Introduction - by Archbishop Bertone,Secretary of the Congregation

Secret of Fatima: - First and Second Parts - Sr.Lucia dos Santos
- Photostat of Portuguese Original
- EnglishTranslation

Secret of Fatima - Third Part - Sr. Lucia dos Santos
- Photostat of PortugueseOriginal
- English Translation

Interpretation
- Letter in Portuguese of His Holinessto Sr. Lucia
- EnglishTranslation of Letter
- Conversation ofArchbishop Bertone with Sr. Lucia
- Announcement of Cardinal Sodano in Fatima
- Theological Commentary

INTRODUCTION    

As the second millennium gives way to the third,Pope John Paul II has decided to publish the text of the third part of the'secret of Fatima'. 

The twentieth century was one of the most crucial inhuman history, with its tragic and cruel events culminating in theassassination attempt on the 'sweet Christ on earth'. Now a veil is drawn backon a series of events which make history and interpret it in depth, in aspiritual perspective alien to present-day attitudes, often tainted withrationalism. 

Throughout history there have been supernaturalapparitions and signs which go to the heart of human events and which, to thesurprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfoldingof history. These manifestations can never contradict the content of faith, andmust therefore have their focus in the core of Christ's proclamation: theFather's love which leads men and women to conversion and bestows the gracerequired to abandon oneself to him with filial devotion. This too is themessage of Fatima which, with its urgent call to conversion and penance, drawsus to the heart of the Gospel. 

Fatima is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modernapparitions. The first and second parts of the 'secret''which are herepublished in sequence so as to complete the documentation'refer especially tothe frightening vision of hell, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, theSecond World War, and finally the prediction of the immense damage that Russiawould do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communisttotalitarianism. 

In 1917 no one could have imagined all this: thethree pastorinhos of Fatima see, listen and remember, and Lucia, thesurviving witness, commits it all to paper when ordered to do so by the Bishopof Leiria and with Our Lady's permission. 

For the account of the first two parts of the'secret', which have already been published and are therefore known, we havechosen the text written by Sister Lucia in the Third Memoir of 31 August 1941;some annotations were added in the Fourth Memoir of 8 December 1941. 

The third part of the 'secret' was written 'by orderof His Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and the Most Holy Mother ...' on 3January 1944. 

There is only one manuscript, which is herereproduced photostatically. The sealed envelope was initially in the custody ofthe Bishop of Leiria. To ensure better protection for the 'secret' the envelopewas placed in the Secret Archives of the Holy Office on 4 April 1957. TheBishop of Leiria informed Sister Lucia of this. 

According to the records of the Archives, theCommissary of the Holy Office, Father Pierre Paul Philippe, OP, with theagreement of Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, brought the envelope containing thethird part of the 'secret of Fatima' to Pope John XXIII on 17 August 1959.'After some hesitation', His Holiness said: 'We shall wait. I shall pray. Ishall let you know what I decide'.

In fact Pope John XXIII decided to return the sealedenvelope to the Holy Office and not to reveal the third part of the'secret'. 

Paul VI read the contents with the Substitute,Archbishop Angelo Dell'Acqua, on 27 March 1965, and returned the envelope tothe Archives of the Holy Office, deciding not to publish the text. 

John Paul II, for his part, asked for the envelopecontaining the third part of the 'secret' following the assassination attempton 13 May 1981. On 18 July 1981 Cardinal Franjo 'eper, Prefect of theCongregation, gave two envelopes to Archbishop Eduardo Mart'nez Somalo,Substitute of the Secretariat of State: one white envelope, containing SisterLucia's original text in Portuguese; the other orange, with the Italiantranslation of the 'secret'. On the following 11 August, Archbishop Mart'nezreturned the two envelopes to the Archives of the Holy Office.

As is well known, Pope John Paul II immediatelythought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and hehimself composed a prayer for what he called an 'Act of Entrustment', which wasto be celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on 7 June 1981, theSolemnity of Pentecost, the day chosen to commemorate the 1600th anniversary ofthe First Council of Constantinople and the 1550th anniversary of the Councilof Ephesus. Since the Pope was unable to be present, his recorded Address wasbroadcast. The following is the part which refers specifically to the Act ofEntrustment: 

' Mother of all individuals and peoples , youknow all their sufferings and hopes. In your motherly heart you feel all thestruggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, that convulse theworld: accept the plea which we make in the Holy Spirit directly to your heart,and embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord those who mostawait this embrace , andalso those whose act of entrustment you tooawait in a particular way.Take under your motherly protection thewhole human family, which with affectionate love we entrust to you, O Mother.May there dawn for everyone the time of peace and freedom, the time of truth,of justice and of hope'.

In order to respond more fully to the requests of'Our Lady', the Holy Father desired to make more explicit during the Holy Yearof the Redemption the Act of Entrustment of 7 May 1981, which had been repeatedin Fatima on 13 May 1982. On 25 March 1984 in Saint Peter's Square, whilerecalling the fiat uttered by Mary at the Annunciation, the Holy Father,in spiritual union with the Bishops of the world, who had been 'convoked'beforehand, entrusted all men and women and all peoples to the Immaculate Heartof Mary, in terms which recalled the heartfelt words spoken in 1981: 

' O Mother of all men and women, and of all peoples ,you who know all their sufferings and their hopes, you who have a mother'sawareness of all the struggles between good and evil, between light anddarkness, which afflict the modern world, accept the cry which we, moved by theHoly Spirit, address directly to your Heart. Embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord, this human world of ours, which weentrust and consecrate to you, for we are full of concern for the earthly andeternal destiny of individuals and peoples. 

In a special way we entrust and consecrate to youthose individuals and nations which particularly need to be thusentrusted and consecrated. 

'We have recourse to your protection, holy Mother ofGod!'  Despise not our petitions in our necessities '. 

The Pope then continued more forcefully and withmore specific references, as though commenting on the Message of Fatima in itssorrowful fulfilment: 

'Behold, as we stand before you, Mother of Christ,before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, together with the whole Church, tounite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made ofhimself to the Father: 'For their sake', he said, 'I consecrate myself thatthey also may be consecrated in the truth' ( Jn 17:19). We wish to uniteourselves with our Redeemer in this his consecration for the world and for thehuman race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and tosecure reparation. 

The power of this consecration lasts for alltime and embraces all individuals, peoples and nations. It overcomes every evilthat the spirit of darkness is able to awaken, and has in fact awakened in ourtimes, in the heart of man and in his history. 

How deeply we feel the need for the consecration ofhumanity and the world'our modern world'in union with Christ himself! For theredeeming work of Christ must be shared in by the world through the Church.  

The present Year of the Redemption shows this: thespecial Jubilee of the whole Church. 

Above all creatures , may you be blessed, you,the Handmaid of the Lord, who in the fullest way obeyed the divine call! 

Hail to you, who are wholly united to theredeeming consecration of your Son! 

Mother of the Church! Enlighten the People of Godalong the paths of faith, hope, and love! Enlighten especially the peopleswhose consecration and entrustment by us you are awaiting. Help us to live inthe truth of the consecration of Christ for the entire human family of themodern world. 

In entrusting to you, O Mother, the world, allindividuals and peoples, we also entrust to you this very consecration ofthe world , placing it in your motherly Heart. 

Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace ofevil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, andwhose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem toblock the paths towards the future! 

From famine and war, deliver us.  

From nuclear war, from incalculableself-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.  

From sins against the life of man from its verybeginning, deliver us.  

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity ofthe children of God, deliver us.  

From every kind of injustice in the life of society,both national and international, deliver us.  

From readiness to trample on the commandments ofGod, deliver us.  

From attempts to stifle in human hearts the verytruth of God, deliver us.  

From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliverus.  

From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us , deliver us.  

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with thesufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies. 

Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquerall sin: individual sin and the 'sin of the world', sin in all itsmanifestations. 

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history ofthe world the infinite saving power of the Redemption: the power of mercifulLove ! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May yourImmaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope !'.

Sister Lucia personally confirmed that this solemnand universal act of consecration corresponded to what Our Lady wished (' Sim,est' feita, tal como Nossa Senhora a pediu, desde o dia 25 de Mar'o de 1984 ':'Yes it has been done just as Our Lady asked, on 25 March 1984': Letter of 8November 1989). Hence any further discussion or request is without basis. 

In the documentation presented here four other textshave been added to the manuscripts of Sister Lucia: 1) the Holy Father's letterof 19 April 2000 to Sister Lucia; 2) an account of the conversation of 27 April2000 with Sister Lucia; 3) the statement which the Holy Father appointedCardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, to read on 13 May 2000; 4) thetheological commentary by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 

Sister Lucia had already given an indication forinterpreting the third part of the 'secret' in a letter to the Holy Father,dated 12 May 1982: 

'The third part of the secret refers to Our Lady'swords: 'If not [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causingwars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Fatherwill have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated'(13-VII-1917). 

The third part of the secret is a symbolicrevelation, referring to this part of the Message, conditioned by whether weaccept or not what the Message itself asks of us: 'If my requests are heeded,Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread hererrors throughout the world, etc.'. 

Since we did not heed this appeal of the Message, wesee that it has been fulfilled, Russia has invaded the world with her errors.And if we have not yet seen the complete fulfilment of the final part of thisprophecy, we are going towards it little by little with great strides. If we donot reject the path of sin, hatred, revenge, injustice, violations of therights of the human person, immorality and violence, etc. 

And let us not say that it is God who is punishing usin this way; on the contrary it is people themselves who are preparing theirown punishment. In his kindness God warns us and calls us to the right path,while respecting the freedom he has given us; hence people are responsible' .

The decision of His Holiness Pope John Paul II tomake public the third part of the 'secret' of Fatima brings to an end a periodof history marked by tragic human lust for power and evil, yet pervaded by themerciful love of God and the watchful care of the Mother of Jesus and of theChurch.     

The action of God, the Lord of history, and theco-responsibility of man in the drama of his creative freedom, are the twopillars upon which human history is built. 

Our Lady, who appeared at Fatima, recalls theseforgotten values. She reminds us that man's future is in God, and that we areactive and responsible partners in creating that future. 

Tarcisio Bertone, SDB
Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli
Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

       THE 'SECRET' OF Fatima     

FIRST AND SECOND PART OF THE 'SECRET' 

ACCORDING TO THE VERSION PRESENTED BY SISTER LUCIA 
IN THE 'THIRD MEMOIR' OF 31 AUGUST 1941 FOR THE BISHOP OF LEIRIA-Fatima 

(original text)   

(translation) ⁽⁶⁾     

... This will entail my speaking about the secret,and thus answering the first question. 

What is the secret? It seems to me that I can revealit, since I already have permission from Heaven to do so. God's representativeson earth have authorized me to do this several times and in various letters,one of which, I believe, is in your keeping. This letter is from Father Jos'Bernardo Gon'alves, and in it he advises me to write to the Holy Father,suggesting, among other things, that I should reveal the secret. I did saysomething about it. But in order not to make my letter too long, since I wastold to keep it short, I confined myself to the essentials, leaving it to Godto provide another more favourable opportunity. 

In my second account I have already described indetail the doubt which tormented me from 13 June until 13 July, and how itdisappeared completely during the Apparition on that day. 

Well, the secret is made up of three distinct parts,two of which I am now going to reveal. 

The first part is the vision of hell. 

Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemedto be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in humanform, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnishedbronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air bythe flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds ofsmoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, withoutweight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, whichhorrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguishedby their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals,all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we everbe grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us bypromising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, Ithink we would have died of fear and terror. 

We then looked up at Our Lady, who said to us sokindly and so sadly: 

'You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinnersgo. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to myImmaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved andthere will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not ceaseoffending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pius XI.When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the greatsign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, bymeans of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. Toprevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to myImmaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If myrequests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not,she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutionsof the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much tosuffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heartwill triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall beconverted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world'. ⁽⁷⁾      

THIRD PART OF THE'SECRET' 
(original text)    

(translation) ⁽⁸⁾  

'J.M.J. 

The third part of the secretrevealed at the Cova da Iria-Fatima, on 13 July 1917. 

I write in obedience to you, my God,who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and throughyour Most Holy Mother and mine. 

After the two parts which I havealready explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angelwith a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that lookedas though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact withthe splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointingto the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ' Penance , Penance , Penance !'. And we saw in an immense light that is God:'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front ofit' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the HolyFather'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steepmountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as ofa cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed througha big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted withpain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way;having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the bigCross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him,and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests,men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks andpositions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with acrystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of theMartyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way toGod. 

Tuy-3-1-1944'.   

  INTERPRETATION OF THE 'SECRET'   

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II 
TO SISTER LUCIA 
(original text) 

(translation)     

To the Reverend Sister 
Maria Lucia 
of the Convent of Coimbra   

In the great joy of Easter, I greet you with thewords the Risen Jesus spoke to the disciples: 'Peace be with you'! 

I will be happy to be able to meet you on thelong-awaited day of the Beatification of Francisco and Jacinta, which, pleaseGod, I will celebrate on 13 May of this year. 

Since on that day there will be time only for abrief greeting and not a conversation, I am sending His Excellency ArchbishopTarcisio Bertone, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,to speak with you. This is the Congregation which works most closely with thePope in defending the true Catholic faith, and which since 1957, as you know,has kept your hand-written letter containing the third part of the 'secret'revealed on 13 July 1917 at Cova da Iria, Fatima. 

Archbishop Bertone, accompanied by the Bishop ofLeiria, His Excellency Bishop Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva, will come inmy name to ask certain questions about the interpretation of 'the third part ofthe secret'. 

Sister Maria Lucia, you may speak openly andcandidly to Archbishop Bertone, who will report your answers directly tome. 

I pray fervently to the Mother of the Risen Lord foryou, Reverend Sister, for the Community of Coimbra and for the whole Church.May Mary, Mother of pilgrim humanity, keep us always united to Jesus, herbeloved Son and our brother, the Lord of life and glory. 

With my special ApostolicBlessing.   

IOANNES PAULUS PP. II   

From the Vatican, 19 April2000.    

CONVERSATION 
WITH SISTER MARIA LUCIA OF JESUS 
AND THE IMMACULATE HEART   

The meeting between Sister Lucia, ArchbishopTarcisio Bertone, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,sent by the Holy Father, and Bishop Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva, Bishopof Leiria-Fatima, took place on Thursday, 27 April 2000, in the Carmel of SaintTeresa in Coimbra. 

Sister Lucia was lucid and at ease; she was veryhappy that the Holy Father was going to Fatima for the Beatification ofFrancisco and Jacinta, something she had looked forward to for a longtime. 

The Bishop of Leiria-Fatima read the autographletter of the Holy Father, which explained the reasons for the visit. SisterLucia felt honoured by this and reread the letter herself, contemplating it inown her hands. She said that she was prepared to answer all questionsfrankly. 

At this point, Archbishop Bertone presented twoenvelopes to her: the first containing the second, which held the third part ofthe 'secret' of Fatima. Immediately, touching it with her fingers, she said:'This is my letter', and then while reading it: 'This is my writing'. 

The original text, in Portuguese, was read andinterpreted with the help of the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima. Sister Lucia agreedwith the interpretation that the third part of the 'secret' was a propheticvision, similar to those in sacred history. She repeated her conviction thatthe vision of Fatima concerns above all the struggle of atheistic Communismagainst the Church and against Christians, and describes the terriblesufferings of the victims of the faith in the twentieth century. 

When asked: 'Is the principal figure in the visionthe Pope?', Sister Lucia replied at once that it was. She recalled that thethree children were very sad about the suffering of the Pope, and that Jacintakept saying: 'Coitadinho do Santo Padre, tenho muita pena dos pecadores!' ('Poor Holy Father, I am very sad for sinners!'). Sister Lucia continued: 'Wedid not know the name of the Pope; Our Lady did not tell us the name of thePope; we did not know whether it was Benedict XV or Pius XII or Paul VI or JohnPaul II; but it was the Pope who was suffering and that made us suffertoo'. 

As regards the passage about the Bishop dressed inwhite, that is, the Holy Father'as the children immediately realized during the'vision''who is struck dead and falls to the ground, Sister Lucia was in fullagreement with the Pope's claim that 'it was a mother's hand that guided thebullet's path and in his throes the Pope halted at the threshold of death'(Pope John Paul II, Meditation from the Policlinico Gemelli to the ItalianBishops , 13 May 1994). 

Before giving the sealed envelope containing thethird part of the 'secret' to the then Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, Sister Luciawrote on the outside envelope that it could be opened only after 1960, eitherby the Patriarch of Lisbon or the Bishop of Leiria. Archbishop Bertonetherefore asked: 'Why only after 1960? Was it Our Lady who fixed that date?'Sister Lucia replied: 'It was not Our Lady. I fixed the date because I had theintuition that before 1960 it would not be understood, but that onlylater would it be understood. Now it can be better understood. I wrotedown what I saw; however it was not for me to interpret it, but for thePope. 

Finally, mention was made of the unpublishedmanuscript which Sister Lucia has prepared as a reply to the many letters thatcome from Marian devotees and from pilgrims. The work is called Os apelos daMensagem de Fatima, and it gathers together in the style of catechesisand exhortation thoughts and reflections which express Sister Lucia's feelingsand her clear and unaffected spirituality. She was asked if she would be happyto have it published, and she replied: 'If the Holy Father agrees, then I amhappy, otherwise I obey whatever the Holy Father decides'. Sister Lucia wantsto present the text for ecclesiastical approval, and she hopes that what shehas written will help to guide men and women of good will along the path thatleads to God, the final goal of every human longing. The conversation ends withan exchange of rosaries. Sister Lucia is given a rosary sent by the HolyFather, and she in turn offers a number of rosaries made by herself. 

The meeting concludes with the blessing imparted inthe name of the Holy Father.     

ANNOUNCEMENT MADE BY CARDINALANGELO SODANO 
SECRETARY OF STATE   

At the end of the Mass presided over by the HolyFather at Fatima, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State, made thisannouncement in Portuguese, which is given here in English translation:    

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord!   

At the conclusion of this solemn celebration, I feelbound to offer our beloved Holy Father Pope John Paul II, on behalf of allpresent, heartfelt good wishes for his approaching 80th Birthday and to thankhim for his vital pastoral ministry for the good of all God's Holy Church; wepresent the heartfelt wishes of the whole Church. 

On this solemn occasion of his visit to Fatima, HisHoliness has directed me to make an announcement to you. As you know, thepurpose of his visit to Fatima has been to beatify the two 'little shepherds'.Nevertheless he also wishes his pilgrimage to be a renewed gesture of gratitudeto Our Lady for her protection during these years of his papacy. Thisprotection seems also to be linked to the so-called third part of the 'secret'of Fatima. 

That text contains a prophetic vision similar tothose found in Sacred Scripture, which do not describe photographically thedetails of future events, but synthesize and compress against a singlebackground facts which extend through time in an unspecified succession andduration. As a result, the text must be interpreted in a symbolic key.  

The vision of Fatima concerns above all the warwaged by atheistic systems against the Church and Christians, and it describesthe immense suffering endured by the witnesses of the faith in the last centuryof the second millennium. It is an interminable Way of the Cross led bythe Popes of the twentieth century. 

According to the interpretation of the 'littleshepherds', which was also confirmed recently by Sister Lucia, 'the Bishopclothed in white' who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes hisway with great difficulty towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who weremartyred (Bishops, priests, men and women Religious and many lay people), hetoo falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a hail of gunfire. 

After the assassination attempt of 13 May 1981, itappeared evident that it was 'a mother's hand that guided the bullet's path',enabling 'the Pope in his throes' to halt 'at the threshold of death' (PopeJohn Paul II, Meditation from the Policlinico Gemelli to the Italian Bishops , Insegnamenti, XVII, 1 [1994], 1061). On the occasion of a visit to Romeby the then Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, the Pope decided to give him the bulletwhich had remained in the jeep after the assassination attempt, so that itmight be kept in the shrine. By the Bishop's decision, the bullet was later setin the crown of the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. 

The successive events of 1989 led, both in theSoviet Union and in a number of countries of Eastern Europe, to the fall of theCommunist regimes which promoted atheism. For this too His Holiness offersheartfelt thanks to the Most Holy Virgin. In other parts of the world, however,attacks against the Church and against Christians, with the burden of sufferingthey bring, tragically continue. Even if the events to which the third part ofthe 'secret' of Fatima refers now seem part of the past, Our Lady's call toconversion and penance, issued at the start of the twentieth century, remainstimely and urgent today. 'The Lady of the message seems to read the signs ofthe times'the signs of our time'with special insight... The insistentinvitation of Mary Most Holy to penance is nothing but the manifestation of hermaternal concern for the fate of the human family, in need of conversion andforgiveness' (Pope John Paul II, Message for the 1997 World Day of the Sick, No. 1, Insegnamenti , XIX, 2 [1996], 561). 

In order that the faithful may better receive themessage of Our Lady of Fatima, the Pope has charged the Congregation for theDoctrine of the Faith with making public the third part of the 'secret', afterthe preparation of an appropriate commentary. 

Brothers and sisters, let us thank Our Lady ofFatima for her protection. To her maternal intercession let us entrust theChurch of the Third Millennium.    

Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genetrix!Intercede pro Ecclesia. Intercede pro Papa nostro Ioanne Paulo II. Amen.    

Fatima, 13 May 2000     

   THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY   

A careful reading of the text of the so-called third'secret' of Fatima, published here in its entirety long after the fact and bydecision of the Holy Father, will probably prove disappointing or surprisingafter all the speculation it has stirred. No great mystery is revealed; nor isthe future unveiled. We see the Church of the martyrs of the century which hasjust passed represented in a scene described in a language which is symbolicand not easy to decipher. Is this what the Mother of the Lord wished tocommunicate to Christianity and to humanity at a time of great difficulty anddistress? Is it of any help to us at the beginning of the new millennium? Orare these only projections of the inner world of children, brought up in aclimate of profound piety but shaken at the same time by the tempests whichthreatened their own time? How should we understand the vision? What are we tomake of it?   

Public Revelation and private revelations ' theirtheological status   

Before attempting an interpretation, the main linesof which can be found in the statement read by Cardinal Sodano on 13 May ofthis year at the end of the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father in Fatima, thereis a need for some basic clarification of the way in which, according to Churchteaching, phenomena such as Fatima are to be understood within the life offaith. The teaching of the Church distinguishes between 'public Revelation' and'private revelations'. The two realities differ not only in degree but also inessence. The term 'public Revelation' refers to the revealing action of Goddirected to humanity as a whole and which finds its literary expression in thetwo parts of the Bible: the Old and New Testaments. It is called 'Revelation'because in it God gradually made himself known to men, to the point of becomingman himself, in order to draw to himself the whole world and unite it withhimself through his Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. It is not a matter thereforeof intellectual communication, but of a life-giving process in which God comesto meet man. At the same time this process naturally produces data pertainingto the mind and to the understanding of the mystery of God. It is a processwhich involves man in his entirety and therefore reason as well, but not reasonalone. Because God is one, history, which he shares with humanity, is alsoone. It is valid for all time, and it has reached its fulfilment in the life,death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has said everything,that is, he has revealed himself completely, and therefore Revelation came toan end with the fulfilment of the mystery of Christ as enunciated in the NewTestament. To explain the finality and completeness of Revelation, the Catechismof the Catholic Church quotes a text of Saint John of the Cross: 'Ingiving us his Son, his only Word (for he possesses no other), he spokeeverything to us at once in this sole Word'and he has no more to say... becausewhat he spoke before to the prophets in parts, he has now spoken all at once bygiving us the All Who is His Son. Any person questioning God or desiring somevision or revelation would be guilty not only of foolish behaviour but also ofoffending him, by not fixing his eyes entirely upon Christ and by living withthe desire for some other novelty' (No. 65; Saint John of the Cross, The Ascentof Mount Carmel , II, 22).   

Because the single Revelation of God addressed toall peoples comes to completion with Christ and the witness borne to him in thebooks of the New Testament, the Church is tied to this unique event of sacredhistory and to the word of the Bible, which guarantees and interprets it. Butthis does not mean that the Church can now look only to the past and that sheis condemned to sterile repetition. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says in this regard: '...even if Revelation is already complete, it has notbeen made fully explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp itsfull significance over the course of the centuries' (No. 66). The way in whichthe Church is bound to both the uniqueness of the event and progress inunderstanding it is very well illustrated in the farewell discourse of the Lordwhen, taking leave of his disciples, he says: 'I have yet many things to say toyou, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he willguide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority... Hewill glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you' ( Jn 16:12-14). On the one hand, the Spirit acts as a guide who discloses aknowledge previously unreachable because the premise was missing'this is theboundless breadth and depth of Christian faith. On the other hand, to be guidedby the Spirit is also 'to draw from' the riches of Jesus Christ himself, theinexhaustible depths of which appear in the way the Spirit leads. In thisregard, the Catechism cites profound words of Pope Gregory the Great:'The sacred Scriptures grow with the one who reads them' (No. 94; Gregory theGreat, Homilia in Ezechielem I, 7, 8). The Second Vatican Council notesthree essential ways in which the Spirit guides in the Church, and thereforethree ways in which 'the word grows': through the meditation and study of thefaithful, through the deep understanding which comes from spiritual experience,and through the preaching of 'those who, in the succession of the episcopate,have received the sure charism of truth' ( Dei Verbum , 8). 

In this context, it now becomes possible tounderstand rightly the concept of 'private revelation', which refers to all thevisions and revelations which have taken place since the completion of the NewTestament. This is the category to which we must assign the message of Fatima.In this respect, let us listen once again to the Catechism of the CatholicChurch : 'Throughout the ages, there have been so-called 'private'revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of theChurch... It is not their role to complete Christ's definitive Revelation, butto help live more fully by it in a certain period of history' (No. 67). Thisclarifies two things:   

1. The authority of private revelations isessentially different from that of the definitive public Revelation. The latterdemands faith; in it in fact God himself speaks to us through human words andthe mediation of the living community of the Church. Faith in God and in hisword is different from any other human faith, trust or opinion. The certaintythat it is God who is speaking gives me the assurance that I am in touch withtruth itself. It gives me a certitude which is beyond verification by any humanway of knowing. It is the certitude upon which I build my life and to which Ientrust myself in dying.   

2. Private revelation is a help to this faith, andshows its credibility precisely by leading me back to the definitive publicRevelation. In this regard, Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, the future PopeBenedict XIV, says in his classic treatise, which later became normative forbeatifications and canonizations: 'An assent of Catholic faith is not due torevelations approved in this way; it is not even possible. These revelationsseek rather an assent of human faith in keeping with the requirements ofprudence, which puts them before us as probable and credible to piety'. TheFlemish theologian E. Dhanis, an eminent scholar in this field, statessuccinctly that ecclesiastical approval of a private revelation has threeelements: the message contains nothing contrary to faith or morals; it islawful to make it public; and the faithful are authorized to accept it withprudence (E. Dhanis, Sguardo su Fatima e bilancio di una discussione , in LaCivilt' Cattolica 104 [1953], II, 392-406, in particular 397). Such amessage can be a genuine help in understanding the Gospel and living it betterat a particular moment in time; therefore it should not be disregarded. It is ahelp which is offered, but which one is not obliged to use.   

The criterion for the truth and value of a privaterevelation is therefore its orientation to Christ himself. When it leads usaway from him, when it becomes independent of him or even presents itself asanother and better plan of salvation, more important than the Gospel, then itcertainly does not come from the Holy Spirit, who guides us more deeply intothe Gospel and not away from it. This does not mean that a private revelationwill not offer new emphases or give rise to new devotional forms, or deepen andspread older forms. But in all of this there must be a nurturing of faith, hopeand love, which are the unchanging path to salvation for everyone. We might addthat private revelations often spring from popular piety and leave their stampon it, giving it a new impulse and opening the way for new forms of it. Nordoes this exclude that they will have an effect even on the liturgy, as we seefor instance in the feasts of Corpus Christi and of the Sacred Heart ofJesus. From one point of view, the relationship between Revelation and privaterevelations appears in the relationship between the liturgy and popular piety:the liturgy is the criterion, it is the living form of the Church as a whole,fed directly by the Gospel. Popular piety is a sign that the faith is spreadingits roots into the heart of a people in such a way that it reaches into dailylife. Popular religiosity is the first and fundamental mode of 'inculturation'of the faith. While it must always take its lead and direction from theliturgy, it in turn enriches the faith by involving theheart.   

We have thus moved from the somewhat negativeclarifications, initially needed, to a positive definition of privaterevelations. How can they be classified correctly in relation to Scripture? Towhich theological category do they belong? The oldest letter of Saint Paulwhich has been preserved, perhaps the oldest of the New Testament texts, theFirst Letter to the Thessalonians, seems to me to point the way. TheApostle says: 'Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophesying, but testeverything, holding fast to what is good' (5:19-21). In every age the Churchhas received the charism of prophecy, which must be scrutinized but notscorned. On this point, it should be kept in mind that prophecy in the biblicalsense does not mean to predict the future but to explain the will of God forthe present, and therefore show the right path to take for the future. A personwho foretells what is going to happen responds to the curiosity of the mind,which wants to draw back the veil on the future. The prophet speaks to theblindness of will and of reason, and declares the will of God as an indicationand demand for the present time. In this case, prediction of the future is ofsecondary importance. What is essential is the actualization of the definitiveRevelation, which concerns me at the deepest level. The prophetic word is awarning or a consolation, or both together. In this sense there is a linkbetween the charism of prophecy and the category of 'the signs of the times',which Vatican II brought to light anew: 'You know how to interpret theappearance of earth and sky; why then do you not know how to interpret thepresent time?' ( Lk 12:56). In this saying of Jesus, the 'signs of thetimes' must be understood as the path he was taking, indeed it must beunderstood as Jesus himself. To interpret the signs of the times in the lightof faith means to recognize the presence of Christ in every age. In the privaterevelations approved by the Church'and therefore also in Fatima'this is thepoint: they help us to understand the signs of the times and to respond to themrightly in faith.   

The anthropological structure of private revelations   

In these reflections we have sought so far toidentify the theological status of private revelations. Before undertaking aninterpretation of the message of Fatima, we must still attempt briefly to offersome clarification of their anthropological (psychological) character. In thisfield, theological anthropology distinguishes three forms of perception or'vision': vision with the senses, and hence exterior bodily perception,interior perception, and spiritual vision ( visio sensibilis - imaginativa -intellectualis ). It is clear that in the visions of Lourdes, Fatima andother places it is not a question of normal exterior perception of the senses:the images and forms which are seen are not located spatially, as is the casefor example with a tree or a house. This is perfectly obvious, for instance, asregards the vision of hell (described in the first part of the Fatima 'secret')or even the vision described in the third part of the 'secret'. But the samecan be very easily shown with regard to other visions, especially since noteverybody present saw them, but only the 'visionaries'. It is also clear thatit is not a matter of a 'vision' in the mind, without images, as occurs at thehigher levels of mysticism. Therefore we are dealing with the middle category,interior perception. For the visionary, this perception certainly has the forceof a presence, equivalent for that person to an external manifestation to thesenses.   

Interior vision does not mean fantasy, which wouldbe no more than an expression of the subjective imagination. It means ratherthat the soul is touched by something real, even if beyond the senses. It isrendered capable of seeing that which is beyond the senses, that which cannotbe seen'seeing by means of the 'interior senses'. It involves true 'objects',which touch the soul, even if these 'objects' do not belong to our habitualsensory world. This is why there is a need for an interior vigilance of theheart, which is usually precluded by the intense pressure of external realityand of the images and thoughts which fill the soul. The person is led beyondpure exteriority and is touched by deeper dimensions of reality, which becomevisible to him. Perhaps this explains why children tend to be the ones toreceive these apparitions: their souls are as yet little disturbed, theirinterior powers of perception are still not impaired. 'On the lips of childrenand of babes you have found praise', replies Jesus with a phrase of Psalm 8 (v.3) to the criticism of the High Priests and elders, who had judged thechildren's cries of 'hosanna' inappropriate (cf. Mt 21:16).   

'Interior vision' is not fantasy but, as we havesaid, a true and valid means of verification. But it also has its limitations.Even in exterior vision the subjective element is always present. We do not seethe pure object, but it comes to us through the filter of our senses, whichcarry out a work of translation. This is still more evident in the case ofinterior vision, especially when it involves realities which in themselvestranscend our horizon. The subject, the visionary, is still more powerfullyinvolved. He sees insofar as he is able, in the modes of representation andconsciousness available to him. In the case of interior vision, the process oftranslation is even more extensive than in exterior vision, for the subjectshares in an essential way in the formation of the image of what appears. Hecan arrive at the image only within the bounds of his capacities andpossibilities. Such visions therefore are never simple 'photographs' of theother world, but are influenced by the potentialities and limitations of theperceiving subject.   

This can be demonstrated in all the great visions ofthe saints; and naturally it is also true of the visions of the children atFatima. The images described by them are by no means a simple expression oftheir fantasy, but the result of a real perception of a higher and interiororigin. But neither should they be thought of as if for a moment the veil ofthe other world were drawn back, with heaven appearing in its pure essence, asone day we hope to see it in our definitive union with God. Rather theimages are, in a manner of speaking, a synthesis of the impulse coming from onhigh and the capacity to receive this impulse in the visionaries, that is, thechildren. For this reason, the figurative language of the visions is symbolic.In this regard, Cardinal Sodano stated: '[they] do not describephotographically the details of future events, but synthesize and compressagainst a single background facts which extend through time in an unspecifiedsuccession and duration'. This compression of time and place in a single imageis typical of such visions, which for the most part can be deciphered only inretrospect. Not every element of the vision has to have a specific historicalsense. It is the vision as a whole that matters, and the details must beunderstood on the basis of the images taken in their entirety. The centralelement of the image is revealed where it coincides with what is the focalpoint of Christian 'prophecy' itself: the centre is found where the visionbecomes a summons and a guide to the will of God. 

An attempt to interpret the 'secret' of Fatima 

The first and second parts of the 'secret' of Fatimahave already been so amply discussed in the relative literature that there isno need to deal with them again here. I would just like to recall briefly themost significant point. For one terrible moment, the children were given avision of hell. They saw the fall of 'the souls of poor sinners'. And now theyare told why they have been exposed to this moment: 'in order to save souls''toshow the way to salvation. The words of the First Letter of Peter come to mind:'As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls' (1:9). Toreach this goal, the way indicated 'surprisingly for people from theAnglo-Saxon and German cultural world'is devotion to the Immaculate Heart ofMary. A brief comment may suffice to explain this. In biblical language, the'heart' indicates the centre of human life, the point where reason, will,temperament and sensitivity converge, where the person finds his unity and hisinterior orientation. According to Matthew 5:8, the 'immaculate heart' isa heart which, with God's grace, has come to perfect interior unity andtherefore 'sees God'. To be 'devoted' to the Immaculate Heart of Mary meanstherefore to embrace this attitude of heart, which makes the fiat ''yourwill be done''the defining centre of one's whole life. It might be objectedthat we should not place a human being between ourselves and Christ. But thenwe remember that Paul did not hesitate to say to his communities: 'imitate me'( 1 Cor 4:16; Phil 3:17; 1 Th 1:6; 2 Th 3:7, 9). Inthe Apostle they could see concretely what it meant to follow Christ. Butfrom whom might we better learn in every age than from the Mother of theLord?   

Thus we come finally to the third part of the'secret' of Fatima which for the first time is being published in its entirety.As is clear from the documentation presented here, the interpretation offeredby Cardinal Sodano in his statement of 13 May was first put personally toSister Lucia. Sister Lucia responded by pointing out that she had received thevision but not its interpretation. The interpretation, she said, belonged notto the visionary but to the Church. After reading the text, however, she saidthat this interpretation corresponded to what she had experienced and that onher part she thought the interpretation correct. In what follows, therefore, wecan only attempt to provide a deeper foundation for this interpretation, on thebasis of the criteria already considered.  

'To save souls' has emerged as the key word of thefirst and second parts of the 'secret', and the key word of this third part isthe threefold cry: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!' The beginning of the Gospelcomes to mind: 'Repent and believe the Good News' ( Mk 1:15). Tounderstand the signs of the times means to accept the urgency of penance ' ofconversion ' of faith. This is the correct response to this moment of history,characterized by the grave perils outlined in the images that follow. Allow meto add here a personal recollection: in a conversation with me Sister Luciasaid that it appeared ever more clearly to her that the purpose of all theapparitions was to help people to grow more and more in faith, hope andlove'everything else was intended to lead to this.   

Let us now examine more closely the single images.The angel with the flaming sword on the left of the Mother of God recallssimilar images in the Book of Revelation. This represents the threat ofjudgement which looms over the world. Today the prospect that the world mightbe reduced to ashes by a sea of fire no longer seems pure fantasy: man himself,with his inventions, has forged the flaming sword. The vision then shows thepower which stands opposed to the force of destruction'the splendour of theMother of God and, stemming from this in a certain way, the summons to penance.In this way, the importance of human freedom is underlined: the future is notin fact unchangeably set, and the image which the children saw is in no way afilm preview of a future in which nothing can be changed. Indeed, the wholepoint of the vision is to bring freedom onto the scene and to steer freedom ina positive direction. The purpose of the vision is not to show a film of anirrevocably fixed future. Its meaning is exactly the opposite: it is meant tomobilize the forces of change in the right direction. Therefore we must totallydiscount fatalistic explanations of the 'secret', such as, for example, theclaim that the would-be assassin of 13 May 1981 was merely an instrument of thedivine plan guided by Providence and could not therefore have acted freely, orother similar ideas in circulation. Rather, the vision speaks of dangers andhow we might be saved from them.   

The next phrases of the text show very clearly onceagain the symbolic character of the vision: God remains immeasurable, and isthe light which surpasses every vision of ours. Human persons appear as in amirror. We must always keep in mind the limits in the vision itself, which hereare indicated visually. The future appears only 'in a mirror dimly' ( 1 Cor 13:12). Let us now consider the individual images which follow in the text ofthe 'secret'. The place of the action is described in three symbols: a steepmountain, a great city reduced to ruins and finally a large rough-hewn cross.The mountain and city symbolize the arena of human history: history as anarduous ascent to the summit, history as the arena of human creativity andsocial harmony, but at the same time a place of destruction, where man actuallydestroys the fruits of his own work. The city can be the place of communion andprogress, but also of danger and the most extreme menace. On the mountainstands the cross'the goal and guide of history. The cross transformsdestruction into salvation; it stands as a sign of history's misery but also asa promise for history.   

At this point human persons appear: the Bishopdressed in white ('we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'), otherBishops, priests, men and women Religious, and men and women of different ranksand social positions. The Pope seems to precede the others, trembling andsuffering because of all the horrors around him. Not only do the houses of thecity lie half in ruins, but he makes his way among the corpses of thedead. The Church's path is thus described as a Via Crucis , as ajourney through a time of violence, destruction and persecution. The history ofan entire century can be seen represented in this image. Just as the places ofthe earth are synthetically described in the two images of the mountain and thecity, and are directed towards the cross, so too time is presented in acompressed way. In the vision we can recognize the last century as a century ofmartyrs, a century of suffering and persecution for the Church, a century ofWorld Wars and the many local wars which filled the last fifty years and haveinflicted unprecedented forms of cruelty. In the 'mirror' of this vision we seepassing before us the witnesses of the faith decade by decade. Here it would beappropriate to mention a phrase from the letter which Sister Lucia wrote to theHoly Father on 12 May 1982: 'The third part of the 'secret' refers to OurLady's words: 'If not, [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world,causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; theHoly Father will have much to suffer; various nations will beannihilated''.   

In the Via Crucis of an entire century, thefigure of the Pope has a special role. In his arduous ascent of the mountain wecan undoubtedly see a convergence of different Popes. Beginning from PiusX up to the present Pope, they all shared the sufferings of the century andstrove to go forward through all the anguish along the path which leads to theCross. In the vision, the Pope too is killed along with the martyrs. When,after the attempted assassination on 13 May 1981, the Holy Father had the textof the third part of the 'secret' brought to him, was it not inevitable that heshould see in it his own fate? He had been very close to death, and hehimself explained his survival in the following words: '... it was a mother'shand that guided the bullet's path and in his throes the Pope halted at thethreshold of death' (13 May 1994). That here 'a mother's hand' had deflectedthe fateful bullet only shows once more that there is no immutable destiny,that faith and prayer are forces which can influence history and that in theend prayer is more powerful than bullets and faith more powerful thanarmies.   

The concluding part of the 'secret' uses imageswhich Lucia may have seen in devotional books and which draw their inspirationfrom long-standing intuitions of faith. It is a consoling vision, which seeksto open a history of blood and tears to the healing power of God. Beneath thearms of the cross angels gather up the blood of the martyrs, and with it theygive life to the souls making their way to God. Here, the blood of Christ andthe blood of the martyrs are considered as one: the blood of the martyrs runsdown from the arms of the cross. The martyrs die in communion with the Passionof Christ, and their death becomes one with his. For the sake of the body ofChrist, they complete what is still lacking in his afflictions (cf. Col 1:24).Their life has itself become a Eucharist, part of the mystery of the grain ofwheat which in dying yields abundant fruit. The blood of the martyrs is theseed of Christians, said Tertullian. As from Christ's death, from his woundedside, the Church was born, so the death of the witnesses is fruitful for thefuture life of the Church. Therefore, the vision of the third part of the'secret', so distressing at first, concludes with an image of hope: nosuffering is in vain, and it is a suffering Church, a Church of martyrs, whichbecomes a sign-post for man in his search for God. The loving arms of Godwelcome not only those who suffer like Lazarus, who found great solacethere and mysteriously represents Christ, who wished to become for us the poorLazarus. There is something more: from the suffering of the witnesses therecomes a purifying and renewing power, because their suffering is theactualization of the suffering of Christ himself and a communication in thehere and now of its saving effect.   

And so we come to the final question: What is themeaning of the 'secret' of Fatima as a whole (in its three parts)? What does itsay to us? First of all we must affirm with Cardinal Sodano: '... the events towhich the third part of the 'secret' of Fatima refers now seem part of thepast'. Insofar as individual events are described, they belong to the past.Those who expected exciting apocalyptic revelations about the end of the worldor the future course of history are bound to be disappointed. Fatima does notsatisfy our curiosity in this way, just as Christian faith in general cannot bereduced to an object of mere curiosity. What remains was already evident whenwe began our reflections on the text of the 'secret': the exhortation to prayeras the path of 'salvation for souls' and, likewise, the summons to penance andconversion.   

I would like finally to mention another keyexpression of the 'secret' which has become justly famous: 'my Immaculate Heartwill triumph'. What does this mean? The Heart open to God, purified bycontemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of every kind. The fiat of Mary, the word of her heart, has changed the history of the world, becauseit brought the Saviour into the world'because, thanks to her Yes, Godcould become man in our world and remains so for all time. The Evil One haspower in this world, as we see and experience continually; he has power becauseour freedom continually lets itself be led away from God. But since God himselftook a human heart and has thus steered human freedom towards what is good, thefreedom to choose evil no longer has the last word. From that time forth, theword that prevails is this: 'In the world you will have tribulation, but takeheart; I have overcome the world' ( Jn 16:33). The message of Fatimainvites us to trust in this promise. 

JosephCard. Ratzinger
Prefect of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith 

(1) From the diaryof John XXIII, 17 August 1959: 'Audiences: Father Philippe, Commissary of theHoly Office, who brought me the letter containing the third part of the secretsof Fatima. I intend to read it with my Confessor'.  

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(2) The Holy Father's comment atthe General Audience of 14 October 1981 on 'What happened in May: A GreatDivine Trial' should be recalled: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II , IV,2 (Vatican City, 1981),409-412.                       back

(3) Radio message during the Ceremony ofVeneration, Thanksgiving and Entrustment to the Virgin Mary Theotokos in theBasilica of Saint Mary Major: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II , IV, 1(Vatican City, 1981),1246.                            back

(4) On the Jubilee Day forFamilies, the Pope entrusted individuals and nations to Our Lady: Insegnamentidi Giovanni Paolo II , VII, 1 (Vatican City, 1984),775-777.   

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(6) In the 'Fourth Memoir' of 8December 1941 Sister Lucia writes: 'I shall begin then my new task, and thusfulfil the commands received from Your Excellency as well as the desires of DrGalamba. With the exception of that part of the Secret which I am not permittedto reveal at present, I shall say everything. I shall not knowingly omitanything, though I suppose I may forget just a few small details of minorimportance'.   

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(7) In the 'Fourth Memoir' SisterLucia adds: 'In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc....'.   

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(8) In the translation, theoriginal text has been respected, even as regards the imprecise punctuation,which nevertheless does not impede an understanding of what the visionarywished to say.    

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