Believe it or not, I have a strong personal devotion to Mary.

[hedgehog]

I've always been dubious about the Fatima movement though, because I am convinced that whatever happened there was long ago co-opted by the religious and political Right (not to say Fascists).

Yesterday I read this:

"Actually, like most Marian visions, Fatima was pretty specific about the corruption with in the clerical structure and called for a conversion with in those consecrated to her Son's teachings. Fatima contained a pretty specific call for clergy to experience conversion, do penance and prayer, and live as her son lived."

http://enlightenedcatholicism-colkoch.blogspot.com/


Does anybody here have any suggestions for tracking this down?

Two of the children died young and the surviving girl was hustled into the convent. I wonder what the original message of Fatima was?

[FarLeftRage]

1. The original Fatima message is kept secret...

Supposedly, the message of prophecy given to the pope, Pius XI was horrified.

It pointed to the end of the Church allegedly, and the end of it's power.

At this point in time, we may never know the original message.

[hedgehog]

2. Apparently, this is a reference to one of the first two messages.

A call for prayer and repentance can be a pious cliche or a stern warning, depending on the wording and interpretation. I mean, aren't priests expected to pray? But if the original words were specific warnings that the clergy needed to be reformed, that's a horse of a different color.


AS for the final "secret", all sorts of interpretations can be ascribed to a vision. Is Revelation a message of doom or joy?

[Angry Dragon]

3. "Supposedly, the message of prophecy given to the pope, Pius XI was horrified."

This has always baffled me.

Why is it okay to keep secrets within the church??
Why should a very small number of people be allowed to knew things
and others are kept in the dark.
If God is suppose to be shared then share everything and not
just the things that the leaders want to share.
How can the congregations truly believe it facts are kept from them??

I have always that questions were good. One learned from the answers that they received
and the people that gave the answers were able to share their knowledge and further
understand the information that they had.
If secrets are kept within a church, any church or religion, then something is being hidden and that is not a good thing.

[hedgehog]

4. You know, come to think of it, if Mary had a special message

for the Pope, why not deliver it directly instead of to three peasant children in Portugal? Didn't she have the Pope's address?

I've always been dubious about Fatima not because I don't think the three children saw Mary but because I think her message was so twisted to suit the politics of the day and so so-opted ever since.


On edit: Catholics of a certain age will recall the real secret of Fatima; when the Pope opened the envelope and read it, it said "Vote Kennedy!"

[Angry Dragon]

5. I think he might have been a good president if he had been

allowed to live.

I am just leery of religions that keep secrets.

A God of love and tolerance, is an open God, they have no secrets. They invite you in to look at their soul.
They encourage questions, for that is how one learns.
When men of the cloth keep secrets they do a disservice to their God, their church, and the people that they lead.
I have never understood the reason to kept secrets from people that wish to know God better.
They ask one to trust God but on the other hand they do not trust the people.