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.
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.”
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.
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.
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