TWENTY-NINTH DOCUMENT

SOLEMN BEATIFICATION AND CONONISATION OF THE GLORIOUS INNUMERABLE MARTYRS OF IRELAND. 
JUBILEE CENTENARY YEAR OF THE APPARITION OF OUR LADY OF KNOCK.

We, Supreme Pontiff, Vicar of Christ, Successor of Saint Peter, Servant of the Servants of God, Patriarch of El Palmar de Troya.

We, as Universal Doctor of the Church, assisted by the sublime light of the Holy Ghost, gathering the sense of the Church, after detailed examination of the historical facts,- with unspeakable joy, beatify and canonize, elevating to the glory of the altars, the innumerable glorious martyrs of Ireland.

We, as Master and Universal guide of the Church, interpret that the glorious title of martyr is not exclusively for those who pour out their blood.  God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, has disposed various grades of martyrdom.  To some he reserves the dignity to be martyr with effusion of blood in imitation of Himself.  We interpret that, even if Our Lord Jesus Christ had not poured out His Most Precious Blood, no one would be able to deprive him of the title of Martyr.  Jesus, while serenely and silently hearing the charges and accusations against Himself, showed himself a martyr.  Receiving the sacrilegious kiss of the traitor Judas Iscariot, He clearly revealed his martyrdom.  Receiving with sweetest patience insults and calumnies, Jesus gave proof of his character of martyr.

We desire to offer the faithful this sublime truth for their consideration:  the Most Holy Virgin Mary was Co-redemptrix without shedding blood.  This exalted Co-redemptrix, without shedding her blood, has the most glorious title of Queen of Martyrs.  It would be a monstrous ingratitude to God to deny that the Most Holy Virgin is a Martyr.  This most blessed Mother ardently desired to die with Christ, in order to offer herself to the Eternal Father as Co-redemptrix of humanity.  Our Lord Jesus Christ did not desire that His Most Holy Mother die, since it was necessary for the newly born Church to be guided under the visible protection of the Mother.  Jesus, in magisterial fashion, satisfied the desire of the Celestial Father, and of the Mother, and of the Church, making her Co-redemptrix without effusion of blood.  Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of the ancient Simeon:  “ A sword shall pierce thy soul.”  This fulfillment is seen in the certain doctrine of the Virgin as both Co-redemptrix and Queen of martyrs.

We, as Master and universal Guide of the Church, also teach as certain doctrine that the Most Glorious Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Most Holy Virgin and adoptive Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is, without doubt, the great martyr.  This glorious martyr attained this exalted dignity without shedding his blood.  The life of Saint Joseph bears the unmistakable seal of martyrdom.  We behold Saint Joseph on a path of constant martyrdom.  The most glorious Saint Joseph, in the town of Bethlehem, accompanying the Queen of Martyrs, the Virgin Mary, who is bearing in her virginal womb the Martyr of Martyrs, the Man of Sorrows.  In company with the Martyrs Jesus and Mary, the glorious Martyr Saint Joseph goes from door to door, seeking where the Queen of Martyrs might give birth to Him whom the universe cannot contain.  But that ingrate city refuses this sublime grace and closes her doors in the faces of those two sublime Martyrs.  Shortly afterwards, this glorious Martyr will accompany the Most Holy Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus, on that anguished flight to Egypt.  Saint Joseph, abandoning the place where he is established and detaching himself from everything, obeys the voice of God and goes to a foreign land.  In his life, we see Saint Joseph in the carpentry shop, working with his hands with great fatigue, in order to nourish the Holy Family.  A man would be foolish to try to deprive Saint Joseph of the glorious crown of martyrdom.  The glorious Saint Joseph, in his exalted quality of great Martyr, obtained the sublime dignity of Co-redemptor,- inferior of course, to that of Mary Co-redemptrix.

We, as Universal Doctor of the Church, teach as certain doctrine, that there are distinct forms of martyrdom.  We teach that the martyr without bloodshed attains this dignity if he truly has been disposed, until his final moments, to defend the Catholic Faith with his blood, if God so will.

We, as Master and Universal Guide of the Church, teach that all those who are vilely persecuted and who offer their sufferings with love and pardon for the persecutors, are automatically martyrs.  Who could deny the character of martyr to those who preferred to die of hunger rather than apostatize?  These glorious martyrs of Ireland attained this exalted dignity because they preferred death by hunger and other calamities rather than foreswear their Holy Catholic Faith.  It was not a question of a few days of hunger, but rather of a constant lack of food.  Actually, not all who died of hunger in Ireland attained martyrdom,- since, in order to attain such glory, there must be present several conditions.  First, pardon for the persecutors, from a heart purified of every stain of hate or vengeance.  Second, the offering to God of persecution, in union with the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Sorrows of the Most Holy Virgin Mary.  Another condition,- that in this suffering and persecution, the sole motive be the glory of God, the splendour of Holy Church, the conversion of sinners and one’s own purification.  Disposed to love Christ above family, country or goods, the Christian, through the infinite gift of baptismal grace, has always to take the cross, leave everything and follow Christ.

We, as Universal Doctor of the Church, teach as certain doctrine, that we canonize only those who fulfill the conditions mentioned.  Only God in his infinite wisdom knows the names and numbers of the glorious martyrs of Ireland.

After examining historical fact, We have made the estimate of approximately 300,000 martyrs.  We believe the true number exceeds only slightly this approximation, and we believe that, should the real number be less, the difference remains slight.

We, as Universal Doctor of the Church, guarantee and assure, with our word as pledge, the sanctity and heroic life of these glorious martyrs of Ireland.  We also wish to teach that, had the conditions explained above been verified, it would have been possible to multiply the number by 10.  But hatred and vengeance, and other worldly motives, deprived many of the glorious crown of martyrdom.  We also wish to teach that of these others, many attained salvation.

We also teach the faithful that many of the wars of Ireland against England were truly holy crusades,- although not all the participants were crusaders,- a matter which can be observed in all the crusades of any other nation.

We desire to recall that the Spanish War of 36-39 was a holy crusade,; however, not all the participants were crusaders, since it is evident that many individuals joined the crusade for personal motives.  It is also certain that there were those who joined the crusade out of hatred for the other side and for vengeance,- which persons never acquired the palm of martyrdom.

We desire also to recall for the faithful, that in the holy crusades organized by the Popes against the Mohammedans, there participated individuals with ideals and motives other than those which the holy crusades themselves professed.

We also desire to recall that during the 8 centuries of Mohammedan domination in Spain, the Christians lived in a perpetual holy crusade, but not all were authentic crusaders.  There were, disgraceful to say, Christians who joined the Mohammedans against the Christians.  In these permanent crusades there were individuals motivated by hate and vengeance, who, of course, lost the palm of martyrdom.

We, as Vicar of Christ on earth, say with Him:  “Bless those who persecute you, love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.”

We teach:  if a Christian under persecution does not pardon his persecutor,- and not only that, but does not love and bless him, then he loses the crown of martyrdom and risks eternal salvation.  We say with Christ:  “When they strike you on one cheek, turn the other.”  Terrible and sublime sentence:  to receive a blow on one cheek and with love turn the other, all for love of Christ.

We say to all the faithful that the Church, in order to be vigorous, needs persecution,- because it is very easy to be a Catholic when all respect you,- but the important thing is to be a Catholic when the whole world persecutes you.  Without doubt the martyrs, with or without bloodshed, fructify and multiply the grandeur of the Church.

Analyzing the historical facts on the life of Ireland, we encounter contradictory stories and statements,- depending on which party is writing.  The same occurs in the history of Spain or of any other nation.  It is usual to encounter exaggerations in both camps, and the obstinate insistence to blame the other side.  All this pertains to the disequilibrium of men, who lower their eyes to earth rather than lift them to Heaven, where true justice and equilibrium reign.

We guarantee and assure, with our word as pledge, that in studying historical fact, we constantly exercise the necessary and sacred role of devil’s advocate, seeking possible defects.  Beloved children, thank God that the Pope performs this necessary task of devil’s advocate because, when he makes a declaration, he does so with full certitude, offering his own head to the executioner, if necessary.  Let no one forget that the Pope is the rock on which rests the Church.  Let no one put obstacles in the way of the Pope.  In the right moment he will illumine the most obscure questions.  The Pope, as Visible Head of the Church, regards the causes of saints and martyrs above all patriotism.  The Pope seeks the glory of God and of His Church.  For the Pope, all the faithful are his children, without distinction of nation, race or language.  This sense of the Pope ought to be the sense of all the Church.  All the faithful of the Church have to procure the glory of God and the splendour of the Church, seeking lives of sanctity and martyrdom in the place where they live, since all are children of God and of the Virgin Mary.  No one, neither family nor group nor country, can attain this sublime and true brotherhood, sonship of the same Father and Mother, unless by the Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, all surrounding Peter, common Father of the Church.

We desire to inform the faithful that, with no room for doubt, in number of glorious martyrs, Catholic Ireland occupies the third place after Spain and France.  The providential origin of the Irish is to be found in Spain, since part of the Iberos, who inhabited Spain, settled in Ireland.  On the one hand, the primitive name of Spain is Iberia, and Ireland has a similar name, Hibernia.  It is certain, moreover, that both nations, being Iberos, are also Celts.  For twofold reason then, the two nations are akin.  Through this brotherhood, we find in both nations many saints and many warriors,- but also many proud and vengeful spirits.  Virtues and defects quite parallel, even if it is true to say that the Spaniards are more disciplined, due to the numerous invasions of the Iberian Peninsula.  To this brotherhood we find necessarily united the nation of France, known as Gaul.

We find that God has loved these three nations always in a most particular manner since, if we delve into their history, we discover their Hebrew origin.  We ask you to consider the following:  as proof of this truth, one must meditate on the visit of the Most Holy Virgin during her mortal life to Spain, to the banks of the Ebro, in the city of Saragossa where, for 20 centuries there has remained the Pillar.  Spain was evangelized by the Apostle Santiago, disciple of the Lord and most dearly beloved by the Most Holy Virgin Mary.  The Apostle Saint Paul also preached in Spain, so that it can be said that Spain received a great example to defend the faith with energy.

We recall that France received the friends of the Lord, Saint Mary Magdalene, Saint Martha, Saint Lazarus, Zachaeus, etc.

We wish to emphasize that Ireland was evangelized by Saint Patrick, of great devotion to the Most Holy Virgin, no ordinary devotion, but a devotion most profound and most singular.

We await with great desire the day when the three nations form a holy league to re-establish the Faith of Christ among the nations.  The ponderous sword of Pope Gregory XVII will not rest till it has redeemed the world for Christ, with the powerful help of the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

We establish a yearly feast to be celebrated with proper Mass on the 7^th November, under the title of the Glorious and Innumerable Martyrs of Ireland.

We address our beloved children of Ireland.  Most dear and beloved children, beg the intercession of these glorious martyrs in order that you persevere firm in the Faith, disposed to be reckoned in the number of martyrs.  For this end, the present epoch is more propitious than the former, since the apostates of today call themselves Catholics and papists, while they follow the antipope of Rome and a liturgy that separates them more and more from true doctrine.  We are living the terrible moments of the great apostasy.  There is hardly a greater sadness than to contemplate millions and millions of apostates who dare to call themselves Catholics.  Blessed be God who permits this terrible epoch in which we can attain sanctity and martyrdom.

We say to you:  the Pope is with Ireland,- but of course, with the Ireland that is with Us, since those who are not with Us are against Christ, whom We represent.  It is necessary that the devout faithful of Ireland accomplish an intense apostolate in their nation, that all recognize the true Pope,- inasmuch as we have the obligation to preach first to those who still call themselves Catholics, although fallen into apostasy,- just as the apostles preached first to the Jews.

We, with the authority with which we are vested, establish the jubilee centenary year of the apparition of Our Lady of Knock.  This jubilee, in which a plenary indulgence is gained, will commence the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Knock and conclude the 21^st August the following year of 1980.  The plenary indulgence is to be gained in the Chapel of our Bishop who represents Us in Ireland.  Those who daily frequent the Chapel will gain the indulgence at the Sunday Mass that ends the week, under the usual conditions.

We exhort paternally the devotees of Ireland to do everything possible that this document, and that of the Patronage of Our Lady of Knock, reach those who once were devotees, in order for them to receive this light.  However, if they reject it, do not maintain dialogue with them, as that is very dangerous and exposes you to loss of faith.  Of course, those who bear this mission ought to be, to the degree possible, our missionary Bishops, who are among you.  A difficult mission,- but we desire to make this paternal gesture and give this opportunity to those children of ours who have departed, and for whom we pray intensely.

Given in Seville, at the Apostolic See, 4^th April, Feast of Saint Isidore of Seville, in the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ MCMLXXIX.

With our Apostolic Blessing.

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