Joseph Card. Ratzinger
Prefect of the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Endnotes
(1) From the diary of John XXIII, 17 August 1959: “Audiences: Father Philippe, Commissary of the Holy
Office, who brought me the letter containing the third part of the secrets of Fatima. I intend to read it with my
Confessor.”
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(2) The Holy Father’s comment at the General Audience of 14 October 1981 on “What happened in May: A
Great Divine Trial” should be recalled: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, IV, 2 (Vatican City, 1981), 409-412.
(3) Radio message during the Ceremony of Veneration, Thanksgiving and Entrustment to the Virgin Mary
Theotokos in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major: Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, IV, 1 (Vatican City, 1981),
1246.
(4) On the Jubilee Day for Families, the Pope entrusted individuals and nations to Our Lady: Insegnamenti
di Giovanni Paolo II, VII, 1 (Vatican City, 1984), 775-777.
(5)
(6) In the “Fourth Memoir” of 8 December 1941 Sister Lucia writes: “I shall begin then my new task, and
thus fulfill the commands received from Your Excellency as well as the desires of Dr. Galamba.With the exception
of that part of the Secret which I am not permitted to reveal at present, I shall say everything. I shall not
knowingly omit anything, though I suppose I may forget just a few small details of minor importance.”
(7) In the “Fourth Memoir” Sister Lucia adds: “In Portugal, the dogma of the faith will always be preserved,
etc. ....”
(8) In the translation, the original text has been respected, even as regards the imprecise punctuation,
which nevertheless does not impede an understanding of what the visionary wished to say.
(Printed with permission L’Osservatore Romano)
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III. Other Letters by Sr. Lucia
Apparitions of the Angel
Excerpt from the letter of December 8, 1941, to the Bishop.
…The dates I cannot set down with certainty, because, at that time, I did not know how to reckon the
years, the months, or even the days of the week. But I think it must have been in the spring of 1916 that the
Angel appeared to us for the first time in our Loca do Cabeço.
As I have already written in my account of Jacinta, we climbed the hillside in search of shelter. After
having taken our lunch and said our prayers, we began to see, some distance off, above the trees that stretched
away towards the east, a light, whiter than snow, in the form of a young man, transparent, and brighter than
crystal pierced by the rays of the sun. As he drew nearer, we could distinguish his features more and more
clearly.We were surprised, absorbed, and struck dumb with amazement.
On reaching us, he said:
“Do not be afraid. I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.”
Kneeling on the ground, he bowed down until his forehead touched the earth. Led by a supernatural
impulse, we did the same, and repeated the words which we heard him say:
“My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love You! I ask pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not
adore, do not hope and do not love You!”
Having repeated these words three times, he rose and said:
“Pray thus. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.” Then he disappeared.
The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense, that we were for a long time scarcely
aware of our own existence, remaining in the same posture in which he had left us, and continually repeating
the same prayer. The presence of God made itself felt so intimately and so intensely that we did not even venture
to speak to one another. Next day, we were still immersed in this spiritual atmosphere, which only
gradually began to disappear.
It did not occur to us to speak about this Apparition, nor did we think of recommending that it be kept secret.
The very Apparition itself imposed secrecy. It was so intimate, that it was not easy to speak of it at all. The impression
it made upon us was all the greater perhaps, in that it was the first such manifestation that we had
experienced.
The second Apparition must have been at the height of summer, when the heat of the day was so intense
that we had to take the sheep home before noon and only let them out again in the early evening.
We went to spend the siesta hours in the shade of the trees which surrounded the well that I have already
mentioned several times. Suddenly, we saw the same Angel right beside us.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “Pray! Pray very much! The Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of
mercy on you. Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High.”
“How are we to make sacrifices?” I asked.
“Make of everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He
is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. You will thus draw down peace upon your
country. I am its Angel Guardian, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission, the suffering
which the Lord will send you.”
These words were indelibly impressed upon our minds. They were like a light which made us understand
who God is, how He loves us and desires to be loved, the value of sacrifice, how pleasing it is to Him and how,
on account of it, He grants the grace of conversion to sinners. It was for this reason that we began, from then
on, to offer to the Lord all that mortified us, without, however, seeking out other forms of mortification and
penance, except that we remained for hours on end with our foreheads touching the ground, repeating the
prayer the Angel had taught us.
It seems to me that the third Apparition must have been in October, or towards the end of September, as
we were no longer returning home for siesta.
As I have already written in my account of Jacinta, we went one day from Pregueira (a small olive grove
belonging to my parents) to the Lapa, making our way along the slope of the hill on the side facing Aljustrel
and Casa Velha.We said our Rosary there and the prayer the Angel had taught us at the first Apparition.
While we were there, the Angel appeared to us for the third time, holding a chalice in his hands, with a
host above it from which some drops of blood were falling into the sacred vessel. Leaving the chalice and the
host suspended in the air, the Angel prostrated on the ground and repeated this prayer three times:
“Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer You the most precious Body,
Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages,
sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. And, through the infinite merits of His most Sacred
Heart, and through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.”
Then, rising, he once more took the chalice and the host in his hands. He gave the host to me, and to
Jacinta. and Francisco he gave the contents of the chalice to drink, saying as he did so: “Take and drink the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Repair their crimes and console your
God.” Once again, he prostrated on the ground and repeated with us three times more, the same prayer “Most
Holy Trinity...”, and then disappeared.
Impelled by the power of the supernatural that enveloped us, we imitated all that the Angel had done,
prostrating ourselves on the ground as he did and repeating the prayers that he said. The force of the presence
of God was so intense that it absorbed us and almost completely annihilated us. It seemed to deprive us even
of the use of our bodily senses for a considerable length of time. During those days, we performed all our exterior
actions as though guided by that same supernatural being who was impelling us thereto. The peace and
happiness which we felt were great, but wholly interior, for our souls were completely immersed in God. The
physical exhaustion that came over us was also great.
I do not know why, but the Apparitions of Our Lady produced in us very different effects.We felt the same
intimate joy, the same peace and happiness, but instead of physical prostration, an expansive ease of movement;
instead of this annihilation in the Divine Presence, a joyful exultation; instead of the difficulty in
speaking, we felt a certain communicative enthusiasm.…
(Fatima: In Lucia’s Own Words, edited by Fr. Louis Kondor, S.V.D., November 1998.)
Apparitions of October 13, 1917
While 70,000 people were witnessing the Miracle of the Sun on October 13, 1917, the three children had the
following vision. This text is an excerpt from Sr. Lucia’s letter of December 8, 1941, to the Bishop.
…Here you have, your Excellency, the reason why I shouted that they should look at the sun. My purpose
was not to bring the attention of the crowd to the sun, because I didn’t notice them. I wasn’t even
aware of their presence. I did so, moved by an inner force which impelled me to act thus. When our Lady
disappeared in the immense distance of the sky, next to the sun we saw Saint Joseph holding the Child
Jesus and our lady dressed in white with a blue mantle. Saint Joseph and the Child seemed to be blessing
the world making the sign of the cross. Shortly after this vision had vanished, I saw our Lord and our Lady
who reminded me of our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lord was blessing the world just the same way as Saint
Joseph. This vision vanished too, and it seemed to me I again saw our Lady dressed as our Lady of Mount
Carmel.…
True Penance
Excerpt from Sr. Lucia’s letter of May 4, 1943.
Reverend Father Superior,
Thank goodness, I finally received a letter from you. My God, it took so long!…I can’t even think that
you are so far away; but I think a lot about it so that my sacrifice may be more complete for the conversion
of those souls. May the good Lord accept it. As for me, I am doing well. The Bishop of Gurza tries to help
me, and I always thank his good counsel and prayers. He also shows me what I must make known, and
that is always the most difficult thing for me to do, but obedience gives strength and I keep going. I had to
make known to the Archbishop of Valladolid, by order of His Excellency, a little request of our Lord to the
Bishops of Spain and another to the Bishops of Portugal. God make all of them hear His voice. He wishes
that the Bishops of Spain unite themselves in a retreat and determine a reform in the people, clergy and
religious orders, some convents and many members of others!…do you understand? He wishes that it be
made clear to the souls that the true penance He now wants and requires consists of first of all
the sacrifice that each one must make to fulfill his own religious and worldly duties. He promises
the end of the war shortly in answer to the act of consecration made by His Holiness. But since it was
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incomplete, the conversion of Russia will take place later. If the Bishops of Spain do not attend to His wishes,
it will be once more the scourge with which God punishes them…
First Saturday Communion of Reparation Devotion
Excerpt from Sr. Lucia’s letter to the
Holy Father on December 2, 1940.
Most Holy Father,
Humbly prostrated at your feet, I come as the last sheep of the fold entrusted to you to open my heart,
by order of my spiritual director.
I am the only survivor of the children to whom our Lady appeared in Fatima (Portugal) from the 13th
of May to the 13th of October 1917. The Blessed Virgin has granted me many graces, the greatest of all
being my admission to the Institute of Saint Dorothy.
I come, Most Holy Father, to renew a request that has already been brought to you several times. The
request, Most Holy Father, is from our Lord and our good Mother in Heaven.
In 1917, in the portion of the apparitions that we have designated “the secret”, the Blessed Virgin
revealed the end of the war that was then afflicting Europe, and predicted another forthcoming, saying
that to prevent it she would come and ask the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart as well as
the Communion of reparation on the first Saturday [Pope John Paul II made this consecration on March
25, 1984, in union with the bishops]. She promised peace and the conversion of that nation if Her request
was attended to. She announced that otherwise this nation would spread her errors throughout the world,
and there would be wars, persecutions of the Holy Church, martyrdom of many Christians, several persecutions
and sufferings reserved for Your Holiness, and the annihilation of several nations.
Most Holy Father, this remained a secret until 1926 according to the express will of our Lady. Then, in
a revelation she asked that the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months
be propagated throughout the world, with its conditions of doing the following with the same purpose:
going to confession, meditating for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary and saying the
Rosary with the aim of making reparation for the insults, sacrileges and indifferences committed against
Her Immaculate Heart. Our good Heavenly Mother promises to assist the persons who will practice this
devotion, in the hour of their death, with all the necessary graces for their salvation.…
The Five Offenses Committed Against the Immaculate Heart
The Five First Saturdays devotion makes reparation for the offenses that offend the Immaculate Heart of
Mary. Below is an excerpt from Sr. Lucia’s letter of June 12, 1930, to her confessor.
…There are five ways in which people offend and blaspheme against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
1st — The blasphemies against the Immaculate Conception.
2nd — Against her Virginity.
3rd — Against the Divine Maternity, refusing at the same time to accept her as the Mother of all
mankind.
4th — Those who try publicly to implant in the children’s hearts, indifference, contempt and even hate
against his Immaculate Mother.
5th — Those who insult her directly in her sacred statues.…
IV. Insights on Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Message
of Fatima
The following article from the Pope’s newspaper about the late papal theologian, Mario Luigi Cardinal
Ciappi, gives you an idea of His Eminence’s relationship with the papacy and his competency at reading
the signs of the times.
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Cardinal Ciappi was the master of the papal palace and papal theologian for the last five popes and
was the Apostolate for Family Consecration’s primary theological advisor from 1979 until his death on
April 22, 1996.
Excerpts from Pope John Paul II’s Homily at Cardinal Ciappi’s Funeral, April 25,
1996
“Dear brothers and sisters, today in St. Peter’s Basilica we are celebrating the funeral of beloved Cardinal
Mario Luigi Ciappi, whom God called to himself last Monday evening after a long life spent in service to the
Church and, in particular, to the Holy See. I have felt a personal bond with him since my studies, and I am
pleased to honor his memory at this moment, so full of emotion, by my testimony of sincere esteem and deep
gratitude.
“His brilliant and keen capacity for theological investigation grew and was quickly noticed.
“With a profound knowledge of the theological thought, he was himself a capable theologian who was able
to serve the Church generously, first by teaching dogmatic theology and Thomistic aesthetics. The results he
achieved in this task brought him to the attention of Pope Pius XII, who in 1955 wanted him at his side as
Master of the Sacred Palace. He was confirmed in this office by Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI, who
spelled out his duties in the Motu Proprio Pontificalis Domus, and appointed him Theologian of the Papal
Household.
“His clear thinking, the soundness of his teaching and his undisputed fidelity to the Apostolic See, as
well as his ability to interpret the signs of the times according to God, were qualities that made him a valued
collaborator during the intense period of the Second Vatican Council to which he made a significant
and balanced contribution.
“His careful scholarly work was always accompanied by an intense spiritual life and prayer, the first
and fundamental nourishment of his whole life.”
(Printed with permission L’Osservatore Romano)
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