In
1917, in the village of Fatima, about 70 miles north of Lisbon in
Portugal, three peasant children reported seeing an apparition of the
"Blessed Virgin Mary". They were 8-yr. old Lucia Santos, and her
cousins Francesco and Jacinta Marto.
On Sunday May 13, 1917, the visions began. They were
told to return on
the 13th of each month for six consecutive months. This they did, and
received prophetic information from the visits.
Fatima, 10/13/1917 before "Miracle of the Sun"
The heat from the sun event dried the clothes of the witnesses.
On the last visit, Oct. 13, 1917, they and 70,000
onlookers beheld a series of solar transformations known as
the "Miracle of the Sun" in which the sun seemed to dance in the sky.
Photostatic copy of a page from Ilustracao Portugueza,
October 29, 1917,
showing the crowd looking at the dance of the sun on October 13, 1917.
The crowd looking at the sun event.
Click on picture for larger image.
Among
the information, the children were given three secrets. The first
secret of Fatima is the vision of hell, the WWII prophecies and the
rise of communism. The second secret of Fatima is the devotion to the
Immaculate Heart of Mary. The third secret was written down, and placed
in an envelope. It eventually made it to the Vatican where despite the
apparition's instructions for it to be read to the world in 1960, it
has remained a secret.
Some of the prophecies from the first secret are:
The war is going to end. (Meaning WW1)
A worse war will break out in the time of Pius XI (WW2)
The good will be martyred. (Those terrorized by the Nazis?)
Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, promoting wars.
(the rise of communism?)
Russia will be converted and some time of peace will be given to the
world.
A night illuminated by an unknown light will be the sign of coming
hunger, war and persecution. (Happened on Jan. 25, 1938)
The Holy Father will have much to suffer (some say this was the
attempted assassination of John Paul II on the anniversary of the
Fatima apparitions. He had a vision of Mary in the crowd, which caused
him to change his position and possibly kept the shot from being fatal.)
In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will
consecrate Russia to me.
May 13, 1982. At the end of the Mass, the Pope
consecrated the world
and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. ( Photo courtesey of Blue
Army).
Various Nations will be annihilated. (Absorption into the Soviet
Empire?)
A common comment by practicing Catholics in defense of
the continued witholding of the contents of the third secret is:
>>The third secret was not for public
consumption - Sr. Lucy has
stated many times that the information was a message for the pope only
- should he wish to share it with the world he was not to do so before
1960. Just the same as a letter you received today containing private
information - at your discretion you may release it publicly, but it is
your decision and the letter is addressed to
you.<<<<
Well, IMO that's only sort of true. On 8/31/41, Sr.
Lucia wrote her 3rd
memoir sharing some details of Jacinta's life. In the memoir, Sr. Lucia
mentioned, for the first time, that the Secret, which Mary had given
them, was in 3 distinct parts. She wrote, "The Secret is composed of
three distinct parts, and I shall disclose two of them."
The first two we have already mentioned. And there is also the great
announcement of terrible punishments if people persist in not obeying
Mary's requests. Sr. Lucia stated that, at that time, she was not
permitted to reveal the 3rd part of the secret.
Bishop da Silva was given permission to read it, but he
did not want
the responsibility. He tried to get it to the Holy Office, but Rome
refused to receive it. It was then agreed that if Bishop da Silva
happened to die, the envelope would be entrusted to Cardinal Cerejeira,
the Patriarch of Lisbon.
The secret was kept at the palace of the bishop of Leira
until 1957,
when the Holy Office changed its mind, and demanded the text of the 3rd
secret. The sealed document was then delivered by the auxiliary Bishop
Venancio to Bishop Cento, then the Apostolic Nuncio to Lisbon.
The sealed envelope arrived in Rome on 4/16/57. It was
placed in a
little chest bearing the note, "Secret of the Holy Office", and kept in
the office of Pope Pius XII.
It is believed that Pope Pius XII
did not read the secret, because the envelope was still sealed when
Pope John XXIII opened it in 1959. This is according to Cardinal
Ottaviani and Monsignor Capovilla, secretary of Pope John XXIII. Pope
Pius XII had apparently decided to wait until 1960. He died on 10/9/58.
The Virgin had asked that the secret be made public in
1960 because, as
Sr. Lucia told Cardinal Ottaviani, "in 1960, the Message will appear
more clear." Catholics throughout the world were waiting for the Pope
to reveal the third secret by 1960. Pope John XXIII and the subsequent
Popes have greatly disappointed the faithful by refusing to reveal its
contents.
There is still continued debate as to whether or not
the secret was intended just for the Pope or the public.
On
12/25/57, Sr. Lucia told Father Fuentes, the Postulator of the
beatification causes (part of the process to becoming a recognized
Saint) of Jacinta and Francisco: "I cannot give any other details,
since it is still a secret. Only the Holy Father and His Excellency,
the Bishop of Fatima would be able to know it in accordance with the
will of the Blessed Virgin. But they haven't willed to know it as they
did not want to be influenced."
While speaking in Fulda, Germany
in 1980, John Paul II stated in response to a question about the 3rd
secret that he, as his predecessors, preferred to postpone publication
so as not to encourage the world power of communism to make certain
moves.
These comments lead me to believe that there was no
restriction about making the secret public knowledge, with the
exception of the 'not before 1960' statement. It has been a decision of
the Holy Office not to reveal the contents of the secret, not a
direction of the Blessed Virgin IMO.
Pope John XXIII's statement regarding it was "this does
not pertain to my reign"
That
is very true, he did say that. But the question is why? I'm sure you
are aware, that many politicians and government officials make
statements that release them from responsibility when situations get
sticky. I personally loved Pope John XXIII, I think he was one of the
greatest Popes ever. But he, like any other Pope, was a man, and the
Catholic Church has always been into control. The Pope also makes
decisions based on the, at times, very strong opinions of the Cardinals
who are his advisers. Here's what happened with Pope John XXIII and the
third secret.
On 8/17/59, Pope John XXIII had Monsignor
Philippe, then an official of the Holy Office, bring him the envelope
at Castogandolfo. The Pope did not immediately open the sealed
envelope. He stated at the time," I am waiting to read it with my
confessor."
According to Monsignor Capovilla, the secret was
read by the Pope a few days later. Assisting Pope John XXIII in reading
the secret, since it was written in Portuguese, was Monsignor Paulo
Jose Tavarez of the Secretariat of State. It was later read by Cardinal
Ottaviani, Prefect of the Holy Office at John XXIII's request.
On 2/8/60, it was suddenly learned, through a Vatican
communiqué leaked
by a Portuguese press agency, that the secret would not be published,
and that it's contents would probably never be disclosed. The Vatican
communiqué ended: "Although the Church recognizes the Fatima
apparitions, She does not desire to take the responsibility of
guaranteeing the veracity of the words the three shepherd children said
that the Virgin Mary had addressed to them."
Essentially, the
Vatican stated that they believe the kids saw the vision but wouldn't
back them up, about what they said the Virgin had told them. To me,
that's a convenient excuse. It's like saying, "Well, they're just kids
how can we believe them?" They could have revealed the contents and
debated them. They didn't make statements denying the veracity of the
first two secrets. What would make the third secret any different?
If it was meant only for the Pope to read, then why did
Lucia give
permission to Bishop da Silva to read it? She has said that she could
not disclose it which made sense because of the not before 1960 part.
There was no guarantee that she would still be alive then.
Cardinal Ottaviani related that Pope John XXIII placed
the secret "in
one of those archives which are like a very deep, dark well, to the
bottom of which papers fall and no one is able to see them anymore."
Pope Paul VI adopted the same attitude toward the 3rd secret. Pope John
Paul II has also chosen not to reveal the secret.
But, even after all these attempts to hide the message
of the third secret, parts of it have been found out.
Some Catholics feelings are that it was only to be
'read' by the pope
in office in 1960. Not necessarily not shared with the faithful after
the pope had read it. And remember the papal office didn't even want it
in the beginning. They didn't get it until later.
What was going
on with politics, birth control, hippies, earth day, whatever else, in
1960 that made it a turning point year in the future of 1917? On a
worldwide scale, was something else happening? We know that John
F.Kennedy was born May 29, 1917, the same year as the apparitions. John
F. Kennedy Jr. was born on November 25, 1960 Place of Birth:
Washington, DC, USA .
I was about 8 in 1960, and I am trying
to think of what the world picture was like then that would make a
connection. Politics and the increasing power of the military and
industrial complex were certainly getting to be bigger threats to the
globe. Personally, I think it also has to do with the next paradigm
shift, which will include alien life forms "coming out" on Earth. I
believe that they're already here, I just think they will become part
of everyone's consciousness. Kind of a "Well, you've been given every
opportunity to clean up your acts and you haven't so......" thing. See
my Fatima and UFO's link at the bottom.
The 3rd secret was read
in August 1959 by the Pope and a few advisors. It has not been released
to the public, in my opinion. Despite the "release" in the year 2000, I
don't think it has truly been revealed. See here for that story:
Third Secret Of Fatima Revealed On Instruction Of Pope
John Paul II, 5-13-00
'A Whitewash' - Fatima Center On Vatican's Version Of
Third Prophecy
Many believe that the secret was to be shared with the
faithful in 1960.
There is still debate as to whether or not this was a decision of the
Popes, or an instruction from Mary.
After
the announcement in 1960 that the 3rd secret would not be revealed,
Bishop Venancio, on his own initiative, launched an appeal to the
bishops of the world in an attempt to organize a world day of prayer
and penance for the following Oct. 13, but the Vatican turned a deaf
ear and nothing was done.
It seems that the secret was supposed
to be revealed, because through other apparitional events we have a
good idea of the contents.
From the Akita message of 10/13/73
(notice the date again), and the 5/13/90 message to Fr. Gobbi, we know
that the secret seems to deal with the apostasy and chastisement.
Bishop Venancio named the late Fr. Alonso the official
expert on Fatima
in 1966. Fr. Alonso came to the conclusion that the 3rd secret refers
mainly to a spiritual chastisement, which will be far worse, and even
more fearsome, than famine, wars, and persecution. It concerns souls
and their eternal perdition or their salvation. He wrote 14 volumes
about Fatima and the secrets, which he was forbidden to publish. He was
able, however, to make known his conclusions in various pamphlets and
articles in theological journals, before his death on 12/12/81. Fr.
Alonso's thesis is now publicly confirmed by the Bishop of Fatima. The
message foretells a terrible crisis within the Church. The Immaculate
Virgin predicted a loss of faith in our era, if her requests were not
sufficiently carried out. This loss of faith and all it entails is the
drama that we have been witnessing since 1960.
Cardinal
Ratzinger in August 1984 said that the 3rd secret concerned the
"dangers which threaten the faith and the life of Christians." When
asked the question, "Why is the faith in crisis?" he responded, "The
dangers threatening the faith, the importance of the last times, and
the fact that the prophecies contained in this Third Secret correspond
to what Scripture announces."
At the Technical University in
Vienna, Bishop Amaral of Leira, Portugal, declared on 9/10/84, "The
Secret of Fatima speaks neither of atomic bombs nor of nuclear
warheads, nor of SS20 missiles. It's content concerns only our faith.
To identify the secret with catastrophic announcements or a nuclear
holocaust is to distort the meaning of the message. The loss of faith
of a continent is worse than the annihilation of a nation; and it is
true that the faith is continually diminishing in Europe."
So
what is John Paul II to do? He is keenly aware of what the 3rd secret
states, regarding the chastisements, world changes, the betrayal of his
churchmen, and the geopolitics of the world and its sensitive
implications.
While recuperating from the assassination attempt
on his life, he came to realize the only hope for the world was the
collegial consecration of Russia as requested at Fatima. He attempted
to consecrate the world to Mary "with a special mention of Russia." in
an attempt to mitigate the coming tribulations. He wrote to all of his
bishops, telling them he would do just that on 5/13/82, in Fatima, and
inviting them to join him, either by physical presence or by actions in
their home dioceses. The apostasy of the last 50 years produced an
anemic response. Many of the bishops were no longer in union with Rome.
So what can we conclude about the 3rd secret? Would it
help the 'cause'
for the Pope to reveal its contents? As Pope Paul II fails in health,
what can we expect of the man who takes his place? Are either of these
Popes the predicted last Pope of the Catholic Church?
It occurs to me the similarity of the situation
regarding the Fatima
3rd secret, and the attempts to cover up and classify alleged UFO
related information by our government. Why do those in power feel that
the masses are so ill equipped to deal with information that may be
important for them to know?
The Malachy prophecies say that we have 2-3 more popes
yet to come; the
only speculative conclusion we can come to, if one accepts the above,
is that the Papacy as we know it will change or end. Or perhaps it is
up to us to determine the final outcome?
Lucia 50 years after the Fatima apparitions.
We have looked at what others have had to say about the 3rd secret of
Fatima. So what does Sr. Lucia, the only surviving member of the group
of 3 children who witnessed the apparition say about this?
In a
series of letter from 1969-1970 she stated, " It is indeed sad that so
many people let themselves be dominated by the diabolical wave that is
sweeping the world, and that they are blinded to the point of being
incapable of seeing error! Their principle fault is they have abandoned
prayer; in this way they have become estranged from God, and without
God everything fails. The devil is very cunning and looks for our weak
points in order to attack us. If we are not diligent and careful to
obtain strength from God, we shall fail, for our age is very wicked and
we are weak. Only the strength of God can keep us on our feet."
She wrote: "Let people say the rosary every day. Our
Lady stated that
repeatedly in all her apparitions, as if to fortify us against these
times of diabolical disorientation, so that we would not allow
ourselves to be deceived by false doctrines. Unfortunately, the great
majority of people are ignorant in religious matters and allow
themselves to be led in any direction. Hence, the great responsibility
of one who has the task of leading them. A diabolical
disorientation is invading the world, deceiving souls! It must be
resisted."
On 9/16/70, Sr. Lucia wrote: "Our poor Lord, He has
saved us with so
much love and He is so little understood! So little loved! So badly
served! It is painful to see such great confusion, and in so many
persons who occupy positions of responsibility! The fact is the devil
has succeeded in bringing in evil under the appearance of good; the
blind are beginning to lead others, as the Lord tells us in His Gospel,
and souls are allowing themselves to be deceived. Gladly, I sacrifice
myself and offer my life to God for peace in His Church, for priests
and for all consecrated souls, especially for those who are deceived
and misguided!"
Sr. Lucia has insisted that, "the Virgin knew that these
times of
diabolical disorientation were to come." To someone who questioned her
about the 3rd secret she replied," It's in the Gospel and in the
Apocalypse, read them." She also told Fr. Fuentes that the Virgin Mary
made her realize that "we are in the last times of the world."
In 12/58, Sr. Lucia told Fr. Fuentes "The Blessed Virgin
is very sad,
for no one attaches any importance to her message. Neither the good nor
the bad. The good continue on their way, but without paying attention
to the message. I cannot give any other details, since it is still a
secret. Only the Holy Father and His Excellency, the Bishop of Fatima
would be able to know it in accordance with the will of the Blessed
Virgin. But they haven't willed to know it as they did not want to be
influenced."
(More words to Fr. Fuentes from 5/22/58)
She
states that she can't give details because it was *still* a secret. To
me, that could mean that there would be a time where it would not be a
secret. She states who could know it ahead of time as well.
There are opinions that because the secret was not
shared in 1960 there
have been repercussions. Some feel that by disregarding the prophecies
and request of Fatima, it was the Virgin Mary - it was God himself -
who had been disregarded, who had been ridiculed in front of the world.
Some feel that by disobeying the message of the Virgin, the conditional
punishment announced in the message was, in consequence, destined to be
accomplished tragically.
Why several Popes did not reveal the
secret is a mystery. Scholars disagree on whether or not the 3rd secret
was meant only for the eyes of the Popes or if it was to be released to
the general public.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is known for the Ratzinger
Report. He has read the third secret.
In August 1984, he said that the 3rd secret concerned
the "dangers, which threaten the faith and the life of Christians."
In
the Ratzinger report, he wrote that the 3rd secret of Fatima has to do
with what he called "denivissimis". This Latin expression means
"dealing with the end times", pertaining to the latter days, or about
the final events.
In a 1985 interview with Vittorio Messori, Cardinal
Ratzinger was asked the following questions and his responses follow:
VM: Undenied versions (of the 3rd secret) are
circulating in the world,
which describe the contents of that secret as disquieting, apocalyptic,
as warning of terrible sufferings. John Paul II himself, in his
personal visit to Germany, seemed to confirm (privately to a select
group) the undeniably disconcerting contents of that text. Before him,
Paul VI, during his pilgrimage to Fatima, also seems to have alluded to
the "apocalyptic" themes of the secret. Why was it never decided to
make it public, if only to counter rash speculations?
CR: If the decision has not yet been made, it is not
because the Popes want to hide something terrible.
VM: Then there is "something terrible" in Sister Lucia's
manuscript?
CR:
If that were so, that after all would only confirm the part of the
message of Fatima already known. A stern warning has been launched from
that place that is directed against the prevailing frivolity, a summons
to the seriousness of life, of
history, to the perils that threaten humanity. It is that which Jesus
himself recalls very frequently: '..unless you repent you will all
perish..' (Lk 13:3). Conversion - and Fatima fully recalls it to mind -
is a constant demand of Christian life. We should already know that
from the whole of sacred Scripture.
VM: So there will be no publication, at least for now?
CR:
The Holy Father deems that it would add nothing to what a Christian
must know from Revelation and also from the Marian apparitions approved
by the Church in their known contents, which only reconfirmed the
urgency of penance, conversion, forgiveness, fasting. To publish the
third secret would mean exposing the Church to the danger of
sensationalism, exploitation of the content.
VM: Perhaps also
political implications, I venture, since it seems that here, also, as
in the two other secrets, Russia is mentioned? At this point, the
Cardinal declares that he is not in a position to go further, into the
matter and firmly refuses to discuss other particulars.
My mother
sent me this article. It was published in the Catholic Chronicle, in
Toledo Ohio. It came from the Catholic News Service.
Fatima's 'third secret' holds no
apocalyptic message.
FATIMA,
Portugal (CNS) - the much discussed "third secret of Fatima" is not
sensational or apocalyptic, said Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, one of the
few people in the world who has actually read it.Cardinal Ratzinger,
prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was at the
Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima for the 79th anniversary of the final
Marian apparition to three Portuguese children, Oct. 13, 1917.
He was asked about the so-called third secret Oct. 12 by
Radio Renascenca, Portugal's Catholic radio station.
"To
all the curious I would say I am certain that the Virgin does not
engage in sensationalism; she does not create fear. She does not
present apocalyptic visions, but guides people to her Son. And this is
what is essential." said the cardinal, who was shown the third secret
by Pope John Paul II.
After a lengthy investigation of the
alleged apparitions, the Catholic Church in 1930 said the visions were
worthy of belief and authorized devotion to Mary under the title of Our
Lady of Fatima.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Lucia dos Santos, the
last surviving
visionary was asked by her bishop to write down her recollections of
the apparitions and the messages. The first two segments of her
writings have been published.
The
published segments urge prayer, repentance, recitation of the rosary
and reception of the sacraments. They contain specific references to
war and to the conversion of Russia, and are popularly referred to as
the first two secrets.
Vatican officials throughout the past 50
years have said the third part of the recollection written by Lucia,
now a Carmelite nun, contains nothing that is not already part of the
revealed truth, so it is unnecessary to publish it.
In the interview Ratzinger said preoccupation with the
message and its
presumed predictions of catastrophe are not part of a healthy Marion
devotion.
"Instead,
the intention and the centrality of the mission of the church is to
guide people toward those things that are truly important," he said.
"Only in that way are we truly obedient to Mary."
Mary's purpose
"is, through (the children of Fatima), to call the world back to
simplicity, that is to the essentials: conversion, prayer and the
sacraments," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, let's look at this:
>>
After a lengthy investigation of the alleged apparitions, the Catholic
church in 1930 said the visions were worthy of belief and authorized
devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Fatima.<<
Ok, so they stated there was something to it.
>>
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Lucia dos Santos, the last surviving
visionary was asked by her bishop to write down her recollections of
the apparitions and the messages. The first two segments of her
writings have been published.<<
Ok, so they said it was ok to publish the first two.
>>
Vatican officials throughout the past 50 years have said the third part
of the recollection written by Lucia, now a Carmelite nun, contains
nothing that is not already part of the revealed truth, so it is
unnecessary to publish it.<<
So big deal. If it contains nothing new why NOT publish
it?????
>> In the interview Ratzinger said
preoccupation with the message
and its presumed predictions of catastrophe are not part of a healthy
Marion devotion.<<
So if it doesn't contain all this doom and gloom then
why not publish it and prove it??
Does the phrase "weather balloon at Roswell" resonate
with anybody?
Lo's Fatima and UFO sightings similarities.
Fatima Basilica
The following links are to sites with information about
the Fatima apparitions.
Their content and opinions are not necessarily those of Lo the Seektress
The Fatima Network
The 3rd Secret of Fatima
The Dregs of Apostasy
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