Author’s note: In a video released on April 20, 2021, Dr. Taylor Marshall referenced the below article, one which I wrote back in 2017. Its genesis was based in my research on various documents claiming to be authentic messages related to the Third Secret of Fatima. It was written in the centennial month and year of the first Fatima message, when Catholics around the world were expecting something significant to happen in relation to that anniversary.
Nothing of major significance, however, came to pass that year. (At least, not to our knowledge.) This only heightened our sense that the crisis might well deepen indefinitely.
But the question of what the Third Secret has to teach us about that crisis — and how we should respond — remains.
In the years since I first wrote this, I’ve become concerned about what I see as a potentially dangerous, arguably quasi-gnostic tendency, which exists in some who wish to possess what amounts to secret knowledge about the “real story” behind the Third Secret of Fatima. As the situation in the world and the Church have worsened co-terminously, the allure of a kind of “doom and gloom” attachment and recourse to certain Catholic prophecies, ambiguous enough in their warnings to be interpreted broadly as applying to this or that moment of history, has become manifest.
With this in mind, I am increasingly convinced that the wisest words in the piece that follows are those attributed to Pope John Paul II, speaking on this topic in Fulda, Germany, in 1980:
“[I]t should be sufficient for all Christians to know this: if there is a message in which it is written that the oceans will flood whole areas of the earth, and that from one moment to the next millions of people will perish, truly the publication of such a message is no longer something to be so much desired.”
The Pope continued: “Many wish to know simply from curiosity and a taste for the sensational, but they forget that knowledge also implies responsibility. They only seek the satisfaction of their curiosity, and that is dangerous if at the same time they are not disposed to do something, and if they are convinced that it is impossible to do anything against evil.”
At this point the Pope grasped a Rosary and said: “Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray, and ask for nothing more. Leave everything else to the Mother of God.”
I hope you, too, see the wisdom in his counsel, and find something of value in this re-presentation of the work below.
– Steve Skojec; 4/21/2021
Sometimes, it’d be nice if things were a bit less complicated.
Last Friday, in preparation to write a reflection on the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, I spent the whole day reading about various theories about the alleged unrevealed truths surrounding this most significant of Marian apparitions. I looked over various reports about what the “real” Third Secret contained, read documents that claimed to be the “real Third Secret of Fatima”, and read testimonies from individuals who claimed knowledge the general public does not have.
I’m not a Fatima expert by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I’m actually a relative newcomer to the subject. But it’s fair to say that I started paying closer attention to Fatima in recent years because the official story just seemed…off. The promises Our Lady had given appeared obviously to be unfulfilled. Russia clearly hadn’t experienced any authentic conversion to speak of. If the geopolitical situation of the past 30 years is what a period of peace looks like, it’s certainly an odd interpretation of that concept. And where on Earth is there anything happening that would indicate the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart? A few years ago, I re-published something that examined these questions surrounding unrealized promises from Heaven as relates to Fatima. I found it to be a compelling rebuttal to the narrative that the consecration had been accomplished, and it fed my curiosity.
And then we ran our report about the recollection of the holy and well-respected priest (and friend of Joseph Ratzinger), Fr. Ingo Dollinger, and the claims he made of conversations with Cardinal Ratzinger years ago pertaining to the entirety of the Third Secret (and the allegation that it had not been fully revealed). Clearly, the situation in the Church was escalating. Clearly, there was no reasonable way to accept the interpretation that the vision of the “bishop dressed in white” could be applied to the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II — as some in the Vatican had claimed — or that it was a thing left buried in the past. Even a cursory reading of the official text made clear that something far more sinister, specific, and fatal was being described:
“J.M.J.
The third part of the secret revealed 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 through your Most Holy Mother and mine.
After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to 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 of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father’. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain 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 big Cross 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 and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.
Tuy-3-1-1944”.
This version of the Third Secret published by the Vatican is not, to my knowledge, widely disputed. It is not so much claimed to be a false version by devoted Fatimists as somehow incomplete. Most seem to think that what is missing is not more of the secret, but the accompanying explanation of the vision given by Our Lady to Sister Lucia.
But if something was missing, what was it? Was this the whole story? Why would the Church hide something important enough that Our Lady miraculously appeared to warn us about? As Bishop Athanasius Schneider said to me in an interview earlier this year:
We have to take it [as] serious when God sends us His Immaculate Mother to warn us. If we hear the admonitions of Our Heavenly Mother, Her Divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ will make miracles, as He did at the wedding in Cana. A solemn act of consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on behalf of the Pope in moral union with all bishops will undoubtedly cause the pouring out of abundant graces for the Church and for all mankind, as it foretold Our Lady in Fatima. It is tragic that prophetic appeals are heard oftentimes too late.
If Fr. Dollinger’s recollection of events (which he had been sharing for a number of years) weren’t intriguing enough, the fact that the Vatican issued a statement in Pope Benedict’s name to deny our story — the first official public statement from the “Pope Emeritus” since his abdication in 2013 — really piqued my curiosity. Rather than being a convincing rebuttal, it looked a lot more like a classic case of “protesting too much”. (As the old saying goes, “Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.”) This response from the Vatican also raised serious questions: why was it so important that they felt they had to kill even the allegation that Ratzinger had said there was more to the Third Secret? Why did Pope John XXIII not reveal the secret by 1960 as Our Lady asked? Why did Cardinal Ottaviani allegedly say that the Third Secret was buried “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.”?
In other words: why all the secrecy and misdirection? What part of the Fatima message was the Vatican so afraid of?
I have never found a satisfactory answer to these questions. And it seems that the more I investigate, the murkier the waters get. Nevertheless, it’s a subject that never really goes out of fashion. There are periodic lulls in Fatima interest, and then some new detail, some previously unconsidered angle, makes its way to the surface, and the whole discussion begins anew.
And so it was that on May 8th, 2017, Vatican expert Marco Tosatti published a piece that re-ignited a part of the debate. In it, he referenced a book (available only in Spanish) by Spanish journalist José María Zavala, entitled The Best Kept Secret of Fatima (El Sécreto Mejor Guardado de Fátima). In it, Zavala claims to have received a photo of a handwritten Portugese document in an email in August of 2016. According to Zavala, the message came from an anonymous sender with a blank subject line, and thus wound up in his spam folder where it was very nearly deleted. But he claims that in a providential decision, he decided to open it and take a look, and he “immediately noticed that it was a text about the apparitions of Fatima.” The text reads, in English:
Tuy September 1, 1944 or April 1, 1944
JMJ
Now I am going to reveal the third fragment of the secret: This part is the apostasy in the Church!
Our Lady showed us the individual who I describe as the ‘holy Father’ in front of a multitude that was cheering him.
But there was a difference from a true holy Father, his devilish gaze, this one had the gaze of evil.
Then, after some moments we saw the same Pope entering a Church, but this Church was the Church of hell; there is no way to describe the ugliness of that place. It looked like a gray cement fortress with broken angles and windows similar to eyes; it had a beak in the roof of the building.
Next, we raised our eyes to Our Lady who said to us: You saw the apostasy in the Church; this letter can be opened by the holy Father, but it must be announced after Pius XII and before 1960.
In the kingdom of John Paul II the cornerstone of Peter’s grave must be removed and transferred to Fatima.
Because the dogma of the faith is not conserved in Rome, its authority will be removed and delivered to Fatima.
The cathedral of Rome must be destroyed and a new one built in Fatima.
If 69 weeks after this order is announced, Rome continues its abomination, the city will be destroyed.
Our Lady told us that this is written,[in] Daniel 9:24-25 and Matthew 21:42-44
Though it is not mentioned in the book, it is worth noting here that my own research indicates that the same text most likely first appeared on a bizarre website called Fatimamovement.com — a website which, despite its use of Catholic imagery, blasphemously claims that “Our Lady is God” and “The Biblical Lord is Satan.” The pages on the “Fatima Movement” website are not date stamped, but the author takes credit for having “asked God Our Lady [sic] for assistance in finding the Real Third Secret of Fatima. This Rosary request forced the Illuminati to release one of the two copies in existence.” The text of this alleged secret itself is claimed to have been introduced to the world by the author on April 21, 2010.
Just six days later, the (somewhat fringe, but certainly not blasphemous) traditionalist Catholic website Tradition in Action poste
d a photo of the same document, stating that, “One of our readers from Portugal sent us the facsimile of a handwritten text that could be the text of the Third Secret of Fatima.”
So we have a text of dubious origin, claiming to be the authentic Third Secret of Fatima, championed by a website that acts as a (arguably unwitting) parody of authentic Catholic belief, that has at last landed in the hands of an interested journalist some six years after it first appeared online. Ordinarily, such a document would be easy to dismiss, but this particular text also has a rather unique claim to authenticity.
It should be observed that there are several noteworthy things about this document:
1.) In 2004, Pope John Paul II did give a piece of the tomb of St. Peter to the rector of the new Fatima shrine to use as the cornerstone. If this text is a forgery, this fact could obviously have been included after the fact, because it was first seen by the public in 2010. If it isn’t, that’s a significant and specific prediction.
2.) The “gaze of evil” of the pope in the vision is very similar to what many Catholics (myself included) have described perceiving when first seeing Pope Francis after his election. This is, however, not a falsifiable claim, which also leaves it out as an objective criteria for evaluating authenticity.
3.) The allegation of “apostasy in the Church” dovetails with the report given by Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, as published by OnePeterFive on May 12, 2016, in which she revealed a conversation she and her husband had in June of 1965 with “a priest named Msgr. Mario Boehm…who had been one of the top editors of L’Osservatore Romano for many years.” As Mrs. von Hildrebrand recounted:
The topic of Fatima came up. My husband raised the question, “Why was the third secret of Fatima not revealed?” For the Holy Virgin had said it should be shared with the faithful in 1960.
Don Mario: It was not revealed because of its content. My husband: What was so fearful about it? Msgr. Boehm (as a well-trained Italian) did not say that he had read it, but intimated that the content was fearful: “infiltration of the Church to the very top”. It shattered us but confirmed my husband’s fear that the way Vatican II was interpreted was going to expose the Church to terrible dangers. Alas, this fear was well founded.
4.) In his post of May 8th, Tosatti links to a May 6, 2017 interview conducted by Zavala with Spanish graphologist (handwriting expert) Begoña Slocker de Arce for the Spanish-language publication, Es Diario. Slocker is, according to Zavala, an “expert of the active Courts of Justice” in Spain with more than two decades of experience. For Zavala’s book, Slocker was asked to analyze a text purporting to be the the real Third Secret of Fatima, and Zavala discussed her findings and process in the interview. The most significant and verifiable point as pertains to the alleged authenticity of this newly-revealed “secret” is that Slocker claims, in her professional analysis, that she is certain the handwriting belongs to Sister Lucia. From the interview with Zavala and Slocker (translation by Andrew Guernsey):
Q: Why are you so sure that the document of the Third Secret of Fatima not revealed was written, like the first two secrets, by the same hand of Sister Lucia?
A: How am I so sure? I only know that my work is done with rigor, with all the knowledge put at the service of the expert analysis. I think that it is impossible to write two identical letters, since we have life, movement, and this is what gives the writing of the same person certain differences in the same letter. We also have personal traits that come from our unconscious part, and that it is impossible for another author other than the same person to reproduce them. Velocity is very important because it is very difficult to imitate, the inclination, the cohesion … These are traits that a counterfeiter cannot keep up for more than six lines in a row, because the unconscious part betrays and the hand movement obeys the brain, not our intentions. This is a clear case, that of the document we have studied, in which all those factors test positive, never with differences sufficient to doubt its authenticity.
Q: Are there other prestigious experts, like you, who support your conclusion? Who are they?
A: Once I finished the work with my regular team, to which belongs Lorena Gilaranz, an expert from the courts of justice, I went to two of the most prestigious experts, my colleagues, who gave me approval, as well as also obtained the support of the Spanish Society of Graphology.
By my count, Slocker is claiming that the handwriting analysis was checked by at least four individual experts in that field of competence, plus members of the Spanish Society of Graphology.
And yet…something about this text feels off. Its provenance, insofar as it is associated with a website run by someone who is not only blasphemous, but oftentimes incoherent, is incredibly suspicious. It is longer than the described 25 lines as described by Bishop Venancio, the auxiliary bishop of Fatima who held the envelope containing the secret up to the light to ascertain what he could about its contents in 1957.
It is, in other words, a seemingly credible but suspicious clue in a larger mystery — a clue one hopes would prompt similar analysis from other graphologists who might verify or dispute Slocker’s claim.
The Zavala/Slocker document is not, however, the only purported text of the Third secret that has gained credibility in Fatima circles.
As I pored over more Fatima-related information, I came across another alleged version of the Third Secret, this once credited to Fr. Luigi Villa, the priest whom St. (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina is said to have “entreated to devote his entire life to fight Ecclesiastical Freemasonry” — a mission Pope Pius XII is also said to have personally approved. The story of how how Fr. Villa came to know the key to the “true” text is long and not entirely forthright. It seems he left the provenance of his knowledge somewhat shrouded in mystery. But his version is brief enough to be produced here in full. It reads somewhat differently than the Slocker/Zavala version, while touching on similar notes:
A great chastisement will fall on the entire human race; not today as yet, not tomorrow, but in the second half of the Twentieth Century.
No longer does order reign anywhere and Satan will reign over the highest places directing the course of events. He (Satan) really will succeed in infiltrating to the top of the Church.
Also for the Church a time of Her greatest trials will come. Cardinals will oppose Cardinals; Bishops will oppose Bishops and Satan will march amid their ranks, and in Rome there will be changes. What is rotten will fall, and what will fall will never rise again.
The Church will be darkened and the world deranged by terror.
A great war will break out within the second half of the Twentieth Century. Fire and smoke will fall from Heaven, the water of the oceans will become vapors and the foam will rise up and flooding and sinking everything. Millions and millions of people will die by the hour and the survivors will envy the dead.
Death will reign everywhere for the errors committed by the foolish and by the partisans of Satan, who, then and only then, will reign over the world. At last, those who will survive all of these events will once more proclaim God and His Glory and serve Him like before, when the world was not so corrupted.
Here, again, we have several noteworthy points:
1.) The description of Satan reigning in the highest places and directing the course of events — including in the Church — echoes the version of the Third Secret told to Alice von Hildebrand.
2.) The line saying “Cardinals will oppose Cardinals; Bishops will oppose Bishops” is nearly identical to what is said in the approved apparition of Our Lady of Akita on October 13, 1973: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops.”
3.) The warning that “Fire and smoke will fall from Heaven, the water of the oceans will become vapors and the foam will rise up and flooding and sinking everything. Millions and millions of people will die by the hour and the survivors will envy the dead” echoes not only Akita, but also a statment attributed to Pope John Paul II at a meeting at Fulda, Germany, in November of 1980:
The October 1981 issue of the German magazine Stimme des Glaubens reported on a discussion that Pope John Paul II had with a select group of German Catholics, in November of 1980. The following is a verbatim report of the discussion:
Text of the Published Report:
The Holy Father was asked, “What about the Third Secret of Fatima? Should it not have already been published by 1960?”
Pope John Paul II replied: “Given the seriousness of the contents, my predecessors in the Petrine office diplomatically preferred to postpone publication so as not to encourage the world power of Communism to make certain moves.
“On the other hand, it should be sufficient for all Christians to know this: if there is a message in which it is written that the oceans will flood whole areas of the earth, and that from one moment to the next millions of people will perish, truly the publication of such a message is no longer something to be so much desired.”
The Pope continued: “Many wish to know simply from curiosity and a taste for the sensational, but they forget that knowledge also implies responsibility. They only seek the satisfaction of their curiosity, and that is dangerous if at the same time they are not disposed to do something, and if they are convinced that it is impossible to do anything against evil.”
At this point the Pope grasped a Rosary and said: “Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray, and ask for nothing more. Leave everything else to the Mother of God.”
The Holy Father was then asked: “What is going to happen to the Church?”
He answered: “We must prepare ourselves to suffer great trials before long, such as will demand of us a disposition to give up even life, and a total dedication to Christ and for Christ… With your and my prayer it is possible to mitigate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because only thus can the Church be effectively renewed. How many times has the renewal of the Church sprung from blood! This time, too, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong and prepared, and trust in Christ and His Mother, and be very, very assiduous in praying the Rosary.” [emphasis added]
The pope’s comments seem to lend their own air of authenticity to this version of the Secret. Still, what I found immediately questionable about the Villa text is that it speaks of a “great war” that would break out in the latter half of the 20th Century. It is only then that the calamities prophesied will come.
Of course, there was no such war, nor were there such calamities.
Some might claim that the Consecration of the whole world that was performed by Pope John Paul II in 1984 (four years after his Fulda interview) — without the required specific mention of the consecration of Russia — was, inasmuch as it was claimed by Sister Lucia to have been “accepted by heaven”, sufficient to forestall what was to come.
Perhaps this was so. Perhaps not. Perhaps the Fr. Villa version of the Secret is also inauthentic. It is impossible to say.
Two nights ago, another piece of the puzzle arrived in my inbox. It came in the form of an interview with the very famous (and now deceased) Roman exorcist, Fr. Gabriel Amorth, also conducted by José María Zavala. Fr. Amorth personally knew Saint (Padre) Pio for 26 years, and it is from this towering figure of 20th century Catholic sanctity that he claims to have learned the contents of the Third Secret of Fatima.
Fr. Amorth was interviewed by Zavala in 2011, who kept the interview secret until after the exorcist’s death, publishing it for the first time in his book about Fatima. In the interview, Fr. Amorth relates — as he has done elsewhere — that he does not believe the consecration of the world by Pope John Paul II in 1984 was sufficient to satisfy the requirements set forth by Our Lady.
“There was no such consecration then,” he says. “I witnessed the act. I was in St. Peter’s Square that Sunday afternoon, very close to the Pope; so close, I could almost touch him.”
Pressed by Zavala on why he so forcefully believes that the consecration was not done, Fr. Amorth replied: “Very simple: John Paul II wanted to mention Russia expressly, but in the end he did not.”
Zavala pressed the issue with Fr. Amorth, saying that Sister Lucia herself (as mentioned above) had said that Heaven had accepted the consecration. He describes an incredulous reaction from Fr. Amorth. “Lucia said that…?” He asked. Zavala continues:
“Well, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said it, in the year 2000, hiding behind a letter [escudándose en una carta] from Lucia dated November 1989, in which she stated that Heaven had admitted consecration in spite of one of the most important conditions.
“Have you seen that letter?” He asks, as if conducting a police interrogation in search of evidence.
“Never,” I say flatly.
“I do not think you’ll ever see it, because I’m convinced that Lucia did not write it.”
“How are you so sure of that?”
“Why didn’t Bertone show it when he should have, when he announced the Third Secret of Fatima? A simple photocopy of the manuscript, included in the official dossier of the Vatican, would have been sufficient to dispel any doubt. If the Vatican has always been scrupulous in providing the documentary proof that authenticated the information by Lucia on minor matters, what reason would they have to skimp on the only documentary evidence that, according to Bertone, validated a fact that without doubt was of as much importance as the consecration performed By John Paul II?
“Yes, it’s weird,” I admit.
“You really think Lucia took five years to write that the consecration had been truly accepted? And that Bertone waited no less than sixteen years to announce the validity of something so crucial as the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary?” Father Amorth’s voice sounds like dry leaves.
“It’s all very strange, in truth.” I nod again.
“Moreover,” he adds, “if the consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary made by Pius XII in 1942 was only partially accepted [because he did not specifically mention Russia – ed], for Jesus said that in view of it the war would only be shortened rather than finished immediately, why would He now change his mind with John Paul II, if Russia was not mentioned on this occasion?”
“It would be an incongruity, yes.”
“Rather.”
“So…?”
“I have no doubt that the consecration did not occur in the terms required by the Virgin. But we must not lose sight of what she herself wanted to tell us through Lucia: ‘In the end My Heart Immaculate will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and it will become, granting itself to the world A time of peace’…”
The interview digresses here from the topic of Fatima, but Zavala returns to it again later:
“Forgive me for insisting on the Third Secret of Fatima: Did Padre Pio relate it, then, to the loss of faith within the Church?”
Fr. Gabriele furrows his brow and sticks out his chin. He seems very affected.
“Indeed,” he states, “One day Padre Pio said to me very sorrowfully: ‘You know, Gabriele? It is Satan who has been introduced into the bosom of the Church and within a very short time will come to rule a false Church.’”
“Oh my God! Some kind of Antichrist! When did he prophesy this to you?” I [Zavala] ask.
“It must have been about 1960, since I was already a priest then.”
“Was that why John XXIII had such a panic about publishing the Third Secret of Fatima, so that the people wouldn’t think that he was the anti-pope or whatever it was …?”
A slight but knowing smile curls the lips of Father Amorth.
“Did Padre Pio say anything else to you about future catastrophes: earthquakes, floods, wars, epidemics, hunger …? Did he allude to the same plagues prophesied in the Holy Scriptures?”
“Nothing of the sort mattered to him, however terrifying they proved to be, except for the great apostasy within the Church. This was the issue that really tormented him and for which he prayed and offered a great part of his suffering, crucified out of love.”
“The Third Secret of Fatima?”
“Exactly.”
“Is there any way to avoid something so terrible, Fr. Gabriele?”
“There is hope, but it’s useless if it’s not accompanied by works. Let us begin by consecrating Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let us recite the Holy Rosary, let us all do prayer and penance …”
What I was left with after all my research — other than a blank page and a big headache — was a feeling that under the present circumstances there was no real way to know the whole truth. We can choose to accept what we have been told by the Church, ignoring the facts that point to the idea that there is something more, or we can speculate about what that may be without ever having the Church’s authoritative backing of our theories.
Lots of confusion. Lots of theories. Lots of suspicion. Very little clarity or peace.
Driving all of this speculation is a profound sense among many of the faithful that something of vital importance is being hidden from them, and this naturally opens up doors to all kinds of speculation and doubt.
As lengthy as our examination here has been, we have barely scratched the surface. There is simply no way to prove, definitively, what we should believe. To be frank, I sat down to write something that cut through the confusion. Instead, I’ve written something that highlights it.
But I did find a rather impressive gem within the convoluted mess.
I would argue that perhaps the most important thing for us to take away from all of this is not the discovery of what we do not know, but what has already been revealed. There is, strangely enough, a common thread, a clear message that shines through all of the competing versions and stories above — even though we know that they cannot all be authentic. The message is this: Not just the world, but the Catholic Church is in grave danger. Apostasy and defection from divine truth will rise through the ranks by the Devil’s own machinations, and persecution of the faithful — up to and including the martyrdom of the pope — is to be expected. Heaven demands penance, consecration (of Russia specifically), and conversion, which are the only things that can forestall God’s justifiable wrath. And it is the rosary in particular — and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary — that are our best defenses against what is to come.
Whatever we may believe about the acceptance of the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, you and I cannot accomplish it. Whatever we may believe about apostasy in the Church that goes to the very top, you and I cannot change it. Whatever we believe about chastisements and wars and calamities to come, you and I cannot avert them. Whatever the fullness of the Fatima message might be that has not yet been revealed, you and I cannot know it.
But we can make the five First Saturdays devotion. We can offer prayer and penance. And we can embrace the answer Pope John Paul II gave us in 1980:
The Pope grasped a Rosary and said: “Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray, and ask for nothing more. Leave everything else to the Mother of God.”
When all is said and done, we may never know the totality of the secrets of Fatima. But we know what we can do — right here, right now — so what are we waiting for?
Our Lady of Fatima – ora pro nobis!
Here comes the heat again.
As I said eons ago – even before I joined in this blog’s discussion for the first time – if men do not listen the forewarnings from God, time will show them the impact of it.
thank you for this, steve.
I too heard about the enthronement ceremony. Father Martin talked about this resulting “superforce” as something “irremovable”. It would seem that this will not be reversed until the Consercration to the Immaculate Heart is done. I found also curious that the enthronement apparantly occurred shortly after Paul VI was elected in 1963. Another story mentioned that within 50 years Lucifer would be invited to take control of the “citadel” – the Luciferian word for the Vatican. Adding 50 years would bring us to 2013 – the year Benedict XVI resigned/stepped aside/fled etc
When Our Lady spoke of the Church being in “eclipse” – I think of the false theology, false worship and false obedience that has gradually covered the insitutional Church since 1960 – this would be consistent with a withdrawal of Grace since 1960, when John XXIII “refused the mandate” of Heaven. Will the sequence be completed with a false church, false pope and false sacraments preparing the way for the false prophect and ultimately Antichrist himself? The man of sin cannot be revealed until he who restrains is taken away (2 Thess).
The events referred to at the end of your post may still be a long time in the future if St. (Padre) Pio was correct when responding to one of his spiritual children who asked him if there was long to go before the end of the world. He replied, “If we begin with the creation of the world, we are not halfway yet.”
It may be that the reign of Antichrist is some way off, but it is a reasonable assertion that we are living the leadup to those times. For example Sister Lucy herself when questioned on the content of the 3rd secret explicitly cited chapters 8 to 13 of the Apocalyptic. Pope St John Paul II cited Apoc 12 when at Fatima in 2000. Chapter 12 deals with the apostasy of the clergy in the Church (the “stars”) of heaven. Chapter 13 deals with the rise of Antichrist and his false prophet. Regarding this false prophet, the Church Fathers have indicated that this person will be an apostate bishop, and likely ursurp the 2-fold authority of the Papacy symbolised by the “two horns” who was like “a lamb” but actually spoke “like a dragon”. For me this is entirely consistent with the assesment of St Pio – only those who are truly faithful to Chirst and His Church will have the grace to not be deceived by the “Operation of Error” at St Paul teaches.
Weissfjord,
After reading of this surprising prophecy by St Padre Pio, I rushed to locate it’s source, knowing full well that he is a great mystic and Saint.
After having done so, I need to say that there does not appear to be any truth to it! It is untraceable!
Is it substantiated? To be perfectly honest, Our Lady and Our Lord have been warning us that the End Times are well and truly upon us for a long time, and Great Mystics, stigmatics, Eucharistic Fasters who are already Beatified by the Church have well and truly alerted us to this. Including Saints such as St Faustina, already Canonised.
I await your response, but clearly St Pio was a great friend of the Mystic Marie Julie Jahenny, who confirmed also the approaching end of all times in her great prophecies. I’m sure he would not have valued her so highly if she had stated something that he knew to be false.
But what IS the “Traditionalist site” in Fatima? I attended Mass in Fatima most Sundays for three or four years up to the end of 2012.
1. Father Mario, an Italian incardinated in Siena diocese, said the TLM very often at a private chapel of an aged French lady some 7-8 miles from Fatima;
2. The FFI had the TLM very often at their chapel in Fatima but they have been destroyed;
3. Father Joao, a Coimbra diocesan priest, said the TLM most Sundays at a seminary chapel near the Sanctuary but he was/is deemed crazy by his Ordinary and has been cold-shouldered by other priests;
4. The SSPX has a chapel close to the Sanctuary but Mass there is (or was) the first Sunday of each month only.
It’s troubling. The “new Basilica” is so ugly. Why can’t architects design beautiful churches any more? the banning of the TLM is particularly troubling and shows a foothold there of the false church. But perhaps there is a new beautiful St Peter’s Basilica to be built in Fatima in times to come. Isn’t there a prophecy from one or more saints that Rome will be destroyed? At any rate, we all know that a purification is coming.
What a about the sentence, “In [Portugal], the doctrine of the Faith will always be preserved, etc.” that Our Blessed Mother told Lucia? Is it true to this day?
I just don’t see how it can be, if you define this sentence as “holding the Faith as a Catholic did up to the beginning of Vatican II”.
The urban young have fled for drugs, “equality” ideology and co-habiting and treat the Catholic Faith as something that belongs to a different era, before their accession to the EU and the EURO and new motorways and shopping malls.
Elsewhere, the old habits die hard, but the faith is mostly cultural. Yet in some dioceses Mass attendance remains high and the spirit of Christianity in which Europe was once soaked has not died. It’s still in the people.
All this being the case, if there is to be a resolution, it needs to be soon.
Yea, I’m troubled by that claim. I simply fail to see the evidence. I bet there are far more Mass goers in Poland than in Portugal. Even under the jackboot of the USSR the Poles never deserted the Church.
The beginning of the Third Secret per se is the exact words of Our Lady: “In Portugal, the *dogma* of the Faith will always be preserved…”
To paraphrase St. Athanasius, as long as there are a few Catholics holding to Tradition, the Faith will survive.
Thank you, Margaret. That’s reassuring. God bless you.
You’re welcome. ?
I read that the masonic “Mass” held in (Charleston?) South Carolina, and concurrently in Rome, took place ON the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29, 1963. They certainly planned things carefully! Some have denied it, saying that it was only in a novel that Malachi Martin wrote (Windswept House), yet in recent years I read that the girl who was the victim was suing the diocese. I do believe that such ceremonies took place. I agree with others, and Fr. Gruner, who said we are “living” the 3rd Secret.
Dear Steve, Well done! The message is there for us.
The Rosary! The Rosary! The Rosary! When will this unstoppable weapon be deployed by Catholics everywhere? Satan cannot stop its power. Start praying it – for families, for friends, for love of Jesus, for poor sinners, for the triumph of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart! We are fools. Why are we not using this spiritual super-weapon all the time? The answer to all our problems has been given to us. Please: pray the Rosary every day, and “leave everything else to the Mother of God.”
Thank you for this, Steve. An endlessly important and fascinating and sobering subject. You close on a note I have been considering a great deal lately, most notably as we came close to May 13, 2017. Which is, that as important as Fatima is (and the other approved apparitions which converge with its message), ultimately it is only the Public Revelation of the Church, and no Private Revelation, again as important as it might be, that is necessary for our salvation. After all, if indeed as seems likely the Great Apostasy of the Church is what the 3rd Secret is about, well, we are living it, and no further revelation is needed to know it is true. Further, it is THE CHURCH that Mary is concerned with, and the obscuring/loss of its Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture (aka Public Revelation). Ultimately, as the soul of humility itself, She makes of Herself, Her Rosary, Her secrets, Her admonitions, Her Miracle a holy “means to an end,” that end being to point us again to the One means by which souls can be saved, Her Son’s Holy Church. I doubt She’d want us to in any way think Fatima or any of her approved apparitions are so important that they overshadow that. I sincerely hope that one day we can be sure what is the 3rd Secret. And if there is one topic I will *always* stop to read more on, it is Fatima! But if we never know what that 3rd secret is, we don’t need to. Try as “they” will to muck it up, the True Faith lives despite all the attacks upon it, for nothing “they” can do will ultimately obscure it. It remains pristine and pure and alive, even in eclipse. Thus, yes, Her Immaculate Heart will triumph, magnificently so. The Church She loves so much and which we need so much will survive. Tough as it is right now, we can sing along with the old American Standard that says “No, no, they can’t take that away from me!”
“After all, if indeed as seems likely the Great Apostasy of the Church is
what the 3rd Secret is about, well, we are living it, and no further
revelation is needed to know it is true.”
Exactly.
Anybody want to know what the 3rd Secret is?
Look around. This is it. Look at all that has happened in the last 50 years, especially with the Holy Mass.
That’s the “secret”. It’s really not much of a “secret” at all, really — not any more. We’ve lived through it. I, for one, think the jig is up for those who have perpetrated this confusion, heresy, depravity, and apostasy in Holy Mother Church. Satan also knows his time is up. Maybe that’s why we’re seeing this outpouring of confusion and heresy in our days as never before.
EXACTLY my thoughts! We are now LIVING the third secret!
But the natural events are yet to follow.
‘And in the last times He will judge the Gentiles and rebuke many people.’ (Isaias 2:4)
‘For behold the Lord will visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth.’ (Isaias 26:21)
‘Come near ye Gentiles and hear and hearken ye people …. for the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations and his fury upon all their armies …. He hath delivered them to slaughter.’ (Isaias 34:1-3)
‘And the earth is infected by the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore shall a curse devour the earth …. and few men shall be left.’ (Isaias 24:5-6)
JMJ
+Fr. Nicholas Gruner often said the same thing.
Fr Gruner.. was a Freemason Liar .. fact 100 %
? ?
Yes. Such a good effort at cutting through the obfuscation. I found it helpful to have everything laid out point by point, message by so called message. It is as if those who knew the secret tried to tell it between the lines of what they wrote or said. And then I ask why were/are they so afraid to tell what they know? I still think Our Lady of Akita came back to give us the essential points of the message and that message is chilling enough.
What are we to make of Pope Francis’s recent statement when in Fatima ,that he came as the Bishop dressed in white ?according to the Vatican St John Paul 11 was the Bishop dressed in white referred to in the Secret.
“I’m Spartacus!”
“No, I’m Spartacus!”
It’s one of those.
Haha. Love your humor comrade. In all seriousness my bet it is actually Benedict that will be the one who eventually flees the Vatican and is martyred elsewhere. Francis or someone else will remain to keep the fraud moving. The faithful will be humiliated and isolated for a time until the chastisment and restoration. Just take a look at Blessed Catherine Emmerich, Blessed Elena Ailo and Blessed Taigi for starters. All the pieces are coming together.
Something’s coming, a meteor or Kim Jong Un or a mass ISIS attack on the Vatican, who knows what? But something’s coming.
My money’s on an ISIS attack on the Vatican
I think you are right. The prophecy of one of the Blesseds you mention said that the Holy Father would flee to Cologne. A German pope–not Francis–would most likely flee to Germany, right?
Yes there is a particular prophecy cited by Yves Dupont in “Catholic Prophecy” that mentions Cologne as a temporary hiding place for the fleeing Pope. This would dovetail with Pius X’s own vision of a successor “of the same name” fleeing over the bodies of dead priests and after a short respite is martyred. Remember that Our Lady said that the Holy Father would have much to suffer.
Takes the eyes of the faithful off the ball, so they miss the true import of her words. The usual smoke and mirrors.
Maybe it is just more of his hubris.
Really great summary Steve! Interesting that PopeJP2 took the cornerstone of st peter’s tomb to Fatima-the idea can only have come from that text. Fatima is not a bulwark of orthodoxy yet.
Far from it! It’s only a few years since the Rector of the Sanctuary – a Modernist Portuguese, as is the entire Portuguese Church – has to be removed by Ratzinger for planning to turn the Shrine into a multi-faith centre. Kind of like those rooms in airports.
In the late 70’s there were ‘messages’ from Garabandol and Bayside about a coming chastisement preceded by a warning. It’s just amazing to me that all along, despite their likely condemnation, the main thrust of these messages is now being vindicated , as coinciding with that of La Salette regarding Rome losing the Faith. Having been formed during a time when Catholics were expected to “do something” – visible, well the “doing something” is now the Rosary and offering up personal sacrifices united to The Sacrifice. We are still fighting hugely important battles against anti-Christian legislation and these battles create a tension between interior and exterior battles. Somehow I think the real action is spiritual and invisible.
Bayside and Garabandal are inauthentic. Bayside is likely the ravings of a lunatic but Garabandal has markers of the demonic. Anything in either that dovetails with approved apparitions is Satan apeing the Blessed Virgin
There’s been great controversy over La Salette; I read there had been some level of persecution and attempts to discredit the children. Considering the content dovetailing potentially with the rest of the third secret, its no wonder there is no discussion about it even in the crisis we find ourselves in, today. The demon tries to deflect attention away from the Blessed Virgin by throwing up false apparitions around the same time.
I had previously associated the prophecy regarding “cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops opposing bishops … ” as being only implied in the Message of Fatima, since it is quite explicit in the Message of Akita, and Cardinal Ratzinger, as Prefect of the CDF declared the Message of Akita to be essentially that of Fatima. I had read, though forgotten, Fr. Luigi Villa’s account of the Third Secret, which also mentions this aspect. But what is interesting is the purported text of the Third Secret published in the German periodical Neues Europa in 1963, which stated: Satan rules even in the highest positions and determines the direction of things. He will succeed in worming his way even to the highest summits of the Church …. This will be a time of great trials for the Church. Cardinals will oppose cardinals, bishops will oppose bishops. Satan will work in their ranks. In Rome there will be great changes. What is rotten will fall, and what will fall will never rise again. Darkness will envelop the Church, and the world will be thrown into panic.
Yes! I too thought of that German periodical’s article from 1963. When Malachi Martin was asked about he said it wasn’t the secret but aspects of it were in the secret so whoever wrote it had most likely seen the secret or been told about it from someone who had read it.
The Neues Europa article was published ten years before the Akita apparitions, and probably at least eighteen years before the message of Akita was published, since it was given diocesan approval by Bishop John Ito in 1981. Therefore, unless the author of the German article had perfected time travel, he cannot have lifted his ‘third secret’ from that source. One wonders if, after Pope John XXIII’s failure to make the contents of the Third Secret known, there were those “in the know” who wanted to let it out via the back door.
I think you are right Stewart. There is a lot of “between the lines” in so many statements of those who were purported to know.
Whatever the truth is regarding Fatima, the Church has left us ignorant, and therefore vulnerable. God is good and loves us. Perhaps the ultimate message from all this is to put our trust fully in God.
I’m puzzled as to why in the purported handwritten letter of Sr Lucia, the name of John Paul II is written in Spanish (Juan Pablo II), not Portuguese (Joao Paulo II). Am I missing something?
A lot of things are sketchy to say the least. We know that the fragment of the (unknown) third secret has to contain the words: “In Portugal the dogma of faith will be preserved, etc.”
Which non of these do…
A good point, and one I neglected.
“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world.” ……..Our Lady to St. Dominic.
Steve, very, very well done. This may be your best work to date. I totally agree with your conclusion. Prayer, the Rosary specifically, and penance are the two best and most powerful weapons to fight the current and intensifying evil attacking us and Holy Mother Church. Thank you so much for sharing your research with us. May Our Lady keep you and your family.
Thank you, Steve, for an excellent synopsis. The ending is most helpful, but afterwards I returned to my current book (also excellent): “Luther and His Progeny: 500 Years of Protestantism & Its Consequences for Church, State, and Society” (ed. John C. Rao). In addition to Our Lady’s call to prayer is the need, when possible, to remain watchful (1P5) and understand the prevailing winds. This is my confusion. The contributors to this book make the excellent case that the seeds of destruction in the West were planted by the Protestant “reformers,” and all that besets us now in our post-modern world can be traced back to the lies planted by Luther, Calvin, et al. I get it.
So why do we look at the horror of Russia as though it’s the Big Evil, when we are already effectively poisoned from within? Why do we dread communism when secular humanism has us by the throat? Why do we arm ourselves to the teeth to fight atheism when our own edifice is unsustainable (and atheistic on its own)? I can see a collaborative press by YKW to attack the Church with modernism, various heresies (including protestantism and islam) apostasy, indifferentism, secular humanism, atheism, etc. but why are Russia’s errors considered by Our Lady as the most pernicious? And most important: fending off those lies in particular seemed to give credence to the good of the non-communist West (from the Cold War forward), allowing a triumphalist attitude everywhere that free markets and “conscience” prevailed?
How do I square these two competing visions, each with important theses concerning how to rebaptise the City of Man, when the only weapon to fight the collective is reverence for private propery, and the defense against the Red Horde is NATO tanks & the Stars and Stripes? The errors Our Lady warns against are real, but they’re only one lie in an arsenal of many.
Because the errors of Russia have been seeded over garden soil prepared by Protestantism.
And let us never forget; the subject of our adoration is never Mary, it is her Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Her message always points to Jesus. If we confuse THAT, we run a different risk, such as that portrayed by that weird website that lists Mary as the 3rd Person of the Trinity.
No one comes to the Father but by Jesus Christ, and Mary always gives testimony to that great truth.
You beat me to it. The French and Russian Revolutions were each escalations from the “base point” of classic protestantism. The errors snowballed into a straight-forward demonic dance of death.
And death it has been. I have wondered if the destroyed nations of people cited in the Scriptures are the dead of abortion. For example, in the USA since 1973 we have killed an equal number to the ENTIRE POPULATION OF MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OR FRANCE.
And that is only the USA. Add Russia, and China and France and UK, etc, etc, etc.
And Communist Russia gave the modern world the first example of legalization of that great scourge of abortion.
I think you could be right.
Ok, then why didn’t Our Lady say Protestantism instead of Russia. Pretty cryptic way to make her point, n’est-ce pas?
Simply because the fruit of the protestant revolt — secular materialism — was now at hand in 1917. And when you think about it, protestantism was arriving at its terminus. For all intent and purpose, mainline protestantism rooted in the Creed no longer exists. Many say the Lambeth Conference of 1930 was the turning point for protestantism with its allowance for contraception. We are following their path.
Insightful. The sixteenth century could not have imagined any form of authentic viral atheism. The soil needed to be turned over, the relationship between authentic Christianity and society dissolved — but it could only be achieved surreptitiously — in much the same way that catechesis had to be eliminated in the sixties in order for the current fraudulence to reign supreme in the Church.
Step by step.
I can’t claim confidence in any answer to this question. All I have are ideas. I will say that this came immediately to mind, though:
https://onepeterfive.wpengine.com/secret-1918-vatican-archive-document-reveals-freemasonic-plot-to-destroy-throne-and-altar/
The Centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima was commandeered by this pontificate and its sycophants as a retirement party for who Crux [funded by Carl Anderson and the Knights of Columbus] termed “Cold War Mary.”
The Blessed Mother was offered her gold watch and told to step down as the Bergoglian pontificate eviscerated her message.
Last weekend was a play.
The entire Bergoglian pantomime of “Roman Catholicism” is only an exercise in deception while
backstage they are ripping the house down.
Excellent post; to the point, yet rich.
Spot on. Mark Shea did a similar piece over at Patheos which was summed up nicely as he thanked the Blessed Virgin for getting us through the 20th century without annihilating ourselves.
“Mission Accomplished, Blessed Mother! Thank you! See yourself out the door please and thank you!” is their standard line.
Utterly ridiculous.
I read that pitiful dismissive display as well. Remember this? “At the same time, it’s a phenomenon in the Church that appears to me to have passed its sell-by date for a lot of people. ”
The arrogance is boundless.
Yup!
I was in the K of C (3rd deg) till they proved to me handsomely that they [1] don’t care that knights in politics promote sexual depravity and abortion, and [2] they underwrote the criminal enterprise of Bernard Law (aka the Boston Archdiocese) to help him pay for losses due to his criminal behavior. It’s an insurance scam, little more.
On the off chance that one focuses on the predominant press as well as utilizations web-based social networking, they may have caught wind of various big names who have shared their perspectives on the transient emergency. evanewz
Very good article Steve. There is no easy way to sum up the state of play even in an article twice or three times the length, so a fine job done.
It’s clear from the testimony of many who have read the Secret that there is more than was released in 2000 with its banal and drawing-a-line-under-the-whole-thing commentary from Cardinal Ratzinger. I wonder why he went along with it. I wonder what Bertone meant when he was cornered live on Italian TV and admitted that there was indeed a second envelope with a second text from Sr. Lucia but that it had been deemed “inauthentic”.
I also wonder how Hollywood comes to its choice of which blockbusters to fund. In recent years tsunamis, asteroids, earth core collapses, sudden ice-ages, extinction by solar flares, a dying Sun, mega volcanoes have all featured. The common core is Mankind threatened with annihilation by forces of nature.
There is so much of it that one can see it as some sort of a preparation. It may sound a bit mad to say this, but I have wondered for quite a time, “What do they know that we don’t?”
I too have wondered this. Constant mega disasters. What DO they know?
Freemasonic psychodrama. The Making Manifest of What is Hidden. Hollywood is the chief mythmaker and propaganda organ for global Freemasonry (and Jewry), and these movies serve to prepare the masses for what is to come. When it happens, the Freemasons will, as ever, attempt to seize control of the narrative as to “why.”
Psychological warfare ─ ‘the planned use of propaganda and other measures designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes and behaviour of target personnel in support of current policy, aims or of a plan.’
JMJ
Thanks, Uncle Joe!
Here’s a random thought for you:
When one of the first of the natural disaster movies I went to came out, the prevailing conversation as we left the theater was “Oh, what IF?” whereas now, it’s “oh, that was a good movie”.
Perhaps they are intended for the desensitization of the masses to calamity so that if(when) it does come, there will be no repentance, as we’ll (generally speaking) presume that some great hero will save us in the nick of time. The devil is, as they say, in the details. I doubt that anyone knows in particular why or could articulate such a cause, but that is, to my eyes, what is happening. And, I cheerfully admit that could be a wild tangent and it’s nothing of the sort. But…
(there’s always a but, isn’t there?)
For those interested, here is Dr. Begoña Slocker de Arce’s full calligraphic Analysis of the TIA-Leaked “Third Secret of Fatima” Text: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yxDv-NnRQsB9j_XAQuoFgs4ORxw-hUdNqVRNBNOVC_4/edit
Cardinal Burke has asked for a Rosary crusade. There is a web site: “Operation Storm Heaven” they started out asking for 5000 Rosaries but so many people responded it is up to a million now I think. The intentions are stated on the web site. For the Church, for our country etc. I urge everyone here who has not done so to sign up and commit to one Rosary a day for these intentions. also Fr. Calloway’s new book on the Rosary is a must read for all of us who know that the Rosary is the Weapon, as Padre Pio so often said.
Do you have a link for that?
Sorry I didn’t see this reply before. It is www. catholic action.org/take_heaven_by_storm
Oops. Let me try again. http://Www.catholicaction.org/take_heaven_by_storm
Why won’t it let give you the link? This iscrazy
Nice article Steve. I’d like to share some things also for consideration regarding this apparent morass of confusion.
The hierarchy of the Vatican for centuries has downplayed various and valid writings of mystics, which writings taken collectively are a huge feast for us who love the Word of God. In these writings, the Word can mysteriously form Himself inside our souls for His purposes and we are granted certain understandings of God’s purposes. In summary of those writings, we are supposed to be physical repositories of His Light manifesting on the earth about this time in God’s Plan. We each should by now have an individual ear for the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. How beautiful. So God’s Will has been subverted, but why worry, it always has been hindered.
In Maria Valtorta’s Notebook writings there is a reference to the Beast that looked like it was injured and had died, but now comes back. Yes, exactly like Revelation teaches. She was referring to Hitler (fascism, communism). So from that we knew it would rise again and be given power. We are at that juncture now in the world. Heaven has more than the ability to take the desire of the Pope and consecrate Russia whether it was spoken or not. And with Mary Immaculate being part of this particular reality, it probably happened. Wasn’t she just thinking and desiring quietly for the Messiah to come?! Russia’s conversion will not manifest in the physical world for us to see publically — it is contained in the hearts and souls of a very few Russian natives that have become Light. We will never publically be able to name these people, but they exist only for God’s Divine Will.
We can expect a huge Chastisement because the human creature is unwilling to return to God through the merciful Way Jesus taught: repentance, conversion, and penance. Take a step, then repeat the 3 exercises our minds and souls need to remain in God’s Light: repentance, conversion, and penance. Even after you think you are in a state of grace, begin again: repentance, conversion, and penance. You cannot find the real thing on tv, the news, a story about a saint, etc., this exercise is in you, for you and by Jesus’ own teaching. If we don’t volunteer to become humble, we will certainly feel the effects of the Chastisements whether we’re dying in the fires or living.
We can see all this happening now. Very sick souls are the leaders of too many countries. Priests are still being arrested for molesting children, women, and other men. What’s up with that? The priests that are destined to be holy through these times are becoming extremely enlightened and sober and that is great for us lay people. Once again, you will not find them on the internet blog sites and running around publically. Some priestly blogsites are necessary and good but they will one day log off to complete the work God has for them in their individual souls. One of the The kingdoms of Satan is exactly this computerized communication, satellites, wars, and according to Revelation, it will be thrown into the darkness, what a dramatic mess humans will be in at that time.
One thing about the 100 years being over, is that when satan was going full speed with his evil in that time, God matched satan’s onslaught with a certain measurement of Grace and Mercy to keep us whom are His children well and decent in the Faith. We should fear this reality. As God sees it, with the amount of Grace and Mercy He has poured on humanity these last 100 years to counteract satan’s “energy”, how come there is so much apostasy?
God’s Eras are Creation, Redemption, and Sanctification – I believe that we are closing the Era of Redemption and after horrific disasters, the Era of Sanctification will happen. It will happen inside of us with the rest of the world in distress.
Thanks again for the article – very nice.
Really, really excellent piece, Steve. Captures my entire thought process on Fatima. John Paul II’s completely unsolicited reference to a prophecy entailing worldwide natural catastrophe resulting in the death of millions when asked a question that he could of answered in a far more subtle, attention-deflecting fashion should raise everyone’s eyebrows.
I have read that, about a year or so prior to his election as Pope John Paul I, Cardinal Albino Luciani celebrated Mass for the Carmelites in Coimbra. Shortly thereafter, he had a private meeting with Sr. Lucia, (at her request, if I’m not mistaken). On his return, his characteristically jovial disposition had changed noticeably., having become very preoccupied and somewhat morose. When his sister asked him what was troubling him, he allegedly responded; “I was just thinking about what Sr. Lucia told me: it’s terrible.”
Of the three Fatima visionaries, Francisco was the only one who never heard Our Lady speak, though he experienced precisely the same visions as Lucia and Jacinta. After imparting the Third Secret, Our Lady commanded Lucia; “You must tell this to no-one. Francisco, yes, you may tell him.” If the description of the vision released on June 26th. 2000 is all there is to the Third Secret, then Our Lady’s permission for Lucia to tell Francisco the Third Secret was completely unnecessary, since Francisco knew everything that Lucia knew.
Actually, her instructions were with respect to the entire Secret, not just the Third Part. They needed to tell Francisco what Our Lady had said, beginning with “You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go,” and ending with whatever came after the “In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith shall always be preserved, etc.”
When the Third Part was released, I remember reading it in the paper and thinking, “Is that it?” I always felt something was missing, but up until the last few years, I hadn’t really paid much attention to all the theories. Now, I’m not so sure.
I had the same reaction and I was 11
The official Fatima version doesn’t jive with the Akita message.
This article has it all: envelopes within envelopes, handwriting experts, bishops holding envelopes up to the light, Popes and Cardinals dropping hints…
Surely all the lies and ambiguities are the result of corruption. They have caused millions to turn away from Fatima in disgust. But it’s true that the essential message has always been clear.
An excellent meditation. Yet, the Rosary and even the Five First Saturdays are insufficient. An even greater devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus must not only accompany devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, but reign supreme and must be at the center and the focus of EVERY aspect of our lives, beginning with weekly hour long adoration of and reparation to the Most Blessed Sacrament of the altar.
The penance demanded of us must be voluntary and willingly undertaken in both small and great ways, some of which must be sacrifices of charity to all whom God and His Mother love. Unless we do these things, the chastisements that WILL come will be only a smidgen less tortuous than hell. The prophesied chastisements and calamities have not been withdrawn but delayed and that by the intercession by those who are truly fauthful to Mary and Mary’s intercession with her Son and Jesus’ intercession with His Father. And all that intercession is sorely needed for the Father’s wrath has become so inflamed that were it released the earth and the heavens would instantly vanish in the inferno. The Father says with incredulity, ‘For THIS putrid race I gave up My Son?!’
Those two secrets in this article are not the real third secret of Fatima. We know from Sr. Lucia’s fourth memoir that the real third secret begins with the words “In Portugal the dogma of the faith will always be preserved…”
The text attributed to Fr. Villa was read word for word on the Art Bell show to Malachi Martin. Fr. Malachi Martin said that text was not the text of the Third Secret.
During the interview Fr Malachi Martin said that it wasn’t the entire 3rd Secret but I think sounded like the person who wrote it had heard at least parts of the 3rd Secret. Fr. Said the full 3rd Secret is much worse, much more terrifying.
Every Catholic can and should be able to pray an entire Rosary every day, especially Catholics who live in the US and Canada and who now waste hours daily in front of the idiot tube. Turn it off; even better, get it out of your house. It brings you nothing but debased (non)entertainment and lies disguised as news anyway. Use the regained hours to pray the Rosary. For the first few months I did this years ago, it seemed quite hard; it demanded planning and discipline. Now, everything has changed. I cannot imagine the turmoil I would feel if I were somehow forced to forego the Rosary. And even if someone were to take my beads away, I still have the Rosary of two hands, exactly ten fingers.
I just saw your post and turned off The Bridge Over the River Kwai with Alec Guiness.
This is going into my favorite 1P5 posts file and my ColorNote file.
I’ll also show it to someone else who watches a lot of tv too. Hopefully they (and I!) will heed your advice too.
Sending you a hug.
Margaret
Ah, Margaret, you made my morning! Thank you. We’ve all got to escape the mental prison fashioned for us since at least WW II. The Rosary is the key that allows us to flee the Google/Apple/Microsoft/GiantMedia prison, that Lubyanka of the mind. I gives us the power to leave our guards behind, stupefied as Peter’s once were; they can’t understand how we have ceased to care about their fantasies and threats, to disregard their multifarious alarums, all their electronic tinsel and fakery. We are the true Resistance to tyranny, and our jailers know it. That’s why they hate and persecute us everywhere. Mohammed they can tolerate, but not Mary!
Wow. Excellent. The Lubyanka of the mind. No one has said it better. Just may inspire me to give it all up for Blessed silence and more Rosaries.
Ditto!!
I’ve started praying the Rosary on my 20 minute commute to work every day
I am fairly new to the study of the Fatima message myself. Given what Sr. Lucia herself wrote on two occasions and spoke on two occasions, regarding whether the consecration of Russia was done as requested by Our Lady, why do some people insist that the consecration was not done properly in 1984? I am not asking as one who has a well-formed opinion one way or the other, but as someone who genuinely wants to know how people rebut Lucia’s (alleged?) comments on the question. Do people believe that Lucia was simply incorrect in her belief that Russia was consecrated as requested by Our Lady or do they believe that the following letters and quotes are, for some reason, not genuine? If they believe they are not authentic, what makes them believe so?
How, specifically, do people rebut the following? (please note my ***highlighting***) :
Letter to Sr. Mary of Bethlehem dated 8/29/1989 (excerpt) : “Then this same Supreme Pontiff, John Paul II wrote to all the bishops of the world asking them to unite with him. He sent for the statute of Our Lady of Fátima — the one from the little Chapel to be taken to Rome and on March 25, 1984 – publicly – with the bishops who wanted to unite with His Holiness, made the Consecration ***as Our Lady requested. They then asked me if it was made as Our Lady requested***, and I said, ‘YES.’ Now it was made.'”
Letter to Fr. Robert Fox dated 7/3/1990 (excerpt) : “I come to answer your question, ‘If the consecration made by Pope John Paul II on March 25, 1984 in union with all the bishops of the world, ***accomplished the conditions for the consecration of Russia according to the request of Our Lady in Tuy on June 13 of 1929?***’ Yes, it was accomplished, and since then I have said that it was made.”
[The source for the above two letters is https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/Fatima1984.htm. The letters are prefaced by this note : “N.B. The following is taken from Documents on Fátima, from the Fátima Family Apostolate. In this book photographs of the original letters in Portuguese in Sr. Lucia’s own hand can be found.”]
____________________________________________________________________________
Sr. Lucia also gave two talks, one lead by Cardinal Antony Padiyara of Ernaculam, India on 10/11/1992 and another lead by Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of the Philippines on 10/11/1993. According to Cardinal Padiyara and to Fatima historian Carlos Evaristo, who also spoke with Lucia, Lucia said the following :
“When I return home to my diocese, people will ask me many things,” said the cardinal, “among which will be if the consecration of Russia has already been done ***according to the request made by Our Lady***. Was this accomplished by Pope John Paul II on March 25 of 1984?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” reponded Sister Lucia in a low affirmative voice, as if anticipating the question. “The consecration was already partially done. Pope Pius XII made it in 1942, on October 31, but it lacked the union with all the bishops of the world, which Pope John Paul II finally managed to unite in 1984.”
When asked about those bishops who didn’t participate — long an objection of those who assert that the consecration was not accomplished — Sister Lucia said only, “We cannot say that these bishops that did not participate committed a sin or a fault. The majority of the bishops were united to the Pope in this act. The people, worldwide, in every diocese, were united to the bishops and the bishops in turn to the Pope. So, this consecration was a great union of the people of God. It was all of this that made this consecration accepted.”
“But did not Russia have to be specifically mentioned, and did not Our lady say that?” asked Evaristo.
“The Pope’s intention was Russia, when he said, `Those peoples…’ in the text of the 1984 consecration. Those who knew of the request for the consecration of Russia, knew what he was referring to as did God Who is all-knowledgeable and can read the minds of men. God knew that the Pope’s intention was Russia and that he meant ‘Russia’ in the consecration. What is important is the intention, like when a priest has the intention to consecrate a host.”
“But didn’t Our Lady want Russia to be specifically mentioned?” persisted Evaristo, who works from St. Anne’s oratory in Fatima and who recorded the conversations verbatim in a pamphlet, “Two Hours With Sister Luia.”
“Our Lady never requested that Russia be specifically mentioned by name,” said Sister Lucia. “At the time I didn’t even know what Russia was. We thought she was a very wicked woman. What matters is the Pope’s intention and the bishops knew the intention the Pope had was to consecrate Russia.”
“In that case, there is no need to consecrate Russia again?” a bishop who was also present, Francis Michaelappa of Mysore, India.
“There is no need to consecrate Russia again, but each bishop can consecrate his own diocese to the Immaculate Heart of Mary if he wants to,” said Sister Lucia, sounding very lucid despite her age.
“Our Lady is content and has accepted it?”
“Yes,” said Lucia, ending a controversy that has raged for decades and as I have mentioned in previous aticles, adding in her 1993 interview with a contingent from the Philippines that the consecration “prevented an atomic war that would have occurred in 1985.”
“Has the conversion of Russia then taken place?” she was asked by Evaristo.
“Yes,” said Sister Lucia. “The news speaks for itself.”
[The source for the above quotes is http://www.spiritdaily.net/hidden1.htm%5D
Effectively explaining why people believe the Consecration has yet to be fully and obediently completed would take longer than the length of the excellent article by Steve. One thing I suggest is that you keep an open mind and check out Fatima.org (also known as The Fatima Center.) The Site was begun by the late Fr. Gruner who devoted his life to Our Lady of Fatima. The whole gist of this article has been the message that Fr Gruner, John Venarri, Christopher Ferrara, John Salza and Fr Rodriguez have been proclaiming for years. Over the course of the past year I have been convinced that part of the 3rd Secret is still hidden by Rome. I used to believe that it was all conspiracy theory stuff and trusted EWTN’s view on Fatima but now my eyes are open. EWTN does some good things, but we must remember that they are NOT The Magesterium nor official interpreter thereof. I hope the Fatima Center gives you some answers in this time of confusion.
Thank you, I’ll peruse over there.
In order for proper discernment I recommend also you read fatimamovement.com. Letting others discern for you is not healthy.
Who are these prelates to override the wishes of the Holy Mother of GOD?
I believe the Tosatti document is a forgery. The forgerer made one obvious and fatal error: the date. The Portuguese use the day/month/year format, which can be seen from the published “Bertone Text”. The “Capovilla Text” (single sheet between 20-25 lines), written about one week later, and delivered by Sister Lucia to her bishop simultaneously (see: The Fourth Secret of Fatima by Antonio Socci), would have used the same format of day/month/year. The forgerer, on the other hand, used the month/day/year format which clearly distinguishes authorship.
Exceptional and thought provoking article!
The third secret is continually rehashed, to no avail. Our protestant brothers and sisters do the same with the Rapture theory. Over and over. Again and again. Wouldn’t it be prudent to live moving toward the cross daily ? Speculation and related “stories” will only draw the weak into an area of questioning which is where evil lurks. Faith in a latter day revelation, regardless of what is says, is murky at best. There is confidence that missionaries and street preachers are not stunned into silence and inaction because of a “secret”. Only the Father knows when the end will come. Secrets cannot help prepare for that eventuality. Jesus had no secrets, just wobbly disciples to whom he sent The Holy Spirit. This He does to the end of the age. Rejoice that the Spirit lives within you. Do not be troubled, a place has been prepared for those who love Him. Do not draw His people down, but encourage and lift them up. “Again I say rejoice”.
So I should stroll over to my local library and check out a copy of “Windswept House”? And here I’ve been arguing to my Protestant friends that Fr. Martin’s books were imaginative works of fiction. Maybe not.
I threw out my Malachi Martin books. (well, my mom threw out Hostage to the Devil) I’m regretting that decision
Why? He was a double-agent. A man that played both sides of the field.
Apparently, he was less crazy than I initially thought
He was a faithful Catholic and a sinner just like you and me. I have read the scathing opinions of him like the guy at Call me Jorge have, they’re full of bullcr*p.
The man was a defender of the Catholic faith and without breaking his vow of silence basically confirmed on the Art Bell show the above document supposedly from Villa.
It has been shown time and time again that he worked with B’nai B’rith to subvert the council as an author of Nostra Aetate, an agent for the Jews.
As he said in an Art Bell interview, “no one has done more for Catholic – Jewish relations than I have.” In another interview, he goes on a tangent about how our Lord was sodomized and bled like a stuck pig. Such reverence.
He wrote in secular publications under a pseudonym for the opposing side of tradition.
The man is also buried next to his lover. So much for the vow of chastity.
By their fruits you shall know them and there are many good fruits from the late Fr. Martin including going as far as he can to actually TELL us about the 3rd secret, to warn us, to tell us to “keep your eyes on the skies”, to pray the rosary etc.
He even told us when, the time frame around 2000 and if it didn’t happen then, then it would be around 2017. He warned us about Bergolio did he not? He absolutely did when he said it was the “office of the papacy” they were after.
I have read this about his pen name and of course there is no evidence and it’s from the beginning of his career as an author when he needed a job so he probably would have taken any writing job. I do sense there were things as a young man he overcame and felt repentant for, who among us would not have that?
I believe a man 20+ years ago warning us about what was approaching is a saint compared to a faithless Jesuit up on a mountaintop with the most advanced telescope on earth is NOT telling the faithful about.
The Vatican turned its back on God (Deum Jesum Christum) in the Novus Ordo Mass, instead choosing to have a supper party with the Lord/Allah of the Bible. The almost world-ending apostasy isn’t terribly difficult to understand. If you make a god out of a talking burning bush fire because Jewish (antichrist) writings tell you to, then you’re going to burn in Hell with the god of Hell, the same talking burning bush fire (Satan). So choose wisely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ7z7CDKAFg
What the real third secret which was released upon Mr Nobody’s Rosary (published on fatimamovement.com ) states that freemasonry has total run of the Vatican. The keys to heaven (which are the names of God) are not given out at all in Rome. Mr Nobody (the author of fatimamovement.com) basically put the real Catholic faith back together by using the names of God in the Rosary. The Lord of bible who is the same as Allah is satan (a talking fire). Mr Nobody saved Catholics from fire worship. The Jesus of the bible is the antichrist who is son of king David the mornings star (Lucifer).
“Ave Deam Matronam nostrae, gratia plena.
Deum Patrum Spiritum Sanctum tecum.
Sanctam Tuam in mulieribus.
Deam Matronam Nostrae, Matram Deum Jesum Christum,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus nunc,
et en hora mortis nostrae.”
12 Century corrected Ave Prayer to ” God Our Lady ” .. NOT MARY !
The Jewish witch ” Mary ” did not appear at Fatima .. it was God that appeared
GOD Our Lady, save us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
https://rosariofatima.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/third_secret_of_fatima_verylarge.jpeg
Tuy, 4 de Enero de 1944.
Ahora voy a revelar la tercera parte del secreto: ¡Esta parte es la apostasía en la Iglesia!
Nuestra Señora nos mostró una visión de un individuo que yo describo como el “santo Padre” frente a una multitud que lo vitoreaba. Pero había una diferencia con un verdadero santo Padre, la mirada del demonio, éste tenía los ojos del mal.
Entonces, después de algunos momentos vimos al mismo Papa entrando en una iglesia, pero esta Iglesia era la iglesia del infierno; no hay manera de describir la fealdad de ese lugar. Parecía como una fortaleza hecha de cemento gris con ángulos quebrados y ventanas similares a ojos; tenía un pico (bico, en portugués) en el tejado del edificio.
Enseguida levantamos la vista hacia Nuestra Señora que nos dijo: Visteis la apostasía en la Iglesia; esta carta puede ser abierta por el Santo Padre, pero debe ser publicada después de Pío XII y antes de 1960.
En el reinado de Juan Pablo II la piedra angular de la tumba de Pedro debe ser removida y llevada a FÁTIMA . Porque el dogma de la fe no ha sido conservado en Roma, su autoridad será removida y entregada a FÁTIMA. La catedral de Roma debe ser destruida y una nueva construida en FÁTIMA. Si 69 semanas después de que esta orden se publique, Roma sigue su abominación, la ciudad será destruida. Nuestra Señora nos dijo que esto está escrito, en Daniel 9:24-25 y Mateo 21:42-44
Christ crucified gave His mother to us, and her mother’s heart is capable of a love that none of us can begin to comprehend. Think, then, of the sorrow! If we cannot comprehend that love then we likewise could not endure, for even a quarter of a second, the sorrow she bears over the sins of our world. This is why reparation is so crucial to the moment. The least act is an acknowledgement of our recognition of her love, of her sorrow, so the smallest thing we might do is magnified many fold. Reparation is the key therefor to the renewal of everything. Give up on the dead wood and embrace, that is to say EMBRACE, the living part of the Vine. Through reparation we will see the triumph of the Immaculate Heart, and may live to see, or perhaps our children will live to see, the great renewal and the promised period of peace.
Anyone who reads this, be brave and think without emotions overriding you. I wrote about this a few days ago. I hadn’t thought about things in a different way until I actually typed the words. Has anyone given consideration to the possibility that the whole “consecration of Russia” part of Fatima is not part of an authentic apparition of Our Lady? Catholics are not obliged to believe apparitions and I had never considered it from the point of view that maybe Fatima either didn’t occur as we think or it’s been twisted in its message over the decades. One point that stuck out at me was the idea of the BVM demanding a Pope do something like the consecration of Russia under the threat of a chastisement. Either you do this…or else… There is something fundamentally wrong about this. God gave the papacy the keys to the Kingdom and the rule over the Church. The Queen of Heaven really does not essentially threaten Popes or try to run the Church through him; especially through decades-old “secrets’ issued to Portuguese children. I went back and looked through all of the previously approved apparitions, Lourdes, Knock, Guadalupe etc. and nowhere did I see any sort of demands be placed on Popes to do something that is in the area of authority belonging to the Pope. You read about the other apparitions and there is a purity to them that when you suddenly look at Fatima with fresh eyes, something is “off” about it. At least something is off about what is commonly understood as the Fatima apparition today.
The lunatics are running the asylum. The world is heading for Hell in a hand basket. Lawlessness rules. The Great Deception has come.
What more do you need to know?
I’ve found a lot of articles on TraditionInAction very good. I don’t recall coming across anything blasphemous. But, I haven’t crawled their entire sitemap.
I said that they weren’t blasphemous. Not that I’ve ever seen.
Ah, apologies. Misread you.
Just my opinion, but I have read much of Sr. Lucia’s writings, which exude holiness and very deep theology, and the photocopied letter sounds NOTHING like her. I’m not saying that what it contains doesn’t have real possibilities and truth in it, I just don’t believe for one second that she wrote it.
“This version of the Third Secret published by the Vatican is not, to my knowledge, widely disputed. ”
Huh? It sure was disputed by the Fatima center and by the late Fr. Hesse, many people have called this official Vatican version balderdash over the years. They also waited until Fr. Martin died (conveniently) before trotting out Bertoni with this fake version.
Re Fr Luigi Villa’s version of the 3rd Secret.
That is corraborrated at the below link by Fr de pauw during his 1967 lecture “Conciliar or Catholic”
He said during his talk….in 1967
“I don’t pretend to have the text of that message of Our Blessed Mother in Fatima, but the text I received in Rome has a few paragraphs there which are still very much of interest. It was predicted then and it is happening now.
“A time of severe trial is coming for the Church. Not today, nor tomorrow,” the Blessed Mother said in 1917, “but in the second half of the 20th century. Humanity will not develop as God desires it. Mankind will become sacrilegious and trample underfoot the gift it has received. No longer will order reign anywhere. Even in the high places,” the Blessed Mother predicted, “Satan will reign and direct the course of things. He will even succeed in infiltrating into the highest positions in the Church. Cardinals will oppose cardinals and bishops will oppose bishops. Satan will enter into their very midst. The Church will be obscured and all the world will be thrown into confusion.”
http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/vatican2/conciliar.htm