In this book, "Fatima for Today, the urgent Marian Message of Hope" Father Andrew Apostoli carefully analyzes the events that took place in Fatima and clears up lingering questions and doubts about their meaning. Pope John Paul II, who read the third secret while recovering from the attempt upon his life in 1981, believed the vision signified the sufferings the Church had endured in the twentieth century.īecause of the prophetic nature of her messages, Our Lady of Fatima has been the subject of much controversy and speculation. ![]() Much of what Our Lady of Fatima said was revealed soon after her appearances, but the third and final "secret", which was not a message but a prophetic vision seen by the children, was not unveiled by the Vatican until 2000. She also requested devotion to her Immaculate Heart and a special consecration of Russia. "Fatima does not satisfy our curiosity in this way, just as Christian faith in general cannot be reduced to an object of mere curiosity.By: Andrew Apostoli, CFR Foreword by Raymond Burke Though the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima took place almost a hundred years ago, Our Lady's call to prayer and penance for the salvation of souls and peace in the world is as relevant now as when first delivered to three Portuguese peasant children in 1917.Īt the peak of the First World War, our Lady warned of another worldwide conflict, the rise and spread of Communism, and a terrible persecution of the Church unless people repented of their sins and returned to God. ![]() "Those who expected exciting apocalyptic revelations about the end of the world or the future course of history are bound to be disappointed," Ratzinger said. Whether the Vatican's interpretation satisfies the conspiracy theorists will be grist for the dozens of Fatima Web sites that have sprung up in recent months. May 13 also happens to be the anniversary of the first Fatima vision, and the pope immediately made it known that he believed the Virgin Mary had saved his life.Įarlier this month, in accordance with the wishes of the Vatican, Italy pardoned Agca and immediately deported him to Turkey, where he faces a prison term for murdering a journalist. ![]() The present pope asked to see the prophecy shortly after the May 13, 1981, attempt on his life by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca. Many believed it foretold the end of the world in a nuclear holocaust. Over the years, this spawned a cottage industry of doomsday theorists who assumed the Vatican's silence meant that the third secret was too frightening to tell. His successor, Pope Paul VI, read the document in 1965 and he, too, decided to keep the secret. "In fact, Pope John XXIII decided to return the sealed envelope to the Holy Office and not to reveal the third part of the "secret.' " I shall let you know what I decide,' " according to the official Vatican account published Monday. "After some hesitation, his holiness said: "We shall wait. 17, 1959, the letter was brought to Pope John XXIII. ![]() The envelope was kept in the custody of the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima until 1957 when it was transferred to the Vatican for safekeeping. On the outside, Sister Lucia wrote that it should not be opened until after 1960. The manuscript of the third secret was immediately placed in a sealed envelope. Her account of the third secret was written in 1944. She wrote her account of the first two secrets in 1941. The survivor, Sister Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, is today a 93-year-old Carmelite nun. By this time, two of the children had died. "A careful reading of the text," he continued, "will probably prove disappointing or surprising after all the speculation it has stirred."Īccording to the Vatican, the first two secrets of Fatima correctly prophesied the human tragedy of World War II and the collapse of communism in Russia.Īlthough the prophecies were revealed to the three children of Fatima over the course of several visions in 1917, it was not until many years later that they were written down.
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