Tarcisio Bertone

The Three Secrets of Fátima are a series of visions and prophecies reportedly received by three Portuguese shepherd children, Lúcia Santos and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto, from an apparition of the Virgin Mary between May and October 1917. The apparition is commonly known as Our Lady of Fátima.

According to Lúcia, two of the secrets were revealed in 1941, with the third being written down in 1944 and officially released in 2000. There is ongoing debate about whether the full third secret was disclosed. Catholic interpretations suggest the secrets relate to visions of Hell, World War I, World War II, and future persecutions of Christians. Lúcia later joined a religious order and continued to receive private visions, documenting her experiences at the request of church officials.

The core of the Fátima events centers on six alleged visitations by the Virgin Mary to three young shepherds in 1917. During these encounters, particularly on July 13th, the children were entrusted with three secrets. The first secret, revealed in Lúcia's writings in 1941, described a terrifying vision of Hell, depicting demons and souls in a fiery abyss. The second secret, also detailed in 1941, concerned devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It foretold the end of World War I and warned of a more devastating war if humanity continued to offend God, linking this to Russia's conversion and a specific celestial sign – an aurora borealis. It also called for the consecration of Russia and the establishment of the First Saturdays Devotion to avert these calamities and bring about peace.

The third secret remained unwritten until October 1943, when Bishop José Alves Correia da Silva instructed Lúcia to record it, with the stipulation that it was not to be opened until 1960. Lúcia eventually wrote it down on January 3rd, 1944. The Vatican officially released the text of the third secret in 2000, attributed to Pope John Paul II. However, claims persist that the officially released text does not represent the entirety of the secret Lúcia conveyed, despite Vatican assurances to the contrary. The content of the third secret, as officially released, is often interpreted in relation to the 20th-century persecutions of Christians.

Catholic interpretations of the Fátima secrets connect them to significant global events and spiritual warnings, including visions of Hell, the outbreak and end of World War I, and the potential for a future, worse conflict. The prophecies also touch upon the necessity of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the conversion of Russia. However, the timing of certain predictions, such as the reference to Pope Pius XI before his election and the start of World War II, has drawn scrutiny. Skeptics question whether specific details were accurately recalled or recorded, pointing to historical events and the complex geopolitical landscape of the early 20th century. The role of Lúcia's memoirs, written years after the apparitions, and the delayed release of the third secret, have fueled ongoing debate regarding the authenticity and completeness of the Fátima message.

“Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.”

“You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”