Thirty Years Later: Celebrating Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira as a Counter-Revolutionary Focused on Our Lady’s Triumph
As we observe the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira—the founder of the Brazilian Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property and inspirer of all other TFPs around the world—we must pause to consider not only his past life but, above all, what makes him such a powerful force in the Counter-Revolution in our day. By focusing on the cause of this impact, we honor his memory and gain insights about continuing the fight for Christian civilization in the future.
Thus, our task is not to prove that his work represented a powerful force in the past. It is not to discuss the efficacy of the TFP movement as a pole of thought today. Secular authors are now writing about his work in retrospect and confirm his impact on his native Brazil and far beyond. Others show how his faith, thought, and action continue to exert a strong influence through the efforts of the TFP organizations scattered across the globe.
Instead, we will trace the cause of this great impact, both past and present. We will discover what makes this impact so powerful and compelling. We can take courage in continuing his fight for Christian civilization, which is timelier than ever.
Looking for Causes
Some might think his Catholic Faith or extraordinary devotion to Our Lady might explain this impact. These factors definitely played their role.
Those who knew him in life and especially those who had a privileged, close relationship with him referred to him affectionately as “Dr. Plinio.” They remember him with great longing. He had the extraordinary ability of turning an abstract cause into something personal and, therefore, powerful.
However important these factors might be, Dr. Plinio certainly would choose another theme as the cause of this impact. He would prefer that we discuss this influence in reference to the ongoing fight for what remains of Christian civilization. He always defined himself and the TFP in these terms.
Focusing on the Counter-Revolutionary
Thus, he would ask us to discuss this impact in the context of the fight explained in his book, Revolution and Counter-Revolution. This work views post-medieval history as a struggle between those who defend the Catholic Church and Christian civilization (the Counter-Revolution) and their mortal enemy (the Revolution). This is the prism where he would feel himself best explained.
Moreover, this was how his enemies saw him: a counter-revolutionary. They did not see a great orator, writer or man of culture, although he possessed these qualities. They seldom praise or criticize these aspects. Revolutionaries do not feel threatened by them. However, what they see and attack in him, both then and now, is the counter-revolutionary. They feel deeply threatened by this characteristic in Dr. Plinio.
Thus, our topic must deal with how Dr. Plinio focused on being a counter-revolutionary, as this is the source of his impact, his force de frappe. Being counter-revolutionary defined him; it set the tone for all other aspects of his life.
The Counter-Revolutionary Prism
Dr. Plinio lived this Counter-Revolution in a very practical, personal and efficient way. It was central to his militant faith. It influenced his devotion to Our Lady. It was the prism through which we can see all those other qualities he put at the service of the Counter-Revolution—orator, writer and man of culture.
This characterization as a counter-revolutionary helps explain his powerful influence in our day. His intense focus on the Revolution allowed him to form a school of thought and organize a network of action during his lifetime. The framework he left behind enabled the TFP movement to continue his fight and create great obstacles to the Revolution today.
Thus, Dr. Plinio would say, “Stay focused. Just talk about this context of the Counter-Revolution. Nothing more, nothing less. Being counter-revolutionary explains everything.”
Adding Our Lady’s Triumph
However, he would add a qualifier to this title of counter-revolutionary. He would insist that this effort be oriented toward a goal, which was Our Lady’s triumph.
It would not be enough to fight against the Revolution. We must fight for Our Lady. His idea was that she must be victorious over her enemies. More than her victory, Dr. Plinio desired her triumph, which is an overwhelming win.
This triumph is not an imaginary desire driven by Dr. Plinio’s zealous devotion, but the accomplishment of a promise. Our Lady predicted at Fatima that her Immaculate Heart would triumph. This promise makes the Fatima Message more urgent than ever.
Thus, our theme of celebrating Dr. Plinio as a counter-revolutionary laser-focused on Our Lady’s triumph could not be timelier. It serves as a model for all counter-revolutionaries to emulate today.
A Preparation for the Fight Today
We could say that everything in our postmodern world conspires to distract us from this Marian triumph. We live in a fragmented society with constant interruptions and distractions. There are so many opportunities for concessions and compromises. There are so many unprincipled and easy ways out of the duty to be faithful to God and His Law.
Dr. Plinio’s focused battle is the model we especially need today, given the intensity and unpredictability of the times. The pace of events has accelerated, and so many absurd things are suddenly affirmed as true.
Above all, we are afflicted by the crisis inside Holy Mother Church. Like Dr. Plinio, we grieve at seeing what Paul VI called a process of “self-destruction” destroying the Church from within.1
Thus, Dr. Plinio’s example teaches us to focus on the Counter-Revolution as a means of resistance amid the chaos. It allows us to look to Our Lady with confidence, and be ever certain of her triumph.
Analyzing Four Points of Focus
There are four points that Dr. Plinio took to heart when focused on this fierce struggle between the Revolution and Counter-Revolution.
These focal points are found in any war. To be effective and prevail in combat, we must find allies, identify the enemy, and utilize battle strategies and tactics. Finally, there must be a final goal that, once accomplished, will determine the victory.
Dr. Plinio’s clarity of vision enabled him to assemble these four components into a strategy for the Counter-Revolution that remains valid today.
A Strategy for Victory
Thus, we will see how he sought allies by trying to involve as many people as possible in the Counter-Revolution.
We will also see how he identified and engaged the enemy in a very concrete battle. He did not fight windmills or embrace abstract causes in the clouds. He did not get distracted or bury himself in fighting yesterday’s Revolution when today’s Revolution is storming the gates of the city.
Given the disparity of resources, we will examine how Dr. Plinio developed and refined methods of action to attract friends and instill respect and fear in the Church’s enemies
Finally, we will see how he was laser-focused on his final goal, Our Lady’s triumph. The first three points were the means to achieve the final goal of the triumph of Our Lady’s cause, thus forming a whole.
His goal was this triumph. He was not interested in making deals, engaging in superfluous debate or daydreaming about some romantic lost cause. He stayed focused on Our Lady’s triumph and worked to make it happen. That must always be our goal as well.
Seeking Allies
From the beginning of his public life, Dr. Plinio sought allies for the Counter-Revolution.
He immediately perceived the need to find those who would fight with him. For him, it was a matter of survival, not convenience.
He did not necessarily want to lead the Counter-Revolution. If he could find someone better suited to lead this titanic struggle, he always said that he would immediately serve that person. He even traveled to Europe in the fifties to search for this leadership.
The need for allies is evident. In Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio affirms that the Revolution is universal, one, total and dominant.2 In other words, it is overwhelmingly powerful. The Counter-Revolution today is not proportional to the size, resources and prestige the Revolution can command. Thus, today’s more imperative need than ever to repeat the cry of Moses: “If any man be on the Lord’s side let him join with me” (Ex. 32:26).
Looking for Isolated Counter-Revolutionaries
The Revolution enjoys the massive support of the liberal establishment, which can offer its followers power, status and benefits. It can apply pressure to and isolate those who resist.
The Revolutionary advantage is especially evident in the natural realm of political power and human resources. It awes people by the extent of its power.
While acknowledging this often-discouraging reality, Dr. Plinio nevertheless maintained that the counter-revolutionary is more common than generally believed. The Revolution intimidates many people into hiding their true beliefs. Thus, the task of the counter-revolutionary is to seek out and support others who think they are alone, organizing them into effective actions and taking the offensive.
Needing Both Natural and Supernatural Aid
To counter this impression, Dr. Plinio always counted on both natural and supernatural aid to build a Counter-Revolution.
He understood the importance of imploring the help of grace, Our Lady, the angels and saints to compensate for the disproportion of power.
However, he understood all too well that we live in a visible world that functions in terms of the material reality of things. This spiritual dimension alone will not suffice.
Dr. Plinio believed that the Counter-Revolution must have a strong physical presence. We win only by joining with others and showing up for the fight in the public square. Supernatural forces will never come to our aid if we are not on the battlefield calling for them.
Finding Allies Everywhere
Allies for Our Lady’s cause can be found by actively looking for them everywhere and attracting them with powerful ideas.
In Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio observed that the Revolution is total because it encompasses all aspects of life, including culture, economy, arts, politics, and religion.3 Thus, people in every possible field feel the aggressive action of the Revolution and can be convinced to fight back by joining the Counter-Revolu
Those who promote counter-revolutionary architectural styles, for example, would be natural allies. Farmers who resisted socialist land reform could find an ally in him. He sought the support of those who opposed communist tyranny, which was the cutting edge of Revolutionary action during the Cold War. He later rallied people to confront the Culture War as it threatened to destroy our society, its morals, and institutions from within.
Not everyone who resists will agree on everything. He rightly saw that in a life-and-death struggle of such great magnitude, he must accept aid from anyone who could help the counter-revolutionary cause, while always exercising due prudence. This was the story of his life.
Presenting Powerful Ideas Strongly
The book My Public Life is a 2015 compilation of autobiographical texts published in Brazil in which Dr. Plinio describes his lifelong counter-revolutionary public action.
He describes how he attracted followers by presenting powerful ideas. Thus, his recruitment of allies consisted of finding others with similar thinking, presenting these powerful ideas to them and orienting them toward Our Lady’s triumph.
His strategy was centered on finding issues that could become strong rallying points. This approach ran counter to conventional wisdom, which says the way to create large movements is by compromising principles or creating a “big tent” that welcomes those who hold soft positions.
An Early Incident Confronting the Revolution
Thus, in the very beginning of the book on his public life, we find an astute observation from his earliest pre-political actions.
Dr. Plinio’s first effort to gather counter-revolutionaries occurred when he attended the Jesuit high school of São Luís, in São Paulo, Brazil, as a young boy.
Since he was educated at home with a tutor, his entrance into this school marked the first time he found himself in a place dominated by boys heavily influenced by the revolutionary ideas of modern times.
He immediately sensed that anyone with counter-revolutionary ideas like his was the victim of persecution and ridicule. He was determined that this would not happen to him.
He noticed that this persecution happened when students timidly showed themselves to be “a bit” Catholic, “a bit” chaste or “a bit” monarchist. All the revolutionary boys would fall upon those who were timid in affirming their positions. This intimidation silenced many a conservative reaction.
Taking the Offensive
He concluded that the best way to fight against this intimidation was to adopt a contrary strategy. To silence these revolutionary boys, he resolved to strongly affirm himself as someone who was very Catholic, very chaste and very monarchist.4
When he and those who gathered around him did this, it intimidated and silenced the revolutionaries. This affirmation did not necessarily end the war, but it managed to establish what he called “an armed truce” with the enemy, whereby they respected him and refrained from provoking him.
It also won him the sympathy of those around him who were encouraged by his action, even if they did not entirely agree with him. This action changed the political environment of the whole school.
Thus, Dr. Plinio found allies by having powerful counter-revolutionary ideas and presenting them strongly in public. He would constantly return to this formula throughout his entire life.
Forming International Alliances and Networks
This formula extended beyond making personal contacts. Dr. Plinio used this method to form the TFPs, who, in turn, would form alliances, coalitions and networks with other organizations.
In the 2021 book Moral Majorities Across the Americas: Brazil, the United States, and the Creation of the Religious Right, Prof. Benjamin Cowan documents Dr. Plinio’s impressive work and his early role in forming an international network of organizations and associations that heavily influenced the conservative debate worldwide.5
In his analysis, the liberal professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, notes that Dr. Plinio had very powerful ideas that attracted people to his cause. However, he did not keep these ideas to himself; instead, he spread them everywhere. By reaching inside and outside Brazil, he internationalized these ideas, making them much more powerful and impactful.
These contacts gave rise to conservative networks that, to this day, oppose the moral evils of our times. Dr. Cowan believes these networks are very powerful because Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira and those like him had the vision to look beyond local or national boundaries. They cobbled together an international network that united the most diverse groups against Communism, Modernism and Secularism. Dr. Plinio helped internationalize a message favoring the moral law and the Church’s social teachings, which the Revolution had tried to keep local and fragmented.
Dr. Cowan concludes that those on the left tend to disregard these conservative networks because they strongly reject such ideas. However, the scholar warns that the left would do well to take notice of their great appeal. He cautions that leftists ignore these networks to their peril.
Finding Common Cause
Those who formed these cobbled-together networks did not have to agree one hundred percent. Often, each organization specialized in fighting a specific facet of the overall Revolution. With great prudence, Dr. Plinio worked with Protestants, secular activists and others who were enemies of some aspect of the Revolution. He never compromised on his principles when doing so, nor did he cease to profess his Catholic Faith strongly and publicly.
Thus, for example, he made common cause with Dutch Calvinists in South Africa in their fight against Communism and, tragically, against the leftist Catholic clergy who supported revolutionary movements and ideas favoring Marxism.
In the United States, he contacted what was then known as the New Right, a powerful conservative coalition comprising Catholics, Protestants and evangelicals. He even asked New Right leader Morton Blackwell, an Episcopalian, to write the foreword to the English edition of his book Nobility and Analogous Traditional Elites, which was mainly his commentary on Pope Pius XII’s New Year speeches to the Roman nobility and patriciate.6
After the worldwide publication of Dr. Plinio’s message against French self-managing Socialism in 1981,7 TFPs received letters from people all over the world asking about working together or forming a TFP in their respective countries. These places included exotic locations in Asia, Africa and India. Dr. Plinio placed a special emphasis on developing these contacts, which involved Catholics, Hindus, and even Muslims who were opposed to self-managing Socialism and willing to fight against this aspect of the Revolution.
Picking the Right Allies
Besides finding allies, Dr. Plinio knew how to separate himself from those who were not true allies. He could discern those whose agenda deviated from his strong principles. He did not allow those causes to divert or waste his time and that of the Counter-Revolution.
Wherever there was an advantage for the Counter-Revolution, there we would find Dr. Plinio. His gradual effort of finding allies and establishing networks allowed him to build a formidable Counter-Revolution. Dr. Plinio leveraged its support to position himself where he always wanted to be—where the fight was most intense.
Dealing With the Right Enemies
Another important part of his focused struggle involved identifying and engaging with the enemies of Christian civilization. He avoided fighting useless disputes, conspiracy theories or abstract causes divorced from reality. He did not pursue yesterday’s revolution, seeing that he would be much more effective by engaging the latest manifestation of the Revolution or directing the public’s attention to the next one.
Because he defined his enemies well, he could fight the right enemies at the right time. Thus, those precious and sparse resources of the Counter-Revolution could be deployed with maximum efficiency, targeting the Revolution’s most vulnerable points.
The enemies he especially looked for were the Revolution’s most radical firebrands. He made them his constant concern.
Looking for the Cutting Edge
In Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio explains that the Revolution is a process that relies upon its most radical and dynamic elements to advance. These fast-paced radicals take the revolutionary principles to their extreme consequences.8
Because these issues tend to lead to evil, false and ugly goals like Communism, the Revolution often disguises these naturally repugnant ends and strives to present itself as something attractive.
Thus, the key to stopping the Revolution is to concentrate on the radical, cutting-edge issues and unmask their hideousness.9 By engaging the head of the Revolution in this manner, we can prevent it from going forward. This fight can slow down or stop the Revolution. It can disrupt the dynamism of its processes and force it to waste time searching for alternative ways to advance.
Throughout his long life, Dr. Plinio fought many radical manifestations of the Revolution. He mentioned these fights in the Introduction of Revolution and Counter-Revolution, where he said that those who followed his writings would frequently find “refutations of Communism, Socialism, totalitarianism, liberalism, liturgism, ‘Maritainism’ and various other ‘isms’” of the day.10 In each of these fights, Dr. Plinio and his school of Catolicismo writers denounced an extreme component of the same Revolution. The Revolution was the common denominator of all these evils.
Examples From TFP History
Later, after the Brazilian TFP was founded, Dr. Plinio continued this constant fight to find and expose the Revolution’s most radical manifestations. Three major campaigns are especially noteworthy.
Throughout the Cold War, Dr. Plinio engaged with the communist menace, which became especially dangerous when it changed its face to appear less violent and friendlier. Thus, Dr. Plinio was there to denounce and expose communist maneuvers, such as détente, the Vatican’s Ostpolitik, Eurocommunism, and similar subterfuges. He would inspire the TFPs to fight the deceit every step of the way.
When a benevolent self-managing Socialism appeared on the scene in France in 1981, he initiated research, wrote a denunciation and spread this warning throughout the world. He saw this new form of Socialism as a model designed to be adopted worldwide. This maneuver of the Revolution would take the world beyond Communism by organizing every aspect of human life according to its radically egalitarian principles.
Finally, he witnessed the promotion of indigenous tribalism within Brazil’s Catholic Church in the seventies. He perceived that the theological writings of this current’s proponents proposed this “ideal primitive society” as a post-Marxist model to destroy Christian civilization. He wrote a book that denounced and unmasked this maneuver, thus preventing it from gaining traction among the Catholic faithful.11
Original Ideas, Books and Studies
Dr. Plinio would perceive trends, ideas and tendencies inside society that would later give rise to important and original studies and articles to influence the counter-revolutionary fight.
For example, his perception of the course of events in the United States prompted him to gather a group of TFP members who formed what he called the American Commission. Their research later resulted in a book titled Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society.12 The study analyzed the frenetic intemperance of the Industrial Revolution and its effects on postmodern American society. It proposed an organic Christian society as an original and viable solution.
Long before computers came to dominate life, Dr. Plinio recognized the nefarious effects of this revolution on society, youth, and education. He initiated studies and encouraged the writing of articles that discussed the advances of computers and cybernetics and their revolutionary implications, now seen in AI.
He was also original in his discussion of revolutionary ambiences, arts and music and how each of these fields could affect tendencies in the Revolution versus Counter-Revolution struggle.
Finally, we might add that he was not attached to the studies that he initiated and commissioned. If necessary, he could change direction quickly. If he perceived that public opinion or circumstances had changed and the main effort of the Revolution was now directed elsewhere, he would stop the studies and pursue something else. He had, so to speak, a shelf of unpublished books and studies that never saw the light of day because of these shifts in the battle.
The Third Point of Focus
Dr. Plinio’s third point of focus was developing and refining methods of action to attract allies and instill respect and fear in the Church’s enemies.
He needed to take those powerful ideas that he presented strongly and find a way to make them part of the national debate. These ideas would be of no benefit if they remained unknown. He therefore took advantage of modern media techniques and platforms to amplify his voice.
This willingness to adopt modern techniques is one of the things that surprises many people about Dr. Plinio and his school of action. They assume that being traditional means not using modern technology or mass media.
Quite to the contrary. He held that all legitimate means must be used to further Our Lady’s cause. In this respect, he was always one step ahead of everyone. If it involved something that would hasten Our Lady’s triumph, he would be for it.
For example, long before email became the norm for quick and free communication, the TFPs had already developed a rudimentary internal email system in the early eighties to facilitate better communications between the various TFPs nationally and internationally. Few conservative networks had anything like it at the time.
Our Lady Deserves the Best Means
In Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio said that counter-revolutionary action “deserves to have at its disposal the best means: television, radio, major press, and a rational, efficient, and brilliant publicity.”13
He deplored the attitude of defeatists who made no effort to utilize these means, as the children of darkness most often control and use them to advance the revolutionary agenda.
Indeed, he believed that the counter-revolutionary should prefer these major means. However, more modest and original ways of spreading the word, such as small meetings, newsletters or article writing, are also valid and vital means of building a Counter-Revolution.14
Big, Original and Small Means
To spread the counter-revolutionary message, Dr. Plinio never hesitated to publish ads in major newspapers, even at great cost, because this was the vital means of reaching large audiences in those pre-Internet times. TFP organizations also engaged in extensive direct mail operations and the placement of billboards to alert the public to the significant issues of the day.
The most famous means of disseminating the TFP message is its trademark public street campaign, featuring a cape and standard. Dr. Plinio invented the TFP red cape and standard, with the intention that its originality would remain etched in the mind of the viewer. Many years later, the person might not recall the specific issue that TFP members addressed that day, but they would remember the campaign due to its symbolic impact.
One American TFP member introduced himself to a state Supreme Court justice. He told the member, “Yes, I know exactly who you are because I studied in São Paulo, Brazil, in the sixties, and you [TFP members] were constantly in the streets.” A full fifty years later, he remembered the TFP campaigns.
Big and Daring Things
What characterized Dr. Plinio’s methods of action was that he liked to do big and daring things. He was not satisfied with only small efforts. He liked to set world records and do what had never been done before.
This was the case of his message against French self-managing Socialism in 1981. This work was published not as the commonly seen full-page ad. Instead, it was a six-page advertisement, published in forty-six major newspapers across six languages and nineteen countries. The newspapers included The New York Times, The Washington Post, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Excelsior (Mexico) and the Folha de S. Paulo (Brazil). The TFPs later published a one-page summary of this message in forty-seven papers worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal and The International Herald Tribune.15 The summary was also featured in thirty-one international editions of Reader’s Digest.16 Never in modern history was such a large denunciation published as an advertisement on such a grand scale.
During the 1990 campaign for Lithuania’s freedom from Soviet oppression, Dr. Plinio launched an international petition drive that resulted in 5,218,520 signatures being gathered worldwide. It was recorded in the 1993 Guinness Book of Records as the “largest petition” drive in history.17 An earlier signature drive, directed to Paul VI in 1968, against leftist infiltration in the Church had already garnered 2,038,112 signatures in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile—a regional record at the time.18
So it was with many of Dr. Plinio’s actions. He was constantly pushing the envelope and doing things that had never been seen before to impress upon the public those powerful ideas presented strongly.
Breaking Myths
Dr. Plinio also liked to break the false myths of those leftists who claimed that a Counter-Revolution could not be done in modern times. Thus, he recruited young people, whom the Revolution portrayed as despisers of tradition, and turned them into its most enthusiastic promoters. He further demonstrated the popularity of the Counter-Revolution’s ideas by inviting these youth to share them in public, which they did with great passion.
In our overwhelmingly secular age, he broke the false myth that people are no longer interested in religion. On the contrary, he demonstrated how religious topics sparked intense interest among youth and the general public. He framed the debate in religious and moral terms because he found them to be the most effective means to motivate people to fight in the Counter-Revolution.
Finally, Dr. Plinio broke the false myth that one must resort to revolutionary means to be successful. He never used revolutionary methods to achieve counter-revolutionary goals. He was entirely consistent with his principles and beliefs.
The Resistance Manifesto
Such a balanced position was often made difficult by the need to oppose the policies of those in authority without disrespecting them and thereby undermining the social order. Dr. Plinio would never promote a revolution to fight the Revolution.
The most important example of this difficult dilemma was a 1974 document titled “The Vatican Policy of Détente With Communist Governments—Should the TFPs Stand Down? Or Should They Resist?”19 The document came to be known inside the TFPs as the “Resistance Manifesto.” It was published in its entirety in 58 newspapers and publications in 10 countries.20 Many other periodicals published a summary.
The manifesto declared the TFPs’ state of resistance to the Vatican’s policy of détente with communist regimes. That policy’s glaring contradiction with the Church’s traditional stand on Communism could only be understood keeping in mind what Paul VI described as a process of self-destruction, and when he warned that “the smoke of Satan had entered the Church.”21 The Resistance Manifesto provided a framework that would set the standard for opposing evil, even when it was found at the highest levels of the hierarchy.
Resistance Not Revolt
In the face of this situation, he found a way to attack the enemies within the Church without attacking the Church herself. He opposed highly placed prelates who promoted leftist ideas while maintaining due reverence for Church authority.
The solution was not to revolt against authority. It was to take a position of respectful resistance—to express our objection of conscience whereby we declare that we cannot participate in self-destructive actions within the Church. We actively resist these subversive actions and defend the Church while maintaining utmost veneration and respect for legitimate authority.
This respectful and faithful declaration of resistance is summarized in these words:
On our knees, gazing with veneration at the figure of His Holiness Paul VI, we express all our fidelity to him.
In this filial act, we say to the Pastor of Pastors: “Our soul is yours, our life is yours. Order us to do whatever you wish. Only do not order us to do nothing in the face of the assailing Red wolf. To this, our conscience is opposed.”22
Our Lady’s Triumph
The fourth and final point of focus was Dr. Plinio’s ardent and tireless efforts to work for Our Lady’s triumph. Everything else was secondary. He wanted to do much more than just serve Our Lady. He desired that she be universally served.
Celebrating Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira as a Counter-revolutionary Who Focused Upon Our Lady’s Triumph
Dr. Plinio was not a man of half-measures. He would never be satisfied with just a victory or two. He wanted Our Lady’s triumph, which differs from her victory. A triumph is by definition an overwhelming victory.
The spiritual and moral triumph had to overflow to temporal society. This triumph presupposes a restoration of order, which he classified in Revolution and Counter-Revolution as “the peace of Christ in the Reign of Christ, that is, Christian civilization, austere and hierarchical, fundamentally sacral, anti-egalitarian, and anti-liberal.”23
This resolution to dedicate himself to this concrete ideal of a regenerated Christian civilization motivated him throughout his life. He summarized this dedication to Our Lady’s triumph with these inspiring words:
When still very young,
I marveled at the ruins of Christendom,
Gave them my heart,
Turned my back on all I could expect,
And made of that past full of blessings,
However, this concrete realization of Our Lady’s triumph cannot be born only of nostalgia for a marvelous but past Christian order, however legitimate it might be. Dr. Plinio based his position on the firmly established expectations of a restored order heralded by many saints who foresaw this great turning point in history.
Above all, the great Marian Saint, Louis-Marie de Montfort, foretold this future order and called it the Reign of Mary, a period of great graces shaped by the faith and spirit of the Mother of God.
In the twentieth century, this reign was promised by Our Lady herself at Fatima. She predicted a series of wars, tribulations and disasters, but that these would end with a great conversion and the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. Thus, the hopes for this triumph are well-founded inside the Catholic world.
Dr. Plinio Never Hid His Desire for Our Lady’s Triumph
For this reason, Dr. Plinio and the TFPs never hid their desire for this Marian triumph from the public. It is found in TFP books and publications from the very beginning.
Dr. Plinio proclaimed this renewed Christendom in his talks and writings. It is boldly announced by the TFP standards unfurled on public streets. It is found in his brand of militant Catholicism inspired by the Crusades. Everything in his life work reflects this great ideal of a renewed Christendom informed and dominated by Our Lady’s spirit.
In Revolution and Counter-Revolution, Dr. Plinio points to this new Christendom as a goal when he says: “The Counter-Revolution is the struggle to extinguish the Revolution and to build the new Christendom, resplendent with faith, humble with hierarchical spirit, and spotless in purity.”25
Thus, this laser-like focus on Our Lady’s triumph presupposed a great and tender devotion to the Blessed Mother, which was the most vital point of Dr. Plinio’s life.
His devotion was marked with special consideration for Our Lady under many titles, each with its own significance in this struggle. Our Lady of Fatima is directly linked to the chastisements and events leading up to her reign. Our Lady of Good Counsel of Genazzano, in her famous shrine near Rome, speaks to the confidence needed to weather the storms and battles to get there. Our Lady of Good Success, in Quito, Ecuador, repeats these themes while emphasizing her majesty and dominion in the coming Marian era. Dr. Plinio’s story is interwoven with the symbolism of these invocations.
Thus, a strong Marian focus is found in all his actions. It could not be otherwise. For if the Revolution has so many resources at its disposal, we cannot conceive a counter-revolutionary action outside of Our Lady’s loving protections and overwhelming aid. She not only levels the playing field but also tilts it in her favor.
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira’s tender devotion to the Blessed Mother was the most vital point of his life
For this reason, Dr. Plinio instilled in TFP members and supporters an intense devotion to Our Lady. He helped arm us for battle by promoting the daily recitation of the Holy Rosary. He especially encouraged the Consecration to Our Lady as a slave of love, following the method of Saint Louis de Montfort.
Everything must be done “by Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary.”26 If any success is achieved, it must be attributed to her. Amid the trials of battle, he taught us to ask for yet more help, assuring us that we would never be left unaided.
Indeed, this tender confidence in Our Lady is what makes Dr. Plinio such a powerful force in the Counter-revolution of our days. He taught us to trust in her promise of triumph. It serves as an anchor for our hopes amid the trials we face.
Lessons From His Life
As we celebrate Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira as a counter-revolutionary entirely focused on Our Lady’s triumph, we should consider his life and example as a standing invitation for us to do the same.
His life contains special lessons applicable to us. The fight that he initiated continues with ever-greater intensity. Thus, our task is to follow in his footsteps by adopting the same four points of focus that he practiced so mightily.
We must search for allies in this fight for a return to order, especially among those who grieve for the iniquities of this world.
We must avoid those who, in their zeal to destroy the chaos of the present order, embrace anarchy.
We must never be sidetracked with lesser plans, mediocre positions or shameful concessions.
We must be careful, for example, in dealing with what are today called cultural Christians who appreciate only the external aspects of the faith and reject its moral teachings. These postmodern players engage in “godless crusades” without Christian goals or morals.
We must follow Dr. Plinio’s zeal in identifying the enemy, especially in its latest and most radical manifestations and reincarnations. This is all the more important in the face of the disintegration of the liberal order, in which the categories of left and right are often blurred. We must adjust our focus to target all the advances of the Revolution.
In the field of the sexual revolution, for example, “trans” activists have taken their rainbow flag to new depths of revolt against the Christian order. They propose the denial of reality, nature and identity.
In new fields like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, we must analyze how these technological developments influence human psychology to favor the Revolution.
In cases of doubt, we should follow Dr. Plinio’s example and rely on the only solid foundation that exists. Any counter-revolutionary stand must be a principled one, reflecting the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church. From that secure foundation and with unlimited confidence in Mary Most Holy, all things become possible.
We must employ new means to accomplish our goal of having powerfully constructed and strongly expressed ideas. Thus, we should neither be stuck in the past nor embrace new and transformative developments like AI too eagerly, which contain grave dangers and should be used with due caution.
However, the most important lesson is to stay focused on the final goal. That has not changed, nor can it change. Our Lady’s triumph has only become more urgent, and this gives Dr. Plinio’s legacy an immense and powerful impact. Our task is to be faithful to it and prolong its echo in history.
A Battle That Is Still His
We are at the end of the historical era of liberalism. Dr. Plinio combated the numerous specific errors of this liberal era, which today are reaching new extremes of absurdity as it increasingly disintegrates. This battle is still his battle. We should draw from his wisdom as we combat these errors effectively and efficiently in their final phases.
His masterpiece, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, remains our battle handbook because it contains an understanding of the centuries-long revolutionary process and provides the framework for undertaking an effective Counter-Revolution.
As the founder of the TFP movement and its worldwide family of souls, Dr. Plinio shares in the charisms of all founders. Founders are the cornerstones upon which movements are built. Providence provides these souls with everything needed to accomplish their missions as they unfold throughout the ages. When in need of aid and discernment, disciples can have recourse to their founders even long after their deaths.
Thus, we, too, must have recourse to Dr. Plinio. It is impossible not to perceive that he accompanies our battles from eternity. We can count upon his assistance, as indeed we have, over these last thirty years. For those of us who knew him, we can almost hear him as he directs us in the right direction.
Being Faithful to the Lessons
If we have survived for these three decades, it is because we have sought to be faithful to the lessons he has entrusted to us. Like him, we have suffered from all sorts of trials, betrayals and impossible situations. Like him, we were inspired to write timely works and launch impressive campaigns, which have had great repercussion. We have been blessed with the attraction of young people who continue to fill our TFP ranks.
Indeed, his fidelity is the reason we find ourselves still in the fight for Our Lady’s cause. All of this happened because of his focus on the final goal. We, too, should look to Our Lady.
It is the intensity of his fight for her that gives us the certainty of her triumph and allows us to continue. It is still his fight, even now, thirty years later.