In spite of continuing to see the Virgin, (during the Nights of the Screams)
we saw a great multitude of people who were suffering intensely and screaming in terror. The Blessed Virgin explained to us that this
great tribulation, which was not even the Chastisement, would come because a time would arrive when the Church would appear to be on the point of perishing. It would pass through a terrible trial. We asked the Virgin what this great trial was called and she told us it was
«Communism».
Benac:
Did the Blessed Virgin speak of communism?
Mari Loli:
Our Lady spoke several times about communism. I don't remember how many times, but she said that a time would come when it would seem that communism had mastered or engulfed the whole world. I think it was then that she told us that priests would have difficulty saying Mass, and talking about God and divine things.
Benac:
Did Our Lady ever speak of people being put to death?
Mari Loli:
What Our Lady said was that priests would have to go into hiding but I didn't see whether they were being killed or not. She didn't exactly say they would be killed, but I'm sure they would be martyred.
Benac:
Your mother told me that one night you were upstairs with your father and that you cried and cried for one hour. Afterwards your father said to her:
"I have just seen the most touching sight. Loli was crying the whole time while saying, 'Oh, it's going to be like that?
People are going to suffer like that?
Oh, make me suffer!'"
Do you remember what you said at the time?
Mari Loli:
It was all related to communism and what is going to happen in the Church and to the people because all these things are to have repercussions amongst the people. When the Church suffers confusion, the people are going to suffer too.
Some priests who are communists
will create such confusion that people will not know right from wrong.
Q.
Do you remember what the Blessed Mother said about the communist tribulation that is to precede the Warning?
A.
It would look like the communists would have taken over the whole world and it would be very hard to practise the religion, for priests to say Mass or for people to open the doors of the churches.
Q.
Is that what you meant when you said that it would seem as though the Church had disappeared?
A.
Yes.
Q.
It would be because of the persecution and not because the people would stop practising their religion?
A.
Yes, but I guess a lot of people will stop. Whoever practises it will have to go into hiding.
Q.
Will this only be in Europe or do you think it will be here in the United States as well?
A.
I don't know because for me at that time, Europe was the whole world. I just assumed it was that way. The Blessed Mother didn't specify in what place. To me it looked like it was everywhere.
Q.
Approximately 67% of the earth s land is now dominated by communism. Do you think that's sufficient to fulfil Our Lady s prophecy?
A.
I really don't know. It sounded to me like it would be more than that.
Q.
In other words you think it will be worse than it is now?
A.
That's what I thought from what she said but I really don't know exactly. To me it looked like it was every place out there, the places I saw in my mind. In a lot of countries in Europe you can still practise your religion.
Q.
So, the situation in the world is not bad enough for the Warning to happen?
A.
The Warning is not going to happen yet so it's probably going to get worse.
Q.
You said that it would be very difficult for priests to say Mass. Was this something that the Blessed Mother told you or was it something that you thought yourself because of the communist tribulation?
A.
From what I remember, it was something she said.
Q.
And the Virgin said that it would seem as though the Church had disappeared?
A.
Yes.
Q.
Did the Blessed Mother ever say anything about the Holy Father having to leave Rome at the time of the Warning?
A.
No, but what it looked like to me — maybe at this time I was confusing in my mind what I was seeing and what the Blessed Mother was saying to me because it's been so many years — but what it looked like to me was that the Pope couldn't be in Rome either, you know what I mean, out in the open. He was being persecuted, too, and had to hide just like everybody else.
I went to visit Father Garcia de la Riva at Barrio and stayed there for a month. I was able to give the girls, Loli, Jacinta, and Malyuca a 3-day retreat. (Ed. Note: The retreat was for the entire school which the girls were attending at the time. Malyuca is not one of the visionaries. She is Loli's older sister.)
It was then that I put Mari-Loli to the test to see if she would tell me what The Great Punishment would be that the Blessed Mother talked to them about and why they had cried. She said she could not tell me, but I kept on insisting and she repeatedly told me,
"I can't tell you, I can't tell you."
Finally, I told her,
"Go to the chapel and there decide whether or not you are going to tell me."
After being in the chapel for an hour, she came out with a holy card in her hand. She gave it to me and then ran away. The word
"COMMUNISM"
was written on the card. I stood there looking at the word
"COMMUNISM,"
and I thought to myself:
"This does not tell me anything."
Later I told Loli:
"You have to explain this to me."
Then she said,
"The Blessed Mother has shown us how Communism will enter into the Church, and this is The Great Punishment. When we saw the consequences, this is what made us cry."
