Here are some excerpts from a homily of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican's Secretary of State, given in Portuguese on October 13, 2007 on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima.
The cardinal first underlined that the principal sacrifice for the conversion of sinners is the accomplishment of the duties of one's station in life.
"Unfortunately, he said, a great number of people think that the victory essentially depends on the talent, ability, and value of those who write in the news media, of those who speak at meetings, those who have a visible role, and that it is sufficient to encourage and applaud these leaders as we would encourage and applaud players at a stadium. With God, it does not work that way... Heaven asks an effort, even that which is insignificant from the most humble servants; servants that have only one talent."
Cardinal Bertone admonished with energy those who "impose as a common value the negation of any value that is real and permanent. They are the lords of our times — in the world of culture and art, economy and politics, science and information — who require and are ready to buy, if not impose, the silence of Christians while invoking the imperatives of an open society, whereas in truth, they close every entrance and exit towards the Transcendent."
In front of these claims, added the Cardinal, "the least we can do is to rebel with the same daring as the Apostles in front of the similar claim of the lords of their times. If you are wrongly accused, offended and scoffed at, pray for your persecutors and forgive them. Keep an unshakable faith in God's merciful love."