The epicenter of the earthquake is located near the site of an
apparition in which Mary warned about a worldwide disaster that could
afflict humanity.
In 1973, the Virgin Mary was said to have predicted a
number of future events - including natural disasters even more serious
than Friday's earthquake and tsunami - during three appearances to a
Japanese religious sister, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa.
Japanese church officials have confirmed that the Diocese of Sendai,
in the north of the country, was hit hardest by the 8.8 magnitude
earthquake - the worst in Japanese history - and the resulting 23-foot
waves.
Hundreds of people have already been confirmed dead in the city of
Sendai, located less than 90 miles away from the apparition site of Our
Lady of Akita in the town of Yuzawa.
The city of Akita, which experienced fire damage and flooding along
with many parts of northern Japan, is a place of veneration for
Catholics.
In 1973, the Virgin Mary was said to have predicted a number of
future events - including natural disasters even more serious than
Friday's earthquake and tsunami - during three appearances to a Japanese
religious sister, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa.
The purported appearances of the Virgin Mary in Japan were reviewed
by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1988. During his time as Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith prior to his election as Pope
Benedict XVI, he let stand the local bishop's judgment that the
apparitions and the messages were acceptable for the faithful.
The messages warned of chaos within the Church, and disasters which could afflict the world.
"If men do not repent and better themselves, God the Father will
inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity," Mary reportedly told Sr.
Agnes. "If will be a punishment greater than the (biblical) flood, such
as never seen before."
"Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of
humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor
faithful," she said. "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into
the Church, in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing
cardinals, bishops against bishops."
"Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those
who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and
consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."
"Each day, recite the prayers of the Rosary," she told Sr. Agnes.
"With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests."
Two years after the last message, the statue of the Virgin Mary in
the chapel where the apparitions had occurred began to emit tears and
drops of blood. The occurrence continued for more than six years.
Reports from Akita following Friday's earthquake indicate that the
city received significantly less damage than other parts of northern
Japan, despite its proximity to the epicenter.
However, residents did
report power outages, burst pipes, and fires.
Bishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Niigata, whose territory includes the
Akita apparition site, is also the president of Caritas Japan, which
will be working to assist victims of the earthquake and tsunami.