Did St. Pope John Paul II foresee an Islamic invasion of Europe?

Saint is said to have had prophetic visions.

A former confidant to St. Pope John Paul II has released a startling secret. Monsignor Mauro Longhi, who was a confidant to St. Pope John Paul II, said the saint was a mystic who regularly received visions. One of those visions was of a mortal wound to the Church in the third millennium. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - According to Mgr. Longhi, St. Pope John Paul II had a vision of an Islamist invasion of Europe and that it would be up to the Church to contain it. 

"The Pope told me: 'Tell this to those whom you will meet in the Church of the third millennium. I see the Church afflicted by a mortal wound. More profound, more painful than those of this millennium,' referring to Communism and Nazi totalitarianism. 'It is called Islamism. They will invade Europe. I have seen the hordes come from the West to the East,' and then told to me each country one by one: from Morocco to Libya to Egypt, and so on till the East... They will invade Europe, Europe will be like a basement, old relics, shadows, cobwebs. Family heirlooms. You, the Church of the third millennium, must contain the invasion. Not with armies, armies will not be enough, but with your faith, lived with integrity."

Several of the pope's closest companions have said that he often received visions. He was deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary. 

It is unclear exactly what the vision means. Islam is certainly on the rise globally and across Europe. 

The response to this invasion isn't militant Christianity, as the saint pointed out, but rather a redoubling of our spiritual efforts. In fact, John Paul II often dialogued with Muslims. 

Christians and Muslims are traditional adversaries, dating back at least to the eighth century. Muslims have repeatedly invaded Europe, with marginal success. More recently, millions of Muslims have settled in Europe and some of their leaders have called for the imposition of Sharia law within their own communities. They have also been criticized for refusing to assimilate into the dominant culture. 

The best response is not persecution, but rather to increase one's own faith and practice. Religion actually flourishes in the face of persecution, but the best way for it to spread is though love, charity, and devoted practice. Before evangelization can occur, people need to be open to hearing the Gospel. That cannot happen in an adversarial context. 

It may take time and more information for people to fully understand the visions of St. Pope John Paul II. Such visions are only for the person receiving them anyway, and not for the Church as a whole. But we should pay attention, and we should make every effort to increase our own faith and its practice. 

 

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