To erase any doubt on its transparency, the Vatican has issued a statement confirming that the complete document on the "Third Secret of Fatima" was published in 2000 during the time of Pope John Paul II.
The Holy See Press Office was compelled to address the issue after several reports came out saying that the Vatican had not told everything about the event that happened in Fatima, Portugal where three children saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary six times between May and October 1917, according to Aleteia.org.
The Vatican specifically referred to the allegations made by a certain Professor Ingo Dollinger who claimed that Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, had confided to him that the revelation on the Third Secret was not complete. Cardinal Ratzinger served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1981-2005, under the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.
"In this regard, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI declares 'never to have spoken with Professor Dollinger about Fatima', clearly affirming that the remarks attributed to Professor Dollinger on the matter 'are pure inventions, absolutely untrue', and he confirms decisively that 'the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima is complete'," the Vatican statement said.
According to Sr. Lúcia de Jesus Rosa Santos, one of the children who witnessed the Virgin Mary apparition, the Mother of Christ entrusted them with three secrets, which she later wrote down and delivered to the Pope.
Santos said the third secret was revealed only to her and not with the other two children.
Many years later, Pope John Paul II decided to publish the third secret together with its interpretation of it in 2000 in a document entitled the "Message of Fatima."
Pope John Paul II earlier charged then-Cardinal Ratzinger to clarify the signs and symbols found in the visions of the Virgin Mary, which marked their 99<sup>th anniversary last May 13.
In 2000, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote a lengthy theological commentary and interpretation of the famous "Third Secret," where he revealed five striking discoveries.
The five revelations found in the "Third Secret" of Our Lady of Fatima, as interpreted by Cardinal Ratzinger, are Our Lady of Fatima's central message calling for penance, the vision of the "Flaming Sword," the message that the future is not set in stone, the vision of the Blood of Martyrs, and the vision of the Immaculate Heart of Mary emerging victorious over "the Evil One."
Aleteia comments that the "secret" of Fatima gives mankind hope in the midst of a world torn by greed, selfishness and war. "Satan will not triumph and his evil plans will be thwarted by the Immaculate Heart of Mary. There may be suffering in the near future, but if we cling tightly to Jesus and His mother, we will remain victorious," it says.
