Theory: The Catholic
Church has not released the Third Secret of Fatima because it contains a
disastrous prophecy of the apocalypse or dissension within the Catholic
Church.
Facts: The
Three Secrets of Fatima are said to be a
series of visions and prophecies allegedly given by the
Virgin Mary to
three young Portuguese girls starting in May of 1917. According to the
official interpretation, the secrets involve Hell,
World Wars I and II,
and the shooting of
Pope John Paul II. Two of the secrets were revealed
in 1941 in a document written by Lucia, one of the three girls who saw
the Virgin Mary in 1917 (the other two succumbed to influenza), but she
hesitated to convey the Third Secret because she was unsure whether God
had yet authorized her to act. In 1944 a bishop ordered her to write
down the Third Secret; she did so, sealed the enveloped and said that it
could not be opened until her death or in 1960, whichever came first
because she claimed the message would then appear clearer. She has also
stated that she wrote the secret on a single sheet of paper. The text of
the Third Secret was released by the Vatican in 2000 and claimed to
predict the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in 1981.
Unanswered Questions: It’s not known why the Vatican
waited for 40 years to release the Third Secret. After 1960 passed
without the release of the Third Secret speculations arose that it could
contain visions of worldwide nuclear annihilation and deep rifts within
the Catholic Church among other things. Also, the official statement
revealing the secret mentions only a man in white robes who would be
assaulted with bullets in a crumbling city; there is no specific mention
of a Pope, and in fact, the girls believed in 1917 that the man was the
Holy Father. Some who have seen the original handwritten document also
claim that the document the Vatican released was only part of the
Secret. They claim there are actually two parts to the Third Secret; a
four-page vision that was released, and another single page that were
the direct words of the Virgin Mary that is still locked away in the
vaults of the Vatican. Also, in 1960 a press release from the Vatican
claimed the secret would probably never be released as it contained
“words which Our Lady confided as a secret”; however the secret released
in 2000 contains no direct words from the Virgin Mary, only a vision
seen by the girls. Theorists point to this as evidence that the Vatican
has yet to release a portion of the Third Secret that contains the
direct words of the Virgin Mary. Some theologians believe that the
secret concerns an apostasy;
Cardinal Ciappi, personal theologian to
Pope John Paul II, is quoted by sources as saying, “In the Third Secret
it is foretold, among other things, that the great apostasy in the
Church will begin at the top.”
Ideas: Conspiracy theorists believe that the Third
Secret contained on the single sheet of paper refers to the apocalypse,
apostasy, or satanic infiltration of the Catholic Church. Numerous
witnesses claim they have seen the original letter or have seen the
envelope it is contained in and claim it is a single sheet. Lucia, the
girl who wrote the Third Secret in 1944 also claims it is written on a
single sheet of paper and is reported to have explicitly stated that the
Third Secret contains apocalyptic content.
Conclusion: We believe the conspiracy
surrounding the Third Secret of Fatima to be a valid one, primarily
because of the untruths and morally questionable actions by the Catholic
Church throughout history, from the selling of absolutions to the
handling of molestation charges in recent years; you could say we’ve
lost the faith. Too many eye witnesses have come forward stating the
text of the Third Secret is contained on one single page as Lucia has
also stated. Vatican officials through the years have also released
conflicting stories surrounding the Third Secret. That being said, even
if the true Third Secret were released, we’re still skeptical of
anything claiming to prophesize the future, especially when it may rely
on the interpretation of a vision by three young girls.
