart, things are polarizing, and nothing makes sense.
Dr. Plinio said that when the Revolution loses its dynamism, it is at its most vulnerable point. Like a bicycle that needs a minimum amount of speed to stay up, the Revolution cannot afford to stop or slow down.
One reason the Revolution is in trouble is because the Counter-Revolution has slowed down the Revolution and deprived it of its dynamism. When this happens, things can come crashing down.
We have seen excellent reactions in the Culture Wars, culminating this year with the dramatic overturning of Roe v. Wade. People are reacting in all sorts of ways, often out of desperation and lacking Counter-revolutionary orientation.
As a result, incomplete and false proposals by those who misunderstand the fight and do not always address the cause of our crisis. Their false solutions will always frustrate because they do not take things to their final consequences.
Thus, we are left in a terrible and desperate situation with three principal elements:
- A faltering Revolution still in control but losing its dynamism.
- A growing and courageous conservative reaction that often lacks a clear notion of where to go.
- A tiny but growing remnant of Counter-Revolutionaries determined to resist and fight to the very end until Our Lady’s triumph.
We must seek to be among this final group. That is who we are! We are those who resist against all odds. We are those who face an impossible situation with courage, calm and confidence.
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Impossible situations like ours are not rare in the history of the Church. As Dr. Plinio says in Revolution and Counter-Revolution, the Church can proudly say, paraphrasing Cicero, to the tempestuous world, “I have already seen many winds; I have weathered many storms.”
For the Church, impossible situations are nothing. She has overcome all. She finds solutions from the treasury of Her Teachings. She attracts heroes and saints who love the excellent and sublime.
She returns everything to order.
Impossible situations call for extraordinary solutions.
From Dr. Plinio’s insights, we must conclude that we can’t act in ordinary ways. We need to think in extraordinary terms.
When the situation seems desperate, we know it is the hour of Providence to act. God reduces everything to nothing so that it becomes clear that He is the author of the victory.
What does a return to order propose for this desperate world? It proposes nothing less than Christendom in all its splendor and glory. We want to see the Church restored to her rightful place. We want to see Our Lady enthroned as Queen.
We should not be discouraged by the difficulties. Instead, we should be joyful that we are chosen as representative characters to participate in this fight for so great a cause and so magnificent a Queen.
Above all, we can count on the angels to level the playing field and allow us to oppose whatever the Revolution can throw against us.
What we have accomplished until now is against all expectations. With the help of Our Lady, we will do much, much more.
Let us remember three things that will help us continue our peaceful and legal battle for a Christian civilization.
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First, never forget we face a failed Revolution that has not succeeded in winning the heart and souls of the people. We must never cease to fight against it.
Secondly, remember that reactions have arisen that manifest themselves in many ways. It is an important reaction that needs direction and a cause. It needs a Queen to serve.
Finally, we must be the link to help enlist those who react so that they may serve this cause and Queen.
History depends on the role that each of us assumes. They say in France that we “either make history or suffer it.” Either we engage in the battle or suffer the consequences in this life and the next.
Let us follow the example of Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, who, in the face of the all-powerful Revolution, always turned to Our Lady with great confidence.
She can overcome all enemies. She can turn the most desperate situations into victory. She will turn our present chaos into the triumph of her Immaculate Heart as promised at Fatima!
The article above was adapted from the final keynote speech given in English by Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza during the 2022 National Conference of the American TFP on October 30. Prince Bertrand is the head of the Imperial House of Brazil and a direct descendent of King Saint Louis IX of France.