Click here: Third Secret according to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith may be incomplete.

What is the substance of the third part of the Fatima message, the so-called "Third Secret of Fatima"? Sr. Lucy revealed the opening line, "In Portugal the dogmas of the faith will always be preserved..." We know that Paul VI read the third Fatima message on entering his pontificate, and took it very much to heart. In 1967 Cardinal Ottaviani told the public, "The secret was intended for the Holy Father." John Paul II read the message and became a dedicated Fatima disciple. Speaking to a Catholic group in Germany in 1980, he commented on the message, saying, "We must be prepared to undergo trials in the not-too-distant future..." In 1985 Cardinal Ratzinger told us, "To publish the third secret would mean exposing the church to the danger of sensationalism, exploitation of the content."

Examination of the considerable evidence available leaves little doubt that the gist of the secret is that in the last third of the 20th century the highest church officials would fall under satanic influence and err in their teaching. The message surely portends worldwide heresy in the church, and may specifically warn about acceptance of abortion, ecclesiastic approval of homosexual unions, and denial of the real Eucharistic presence. The punishment in store for us, should the warning be ignored, may also be specified.

The third Fatima message, which was to be read and made public in 1960, was opened by John XXIII. According to Vatican sources, he stated that it didn't refer to his pontificate, and that he preferred to leave the question of its disclosure to his successors. He must have had insight into his longevity, for he died in 1963. Paul VI, fighting what he regarded as heresy, lamented, "The smoke of Satan has entered the church."

Paul VI's Humanae Vitae and John Paul II's Veritatis Splendor opposed the theology which has prevailed since Vatican II and attempted to return to the doctrines of Pius XII. Contrary opinion of most church members, from bishops to laymen, provides ample justification for dissent. However, the third secret would enjoin us to use caution and restraint. The modern prelates likely went somewhat overboard in proclaiming traditional dogma, but that is not the type of error that worried Our Lady, for the morals posture in the CCC is substantially equal to the pre-1950 position, which is not an object of the secret's concern. Moreover, it is impossible to doubt that the two pontiffs' conservative stance was in response to Fatima, and a heavenly message wouldn't have been sent if it was going to be the cause of the evil it foretold.

The third secret could be published if it were released first to the Catholic community, accompanied by an explanation that it is conditional prophesy which was at least partially forestalled because top churchmen heeded it. Pope John Paul II's call for blind, unreasoning fidelity to his teaching was obviously ineffective. Despite the risks, it is time for the rest of the church, and believing outsiders, to examine Mary's message and take heed.

Send Comments

Vatican report