The Pope's Reaction

When Pope John Paul II was in Fulda, Germany in Nov 1980, he was questioned about the third secret of Fatima.

Q): What about the third secret of Fatima? It already should have been published in 1960.
A): (of the Holy Father): Due to its shocking content, and so as not to allow the global power of communism to interfere with the affairs of the Church, my predecessors gave confidential information in a diplomatic way. In addition, it should be enough for every Christian to know the following: when you read, that oceans will flood whole continents that millions of men will die very suddenly, in a few minutes. ...if this is known, it isn’t really necessary to claim the publication of this secret. Many people want to know it just for curiosity, and sensationalism: but, they forget, that knowing also involves responsibility. But, they just want to satisfy their own curiosity.

Q): How will things go with the Church?
A): (of the Holy Father): We must be ready to face great imminent trials, which could also require the sacrifice of our life for Christ. The trials could be reduced through yours, and our prayers, but they can’t be (anymore) avoided, because a true renewal of the Church can take place only this way. Just as it has already occurred many times, that the Church rose up again through blood, it won’t be different either this time. Let’s be strong, and let’s get ready, having faith in Christ, and in His Mother.[1]

Oddly enough, almost nothing Pope John Paul II talks about in this interview can be found in the Fatima secrets, at least as they have been published in Lucia’s book. Either what has been made available to the public has been edited, or Pope John Paul II was making reference to information from other sources. John Paul’s response to the question about the fate of the Church was the only answer complicit with the published edition of the third secret. However, none of his comments match the Vatican’s official press release in 2000.
Of course, he made these statements before his attempted murder. His assailant claimed to be motivated by what was in the third secret of Fatima. Wouldn’t it be something if he was hired to keep Pope John Paul II from continuing to speak openly about what he really knew? “We must be ready to face great imminent trials, which could also require the sacrifice of our life for Christ.”
In 1980 John Paul II must have viewed the killing of the pope in the third secret as a repeat of the persecutions of the early Christians by the Romans. “The Church rose up again through blood” is a statement of his expectation of a renewal of the church after another similar period of persecution. But, what if the last pope is killed “when oceans will flood whole continents (and) millions of men will die very suddenly, in a few minutes?” Why is there no mention of great ocean waves in the secrets as they were published from Lucia?
Perhaps, John Paul II thinks everyone fully understands what Jesus said about the end of the age. Or, everyone is aware of the messages from the Mother Mary about moving away from the shorelines. Or, everyone has studied the writings of Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce who have also prophesized great waves, famine and persecution. Why else would he say, “If this is known, it isn’t really necessary to claim the publication of this secret?”
If this were true, why did the church publish an interpretation of the third secret without addressing the traditional church doctrines about the Judgment Day and the end-times? If the secrets are about just another persecution of the church by tyrants like Caesar, Hitler or Stalin, the pontiff’s comments would be apropos. What is going to happen at the end of this age goes way beyond the total of all the atrocities ever committed by any of the most notorious despots in the last 2,500 years.
The magnitude of the destruction associated with the secrets is why Mary is appearing in the first place. Not only this, but Jesus will be coming to Earth in the body shortly after the Chastisement. This situation does not compare to anything the Church has had to deal with before.
At no time has the Divine Mother encouraged the clergy and the lay people to be martyrs in the face of the persecution of the Church. For those who have seriously studied Her messages and sought Her guidance it should be apparent that She is making every effort to save Her children from complete annihilation.
She is offering a safe harbor in places where the destruction will be minimal. She is offering salvation and guidance. She is appalled by the useless degradation of martyrdom. She is disappointed that the Vatican has never offered any other means to deal with the tribulations. They have not offered any positive guidance as to where to go or what to do in order to survive.
No doubt, they did not see fit to publish the third secret of Fatima for over eighty years for fear of creating a panic in the general populous. According to John Paul II, they also believed it would invigorate the communist movement; everyone else was just curious and thrived on sensationalism. The common man was not deemed capable of dealing with the information in the pious manner expected by the Church. Instead, the Vatican relayed what they knew to the governments of various countries, exclusive of those under communist rule. By doing so, the weight of the secret was no longer on their shoulders.
As a result of these attitudes and political agendas, a great paradox has arisen between the policies of the Church and the actions of the Mother Mary. While the Vatican has been frozen by fear of the Communists and unwilling to feed the desire for sensationalism, Mary has appeared to three children in Fatima, four young girls Garabandal, five children in Rwanda and six children in Medjugorje giving them terrible visions of a hell on Earth.
So, how is it that Mary can entrust this information to ten year old children and the Vatican can’t see fit to reveal anything to their own priests or let alone the lay people? Are children able to bear the responsibility of this knowledge, when those grownups responsible for world religious organizations are not?
All of the children Mary has appeared to have been normal people. None make any claims to a special spiritual status. Most say they are just as mystified by what happened to them as everyone else is. In contrast, the piety of the priests seems to have tainted their humanity. Their self-righteousness has perverted their trust in their fellow man. If there is to be a final demise to the church, these attitudes will certainly contribute to it.
[1] Interview with John Paul II, “Vox fidei” issue no.10-1981