Confusion over Fatima... QUESTION from Marilyn Wilson October 7, 1999 Thank you for your response. I absolutely agree with you about apparitions and faith. We should ALWAYS be devoted practicing Catholics. However,you stated in your response- In any event, the Third Secret was a message to the Pope, NOT to us. To speculate on what it says is sort of like trying to read someone else's mail. I disagree with this statement for two reasons.
1. If the third secret was not for us then I would find it ludicrous for the church or Sister Lucia to talk about or publicize THREE secrets. If it was meant for the Pope only, then let it be. But the church should have kept it private. The actions of the church remind me of a child hiding a menacing secret. It is not fair and there are many catholic followers who feel diregarded and betrayed.
2. It is a fact that Sister Lucy made Bishop Da Silva (who was frightened to read the secret, and which Rome refused to receive), promise that the Third secret would be open and read to the WORLD upon her death or 1960 the latest.(By 1960, the secret would be clearer to the public).
The majority of books I've read have stated Sister Lucy's desire for the revelation of the Third Secret. Is this all fabricated material? I find that hard to believe. I won't worry about it for now. However, I hope that the Church does not REGRET their decisions and actions.
Thank you for your time.
-Marilyn
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius on October 7, 1999 Dear Miss Wilson:
I am not surprised at your confusion. I will be willing to bet that the material you have been reading comes from fatima.org, the Fatima Crusader, and other materials of Father Gruner, or from other material that is based upon Father Gruner material.
In my opinion Father Gruner is not in communion with the Church on this matter. He and his organization arrogantly assert their personal opinions above the Church. As a result Father Gruner and his bunch are a source of divisiveness in the Church. Satan is the author of divisiveness (especially over trivial issues such as Private Revelations).
As for your disagreeing with my statement that the third secret is the Pope's mail, I am sorry but I will be blunt. I will be very blunt in the rest of this answer. That bluntness is not directed at you personally, but at this whole situation concerning this confusion over Fatima. My bluntness is directed toward the purveyors of this confusion and secondarily to the groupies who are obesessed with this and will listen to any wacko rather than the Pope and the Church about this and who thus kept places like the Fatima Crusader in operation. Unfortunately innocent and well-meaning people get caught-up in this. It is because of that -- the innocent and well-meaning people -- that I will take no prisoners in my criticism contained in this answer.
Associated with this issue is also the Consecretion of Russia. Divisive people like Father Gruner declare it has not been done. The Pope says it has been done. The Pope outranks Gruner. I trust the Pope, not some divisive priest who does the devil's work to cause divisiveness and confusion.
As to the Pope's Mail issue. Opinions about that are irrelevant. The facts are the facts. Let me tell you why.
All Private Revelation is for the person to which the private revelation was given to -- NOT the general public. That is why is is PRIVATE. Mary may ask the visionaries to tell others. If she does that, then those visionaries may tell others.
In the case of the Third Secret, the message was FOR THE POPE, not to the general public. It is a message to HIM, not to us. Thus it is his mail and it is none of our business. It is for him to decide if he wishes to share his mail with us.
Disruptive people like those of the Fatima Crusader arrogantly, and like little children, want to know the secret. Children can't stand being left out.
As for the idea of the Church releasing the knowledge of the Third Secret's existence, the CHURCH did not release the existence of the Third Secret. Others did. So stop blaming the Church for it. And regardless of how the knowledge of the existence of the third secret came about I think we need to stop whining like babies saying its not fair. It sounds like my daughter when she was 12 years old whining because she found out that I had already bought her a Christmas present. She would say it is not fair to KNOW that the present is in the house and she can't know what it is. She will know what it is when I decide she will know. Likewise, the Pope will let us know when he decides. Period.
As for the idea that the secret was to be release by 1960, that information is WRONG.
The secret was not to be released until 1960 and not before 1960. And the secret even after 1960 was to be revealed ONLY upon the Pope's discretion.
Each Pope has exercised his discretion to not release it. That is his right. That is what Mary has allowed him to do. So get over it.
Forgive my bluntness and curtness, but these subject is tiring and the satanic divisiveness and confusion that has been wrought over this completely trivial issue that is TOTALLY unnecessary for us to live as good Catholics frankly deserves no patience.
My impatience is not at you, dear, but at the people who tell you these things.
Ignore them. Stay close to the Church and the Pope. Never succumb to wayward voices that seek to disparage the Church and the Pope. There is only one father of such disparagement. That is Satan. When information such as that coming out of fatima.org tempt you to think the Church or the Pope is not being fair or has done something contrary to the wishes of our Blessed Mother, the run as fast as you can away from such people. Remember the Pope we have is a Marian Pope. He would do NOTHING contrary to our Blessed Mother.
Satan is the one who has the motivation to lead us to think negatively about the Church or the Pope. Pray for those who are dupe by him and who unwittingly do his bidding to cause confusion and divisiveness among the faithful. And stay away from fatima.org and all the literature coming from that group. John-Paul
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