Evening star., 1960-04-17
BY HARRY BACAS
Star Staif Writer

This is the year when millions
Of Catholics expect the third
secret of Fatima to be revealed.
Some of them believe it may fore
tell the end of the world. Others
hope it will offer a way to lasting
peace. The Catholic Church itself
is apprehenSive about the wide
spread excitement.
The only living person who
knows for certain what the secret
is, is a 53-year-old nun named
Lucy, who lives in a Carmelite
cloister at Coimbra, Portugal. 1t
is she who as a child in 1917 knelt
in field near Fatima with two
other Portuguese children before a
vision of the Virgin Mary and
heard the Blessed Mother confide
a mystery in three parts.
Since that time a worldwide
cult has grown up around Fatima
and the children's vision. Millions
of pilgrims have visited the shrine,
some Of them travelling on their
knees the last part of the way.
After a dozen years of investiga-
ton the Catholic Church declared
the vision worthy of belief" and
officially sanctioned the cult. Now
there are Catholic families all over
the world who say daily rosaries
to Our LADY of Fatima
Lucy'S two companions died be-
fore they were grown and Lucy
became the sole possessor of the
triple mystery. In 1912, Is years
after she received the prophecy,
the first two parts were made
public by her direction. They were
deeply impressive to many Cath
olics.
The First Two Visions
The first part was a vision OF
hell, full of devils and damned
sinners and terrifying to the chill
dren who received it.
The second part predicted the
end of World War I and the be-
ginning of World War II and
asked for the conversion of Rus
sia to catholicism. without which.
it predicted. Russia would spread
her errors throughout the world I"
causing widespread suffering. per-
secution of the church and ma
tional disasters.
The third part was not to be
made known before 1860"
Already this year there has been
considerable speculation as to
where and when the third secret
will be opened. 1t is contained in
a sealed letter which Sister Lucy
wrote out in her own hand and
gave to her bishop for keeping.
Until recently the letter lay in a
locked drawer in the house of the
Bishop of Leiria but reports pub
lished in the Catholic press this
spring say that the envelope now
is believed to be in Rome.
When will it be opened? May
13 is the anniversary of the first
visitation to the children of Fat
ina, and some Vatican sources
have said the revelation may be
made then Other reports conflict
One italian cardinal says the reve-
lation may be suppressed. Another
Vatican official suggests it should
be made as soon as possible to put
a stop to mounting rumors.
In this country. some criticism
of the Fatima excitement has been
severe. An editorial in a national
Jesuit publication castigates those
writer's who encourage a silly
tabloid catholicism by sounding
the apocalyptic trumpet every
time visionary falls into ecstasy"
One of the more persistent
rumors which still circulates today
despite official denialS, is that the
late Pope Plus XII, sent a copy
of the. third secret, tainted when
he read it,
History Of Revelations
What happened at Fatima that
summer 43 years ago and what
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