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Mark Gagnon
I come from heaven. Imagine this. October 13th, 1917. A hundred thousand people in Portugal witness the miracle of the sun. The sun appears to tremble and plunge in a zigzag motion towards the earth, causing everyone to freak out. People thought it was the end of the world. No one knew exactly what was happening except three children that Mary appeared to. They revealed to them secrets, the entire story. Why it matters what the secrets were that were revealed to these children? Followers of Islam, like Islamic apologists that suggested politics, possible this could be demonic to convince people to go away from Islam and to go towards Catholicism. Was it some type of mass delusion that all these people witnessed all at once and they didn't know what was going on? Or is it possible that it truly was some type of supernatural, unexplainable event? Who are these kids? Why were they chosen? Why did she show up to these three shepherd kids? Today we'll find out all of this and more. What's up, people? And welcome to Religion Camp. That's right. This is a show where I sit here in my tent and I discuss the most interesting, controversial and mystical features of all world religions. That's right. Not just Christianity, not just Catholicism. The right one, okay. But all of them. Hinduism, Islam. And I try to look at the beauty and the truth of all the world's religions. My name is Mark Gagnon. I'm joined here today by my friends Christos and Gabe, making this show possible and making it beautiful as always. And today we're going to be discussing a miracle known in the Catholic faith as a Marian apparition. There are many that have happened throughout time, but this one is the apparition at Fatima in Portugal. Imagine this. October 13, 1917. Some estimates 30,000. Some even estimate 100,000 people in Portugal witness the miracle of the sun. This bizarre, odd, supernatural, unexplainable event of the sun dancing around in the zigzag pattern. People thought it was the end of the world. No one knew exactly what was happening except three children that Mary appeared to. They revealed to them secrets that then would become prophecies that would ostensibly come true in Catholic literature, as it's known to the Catholics. I find this apparition absolutely fascinating. I heard about it as a kid from my mom. I was taught this as a boy and just kind of always was like, yeah, it's a bizarre thing. And so today, I've decided to deep dive and look into the entire story. Why it matters, what the secrets were that were revealed to these. These children, and why 30,000 to potentially 100,000 people went out to a field to go witness this miraculous event. If you are a non Catholic, if you're a non Christian, even if you're a secular Catholic, I'm curious what you think. I would love to know. I would love to know what you guys believe this to be. Maybe you're just a secular person in general. Do you believe it's aliens? Do you? Some people have speculated that this apparition was in some way, you know, some type of alien visitation, some type of entity. I've even read some followers of Islam, like Islamic apologists, that suggest it's possible this could be demonic. To convince people to go away from. From Islam and to go towards Catholicism. I've heard many different theories. I've even looked into some debunking. I've always been curious. I'm like, I'm sure, you know, a materialist has some explanation for what has happened, because certainly I think it's undoubtable. What happened on that day, October 13, 1917, was strange. Was it some type of mass delusion that all these people witnessed all at once and they didn't know what was going on and so they just kind of, you know, said that they saw something when they really didn't? Or is it possible that it truly was some type of supernatural, unexplainable event? Today, we'll find out all of this and more. So let me take you to the heart of Portugal. Nestled among the rolling hills, green pastures, lies the small village of Fatima. This place was a quiet town known for its peaceful countryside. But Fatima is destined to become the epicenter of a global spiritual phenomena that would captivate millions and leave an undeniable mark on Catholic history. So 1917, nothing going on in Europe, you know, pretty boring time. Psych. World War I is ravaging, all right. And this is a war no one had ever seen before. All right? I think the polls had, like, horses. They had calvary ready for the war. But this was not a war of, you know, I guess you could say class, you know, this was not a bunch of guys in a field loading muskets up. This was a time where, you know, this is right in the brackish area of, like, modernized war. One of the bloodiest wars, I think, ever to have happened up until this time in history. It was, you know, just heavy artillery, trench warfare, chemical warfare, mustard gas everywhere. It is completely ravaging Western Europe, and yet Portugal itself is experiencing a ton of turmoil. Kind of left out of the story of World War I just seven years before this date, 1910, Portugal had overthrown its monarchy. This is typically a religious Catholic monarchy that now had been sort of taken over by this secular sort of police government. And it is against the backdrop of conflict, conflict and uncertainty that these three young shepherd children would have an experience that would change their lives, and not only their lives, the lives of countless others forever. So who are these children? Let's find out. Imagine this. You're 30ft underground, digging through frozen earth with spoons and mess hall plates. Nazi guards patrol overhead. One wrong move, one loose pebble, and it's over. But on this night in 1944, 76 Allied prisoners would attempt the impossible, tunneling their way to freedom in the largest prisoner of war escape of World War II. And centuries earlier, in a cold stone chamber, a teenage girl in armor stood before her accusers. Her crime. Leading armies, speaking to angels, and daring to challenge the most powerful men. And Europe. Joan of Arc's trial would become one of history's most infamous moments. These are just two stories from Today in History, the newsletter that brings you the most fascinating events from the past, delivered fresh to your inbox. From epic wars to religious rebellions, ancient mysteries to modern marvels. Don't miss another piece of history. Scan the QR code now or click the link in the description to sign up for Today in History. First we have Lucia dos Santos and her cousin Francisco Marto and his sister Jacinta Marto. But who are these children? Lucia was born March 22, 1907. She's the youngest of seven children in her family. And at the time of the apparition, she was just a 10 year old girl. But she was the oldest child of the three who had witnessed the apparition. Lucia would later become the primary spokesperson for the group and the one who would communicate directly with with the apparition. Now we have Francisco Marto. He was born June 11, 1908, making him nine years old at the time of the event. He was known for his quiet and sort of contemplative nature. But strangely, unlike his sister and cousin, Francisco could only see the apparition, but he could not hear her words. Poor guy. Girls Club, right? You know, people say feminism. Oh, patriarchy. What about Francisco? He wanted to hear what the blessed Mother had to say, but nope, he could just see it. And the whole time he's like, what's going on? It's like when you're a little kid and your parents are watching a movie and they got the subtitles on. You're like, if only I could read and then we have Jacinta Marto. She's the youngest of the trio. Jacinta was born March 5, 1910. She was just 7 years old when the apparitions began. She was described as lively, affectionate. And is said to have been devoted to the Virgin Mary even before the events of 1917. Now, all three of these children, they came from a small town known as Aljustrel. If there's any Portuguese people listening, I know I did not pronounce that correctly. But this is a small village near Fatima. And as far as we know, the children were uneducated. They spent most of their time, you know, in the countryside. They tended to their family sheep in the nearby fields. And their simple upbringing and lack of formal education. Make their experience all the more remarkable. So what exactly happened during these apparitions? The first happens May 13, 1917. And Catholic history is about to get even crazier. Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta were all watching over the sheep. In a place called Cova di Iria, about a mile from Fatima. And it was a day just like any other. Or so they thought. As they were tending to the sheep, the children saw two flashes of light that looked like lightning. Curious and perhaps a little frightened, they looked around, trying to understand what was happening. But what they saw next would change their lives forever. According to Lucia's description, they witness, quote, a lady dressed in white, more brilliant than the sun. This luminous figure appeared above a small oak tree, radiating light so intense that it penetrated the very souls of these children. Lucia. In her words, she describes the lady's appearance like this. Her face, indescribably beautiful, was neither sad nor happy, but serious, with an air of mild reproach. Her hands, joined together as if she were praying. Were resting at her breast and pointing upward. A rosary hung from her right hand. The children were reportedly so close to the apparition. That they stood only about like. I don't know, like four or five feet away, Stating that they were standing within the light that radiated from her. So what did the Blessed Mother have to say? What follows is a conversation that would set the stage for a series of apparitions and messages that would captivate the world. This is how the conversation went with Lucia. Mary says, do not be afraid. I will not harm you. Lucia says, where is your grace from? The Blessed Mother says, I am from heaven, pointing to the sky. Lucia responds, and what does your grace wish of me? And this is what Mary says, I have come to ask you to come here. For six months in succession, on the 13th day of each month at the same hour later, I will tell you who I am and what I want. Afterwards, I will return here for a seventh time. And then Lucia, just like me, I'd be like, hey, am I going to go to heaven? Mary says, yes. Lucia's like, what about Jacinta? Mary's like, also going to heaven. And Lucia's like, what about Francisco? And Mary's like, yeah, he's going to make it, but he's got to pray a lot of rosaries. To be honest with you, he's going to have to do a lot of work. And that's why Francisco probably couldn't hear it. Francisco might have been a wild boy, but Mary's like, look, you're all going. Francisco, he's got. He's got some work to do, all right? He's got a. He's got to work out some stuff. I mean, imagine that you can't hear anything, and then all of a sudden, you're like, wait, Lucia. What'd she say? And Lucia's like, she said, we're all going to heaven. Don't even worry about it, you know, just brush it off. She also revealed information about the fate of two recently deceased girls named Maria and Amelia from their village, demonstrating knowledge that seemed beyond the earthly realm. So Lucia asks, is Maria de Nevis already in heaven? Mary says, yes, she is. And Amelia, again, Mary's kind of like, hey, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news here. She will be in purgatory until the end of the world. So. But who knows, really, what time is like up there? You know what I mean? Time is a. That's an earthly construct. But if you're a Catholic, listen to this. Pray rosary for Amelia, shall we? And perhaps the most profound moment of this first encounter is when the lady asks the children a question that would truly test their faith. Mary says, do you wish to offer yourselves to God to endure all the suffering that he may be pleased to send you as both an act of reparation for the sin with which he is offended and an act of supplication for the conversion of sinners? Lucia immediately says, yes, we do, Francisco. If he could hear it, he'd probably be like, all right, well, let's. Is there another offer on the table? Is there anything we can hear? Mary says this, well, then, you will have much to suffer, but the grace of God will be your comfort. As the lady spoke her final words. The grace of God, she opens her hands, emitting an intense light that Lucia described as Penetrating our bodies, reaching the innermost part of our souls, and making us see ourselves in God. This mystical experience caused the children to kneel and pray, repeating the words, oh, most Holy Trinity, I adore thee. My God, my God, I love thee. In the most blessed Sacrament. Before leaving, Blessed Mother left the children with a final instruction. Pray the rosary every day to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war. With that, she began to rise towards the east, disappearing into the distance, leaving the children basically, just like, what happened. Now that this apparition is gone, what happens? Okay, you know, who are these kids? Why were they chosen? Why did she show up to these three shepherd kids? And again, there's more apparitions after this. Okay, but why these kids? And this is a question that many theologians and church scholars have. Have contested for a long time. Many people suggest that their innocence, humility, faith, courage. There's also a symbolic element. You know, the young children, they're just. They're. They're young. They're. They're simple. They're pure. They have a simple lifestyle. And, you know, as we've seen in the Bible, right, God and Christ typically reveals himself, and, you know, it works with the humble, the meek. So it's unsure why exactly these children were selected, but certainly their faith and courage is an aspect that plays a massive role in the event, Right. Without the courage, the kids may have been like, all right, let's just forget this ever happened. Let's not tell anyone. The children were also shepherds, which is another interesting coincidence, right? You know, Christ is the shepherd of man, as is sort of talked about in the Bible. Another significant element is the number 13. Although the church does not proclaim an official dogmatic reason for choosing the 13th of each month, the number plays a deep role in the realm of religion. You know, the Last Supper, which Jesus broke bread and shared wine with his apostles. There were 13 individuals at the table. A medieval Jewish philosopher, this guy Moses Mammonides. Again, sorry, Jews, if I mess up. That name. Articulated 13 fundamental principles of the Jewish faith. There's a hospital named after it. Christos just informed me. Moses Maimonides, he articulates 13 fundamental principles of the faith. The core tenants in Hebrew letters have numerical values. The word a ekad, meaning one or unity, has a numerical value of 13. Also, the word ahava, meaning love, sums up to 13. This causes some people to see 13 as a representation of divine unity in love. So what happens to these kids, these three children? They go home and they're not really sure what exactly to do. I believe Lucia ends up telling her mom in confidence and says, mom, this is what happened. And her mom doesn't believe her, Right? If you're listening to this right now, you're like, yeah, kids make up stuff all the time. You know, who knows? I believe her mom is almost, like, embarrassed. She's like, ah, like, you know, kids, you know, being wacky. And I believe her mother ends up telling a friend. And then word kind of spreads that this is what happens to these children. It's also worth noting that within Catholic literature, it's understood that the children felt that they would be in heaven soon, that they would be going with Mary at a certain point. And as we can, as we will see, this ends up becoming the case. These kids find themselves at the center of this growing phenomenon, and they end up facing scrutiny and disbelief, not only from their family, but from religious and the secular government at the time. So Francisco and Jacinta in particular, they took the Lady's message to heart. They devoted themselves to prayer, sacrifice, they fasted, they offered up personal discomforts for the conversion of sinners, and tragically, both died due to the influenza pandemic that swept through Europe after World War I. Francisco passed away in 1919, and Jacinta passed away in 1920 at the age of nine, each death happening within just three years of the divine encounter. Lucia, on the other hand, she would live a long life. She ended up passing away, I think, in like, 2005, I believe, and she dedicated her life to spreading this message. She became a Carmelite nun, taking the name Sister Maria Lucia of the Immaculate Heart. And throughout her life, she continued to receive visions and messages, becoming a key figure in spreading the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Without her, we wouldn't have these accounts today. Now these kids end up getting thrown in jail at a certain point. We'll get to that later. But this whole story is wild. So remember what the Blessed Mother said to the children. According to Lucia's words. Mary says, I've come to ask you to meet here for six months in secession. On the 13th day and on the 7th, I will tell you. I will return here for a seventh time. Later, I will tell you who I am. This wasn't just like some nice nonsense. This was actual instruction that the children followed. So on the 13th day of each month, from May to October, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta would witness the appearance of this lady, whom they would later identify as the Virgin Mary. These encounters followed a consistent pattern. All but one of these events occurred at a field near Fatima, known as Cova di Iria. While the one exception that happened in August occurred at a place called Valinhos. And we'll get to that part later. So, June 13, 1917. It's exactly a month later. After the first encounter, the kids returned to the place where they saw the Blessed Mother. But this time it's different. After the first encounter, the kids told the townspeople what they had witnessed. Word had spread around. She tells her mom, some people believe, while others think the kids are just making up stories. This is what kids do. They see fairies. They see leprechauns. However, it caused the people to question the validity of these claims. So others began coming out to witness these events. Around 50 people gathered in the field to see what would happen. Lucia, Francisco, Jacinta once again saw a great light, which they called lightning. Weirdly enough, the other 50 people never saw it. They noticed that the light of the sun had dimmed during the first few minutes of the conversation. Some people said that the top of an oak tree bent down as if under the weight of something, but that the kids seemed to be in some sort of. Almost like a trance. An even weirder part is that during Mary's conversation with the kids, some of the bystanders heard whispering, like. Like a humming or something. Lucia started the conversation off, asking this. What does your grace wish of me? Mary says again, I want you on the 13th day to come here next month, pray the rosary every day, learn to read, and I shall later tell you what I want. Lucia is said to have then asked Mary to heal a sick person. But her reply is something a little darker than she would probably want. And Mary says, if he converts, he will be healed. Lucia asks, I would like to ask you to take us to heaven. Mary says, yes, I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon. But you shall remain here for some time. Jesus wishes to use you in order to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it. And these souls will be beloved of God, like flowers arranged by me to adorn his throne. Will I stay here alone? Says Lucia. Mary says no. Does that make you suffer much? Do not be dismayed. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge, and the road shall lead you to God. So right then and there, the kids, except Francisco, again knew their fate, although they may not have realized it now. Once again, the Blessed Mother goes away, disappears. And the children are now left befuddled. And the people are Curious as to what's going on. Fast forward to July 13, 1917. This is where it gets interesting. The July apparition was perhaps the most impactful. And it includes the revelation of the famous secrets of Fatima. Mr. Marto, the father of Jacinta and Francisco, noticed that when the third apparition began, a small gray cloud hovered over the same oak tree. And the sunlight diminished and a cool breeze blew over the mountain, despite it being the height of summer. He also heard something like what he described as like flies or mosquito or bees or something inside, like an empty jug. He felt like a buzz or a hum. And the kids saw the usual glare. And then Mary rose over the oak. Lucia then asked, what do you wish of me? Mary says, I want you to come here on the 13th day, pray the rosary every day in order to obtain peace for the world. Now, remember, the war she's talking about is World War I. And in particular, you know, Portugal is having a very rough time due to overthrowing the monarchy, like we had said. But the kids wanted others to believe in the miracle, feeling that it would boost the morale of the people. Right? Let's be honest, Mary just out here spitting facts on how the war is going to end is pretty good morale boost, you know? So Lucia asks, I would like to ask you to tell us who you are and to perform a miracle so everyone will believe your grace appears to us. Mary says, continue to come here every month. Again, Mary at this point is like, all right, I told you, come here every month in October. I will tell you who I am and what I wish. And I will perform a miracle that everyone shall see so as to believe. It's pretty cool. It's like, all right, call him a shot. Let's go. Lucia then made a number of requests for conversion, cures and other graces. Mary recommended the consistent recitation of the rosary. Thus then those could obtain graces during the year. Again, she says, pray the rosary every day and then see me. And this is where it gets very interesting. She then reveals secrets to Lucia. Lucia writes down what she considers to be visions of hell. This is the first secret according to Lucia. She says, mary showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged into this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating in the conflagration. I don't know how this shepherd girl wrote that word. That's such a hard word to know, Conflagration. Anyway, she sees hell. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying, repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. The vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind Heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising in the first apparition to take us to heaven, Otherwise we would have died in fear, terror. And then there's the second secret. The children then looked up at the apparition and the Blessed Mother said, you have seen hell, where the souls go of poor sinners. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end, but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out. During the pontificate of Pius XI, again, this refers back to World War I. She predicts that the war will end, but then warns a future war if this does not happen. Even more devastating war, if it does not repent and turn back to God. Again, war is being used almost in a way to punish mankind for its sins. Again, according to Catholic literature, the reference to Pius XI is also significant because he doesn't become pope until 1920, two years after the apparition, and his pontificate ends in 1939 and then shortly after. Popular World War II officially began with the invasion of Poland in September of 1939. Again, some people, historians will speculate that the war really starts prior to 1939. That, you know, Japan is already invading China, there's already annexation happening by the Germans. So Mary continues by saying, when you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that this is a great sign given to you by God, that he is about to punish the world for its crimes by means of war, famine and persecutions of the Church and the Holy Father. Now, believers of this interpret the prophecy as having been fulfilled in January 1938, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, when an Aurora borealis was seen across Europe, it was so vivid that people thought it was a massive fire. But Mary told of a way to stop this from happening. She says, to prevent this, I shall. I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia, specifically Russia, to my Immaculate Heart and the Communion of reparations. On the first Saturdays, if my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. Here is a bullet. In a secret CIA facility, doctors administered mysterious substances to unwitting Americans. Their goal, mind control. The year was 1973. And as agents frantically burned thousands of documents, Project MK Ultra's darkest secrets nearly vanished into smoke. Now step back to Friday the 13th, 1314. The Grand Master of history's most powerful military order kneels before the flames. As the fire rises, Jacques de Molay, last leader of the Knights Templar, utters a curse so chilling that when both the French King and Pope Hope die within the year, whispers of dark prophecy spread across Europe. Now, these aren't crazy conspiracy theories or something you read in, you know, some fan fiction. These are real historical events you'll discover in Today in History, the newsletter that uncovers the strange, shocking and sublime moments that shape our world. Get your daily dose of mind bending history. Scan the QR code or click the link below to join Today in History. Now, Russia is specific and important in this period in history. As you can imagine, the consecration of Russia was requested because of the growing influence, some suggest, of communism, which originally sort of starts in Russia in 1917 during the Bolshevik Revolution. People associate Mary's concerns of Russia to the errors of, I guess, like atheistic materialism, like this naturalism that's spreading world worldwide. Fast forward 100 years. As a result of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis announced that he would consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which he did. March 25, 2022. There's again been a contested element here. Some Catholics, I believe. I think we'll get to this in just a little bit. John Paul II consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart, hoping that this would then bring peace. Some people speculate that the dissolvement of the USSR is a reaction to this. But then again, the wickedness of man has brought on more wars. Other people believe that the consecration was never specifically to Russia, so therefore it hadn't been done up until March 2022. This is contested amongst the Catholics Now. Mary also says this, quote, the good will be martyred. The Holy Father will have much to suffer. Various nations will be annihilated. Finally, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me and she will be converted and a period of peace will be granted in the world. In Portugal, the dogma of faith will always be preserved. The Holy Father's suffering may refer to the struggles faced by popes during the 20th century, such as Pope Pius XII during World War II, or an attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in 1981, which oddly occurred on the anniversary of the very first Fatima apparition. Maybe the assassin knew that this date was significant, or maybe that's just when the. The Pope was out and, you know, able to be attacked again. It is a bizarre coincidence in the. In the minds of Catholics. She's kind of, you know, Mary's calling a lot of shots, and Lucia's kind of, you know, become a prophet in certain ways. And the mention of nations annihilated could symbolize both physical destruction as in war, or spiritual destruction due to, you know, the atheistic ideologies that are sort of prevailing. We see more and more stuff today about the battles going on in the spirit realm, good and evil. Is that what she is referring to now? I said there were three secrets. I've only told you two. Again, first being hell, the second being to, you know, consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Now, the third secret is very strange. It describes a vision of persecution of Christians and the assassination attempt of a, quote, bishop dressed in white, widely referring to the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Lucia ended up writing a memoir detailing all of the events that she had experienced, including the first two secrets, but did not write this one specific revelation. In the memoir, the bishop at the time, Bishop Silva, suggested that she write down the third secret to ensure that it would be recorded in case she died. However, Lucy was hesitant to do so because she was told the secret had to be heard and Mary did not want it to be revealed. Finally, in mid October, Bishop Silva sent her a letter containing a direct order to record the secret. Now, being a Carmelite nun, Lucia obviously has to respect the orders of her superiors. So Lucia is struggling, but after this direct order, she overcame it. And as a matter of fact, Mary even appeared to her in January of 1944 and said, Write that which they command of you, but not that which is given to you to understand of its meaning. The third part of the secret was written down. And in June 1944, the sealed envelope containing the third secret was delivered to Bishop Silva, where It stayed until 1957, when it was finally delivered to Rome. Canon Galamba, an advisor to the bishop of Lyria, is quoted as saying that when the bishop refused to open the sealed envelope, Lucia made him promise that it would definitely be opened and released to the world at her death, or in 1960, whichever came first. And finally, on May 13, 2000, 83 years after the first apparition of the lady to the children in fatima, Portugal, and 19 years after the assassination attempt on John Paul II, the third secret was finally released. It goes as such. I write in Obedience to you, my God, who commands me to do so, through His Excellency the Bishop of Lyria, and through your most Holy Mother and mine. After the two parts which I've already explained, and at the. At the left of Mary and a little above, we saw an angel with a flaming sword in his left hand, flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire. But they died out in contact with the splendor that Mary radiated towards him from her right hand, pointing to the earth with his right hand, the angel cried out in a loud voice, penance, Penance, penance. And we saw an immense light that is God. Something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it, a bishop dressed in white. We had the impression it was the Holy Father. Other bishops, priests, men and religious women going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big cross of rough hewn trunks, as of a cork tree with the bark. Before reaching there, the Holy Father passed through a big city, half in ruins and half trembling with halted step. Afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way. Having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big cross, he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him. And in the same way, there died, one after another, the other. Bishops, priests, men and women, religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the cross, there were two angels, each with a crystal apsorium in his hand in which they gathered up the blood of the martyrs, and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God. So this secret is obviously, you know, Catholics believe it to be closely connected to the assassination attempt on JP2, and it carries deeper implications about the challenges faced by the Church and its leaders, particularly in a world increasingly alienated from faith. Whether interpreted as a fulfilling prophecy or a warning of future events, the message of the third secret underscores the need for repentance, prayer and trust in divine providence. I mean, some people have disputed and saying, oh, this was released after the assassination attempt. So these bullets that have, you know, hit the man in white and, you know, this sort of symbol of the Holy Father, the Pope, some people believe it is a fraud. Some people have said, like, oh, this is just done, and it's actually not true. Many religious scholars have, you know, proved the validity of the letter or attempted to prove and said, no, this was actually written at the time that she wrote it in the 40s. Again, Catholics believe this to be a proper prophecy that has come to fruition through the assassination attempt on JP2. All right, now let's fast forward to August 19th, 1917. Okay, this is the fourth and perhaps the most bizarre encounter. Now, notice the date. August 19th. All the encounters are supposed to happen on the 13th, but. But this one was delayed. I'll explain why. By the time of 13 August, the encounter that was supposed to happen, the children had become the center of public attention. They were drawing both, you know, belief by the pious, but also, you know, staunch skepticism by non believers. And among the chief skeptic was the mayor of a nearby town, Artur de Oliveira Santos. And on August 13, the children were expected to meet at Cova d'Iria for the fourth apparition of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of people had gathered and anticipation again, hoping to see something of the supernatural. But that morning, Santos arrived at the home of the children in hopes of seeing them. He convinced the children's fathers that he desired to just attend the miracle with them. I'm just a regular mayor and I just want to see what's going on. And again, at the time, there's this overthrow of the monarchy. The mayor is now a secular, non religious mayor, so to speak. It's speculated that he was a Freemason and that he was going to, you know, he wanted to go. And obviously Freemasons and Catholics have sort of a historical disagreement. And so it seemed as though, you know, he was skeptical, but, you know, wanted to see what was going on. So together, he takes all the children to meet with a village priest. And after being questioned, the mayor had the children get into his carriage. The carriage was headed for the site of the apparitions, Cova di Iria, but suddenly turned, went off the side and flew into the other direction. Now, again, some people dispute this. Some people said that this did not occur in the way that it's described here, but this is the way that many Catholics believe it to be. So basically, Santos basically goes off the trail and attempts to calm the children. The kids are like, hey, where are we going? And Santos says, hey, we're gonna go meet with the priest. Everything's cool. To keep people from seeing the children, he allegedly wrapped them in a rug. Finally, when he gets to his house, believing that by keeping the children from the cova, that nothing supernatural would happen and that the visions of the apparition would be gone and that there would be no more religious fervor and that you Know, sort of this weird mystical thing that's happening in Fatima and the towns around Fatima and Portugal, that this would just all go away and people could go back to living their lives, fighting this war and just, you know, getting on with the. With the good, with the good stuff. You know, we don't need all this religious hubbub just, you know, getting in the way of our regular quiet lives. So when they arrive at Santos's house, the children were shut up in a room and told that they would not be let out until they revealed the secrets again. Santos, being this mayor, he wanted to know what the secrets that Mary had told them. And again, none of the children had shared them because Mary had said specifically, don't share them, specifically, the third secret. They were given lunch by the wife, and, you know, they're playing with the kids and everyone's having a good time, and they stay there. And then the following day, Santos interrogates the children, demanding that they reveal the secret that Mary had allegedly told them during the July 13 apparition. When the children refused, he got so furious that he looks at these kids again, they're like 10, nine years old. And he tells them, if you don't tell me the secrets, I'm going to boil you alive in oil. If they didn't confess the truth. Despite their young age, the kids, they were solid. No snitching. They refused to tell the secret or deny the apparition, but the children believe the threat at this point. The children are then moved to a nearby prison for further interrogation. A man in the same prison cell as Jacinta tries to tell her, like, hey, it's, it's, you know, this is crazy. Just say that it's not real or just make up a secret or, you know, just tell him anything. And Jacinta says, I'd rather die solid. Solid as hell, dude. Or as heck. Sorry. Solid. That's a ride or die right there. So Santos takes Jacinta away first, and when he returns, he tells the children that she's dead again. He demanded that the secret be revealed or Francisco or Lucia would be next. But they never gave in. Despite thinking that their cousin sister just died, never gave in. Francisco was then taken away by Santos. He then threatened Lucy with the same fate if she didn't cooperate. Although she believed that her two cousins had been killed, she didn't give the answers. None of the children were ever killed. Even after his final threat, Santos could not obtain the secret. And. And the next morning, August 15, after one last interrogation, he realized he accomplished nothing and returned the children to Fatima. But what happened on the 13th at the apparition site if the kids weren't there? Spectators noticed a small white cloud, similar to the last times, that hovered over the same oak tree for a few minutes. Unexplained colors were observed on the faces of the people, the clothing, the trees and the ground. There were even reports of thunder, followed by lightning. So it's believed that, you know, the Blessed Mother had come there, but she did not see the children. On August 19, at about 4:00 in the afternoon, Lucia was with Francisco and another cousin at Vilnius Valenhos. That's. These Portuguese words are tough, dude. A property belonging to one of her uncles. When the atmospheric changes that preceded the apparition of Mary began to occur. Feeling that something supernatural was approaching, Lucia sent someone to get Jacinta, who arrived just in time to see Mary appear over an oak tree slightly larger than the one at the main apparition site. So once again they have another apparition. And it goes similar to the others, where Mary said, come back on the 13th of the next month, also in October, something crazy is going to happen. And the kids were like, oh, people are leaving all this money, like, what do we do with the money? She was like, you know, just build a chapel, use it to. To. To venerate the Immaculate Heart. And, you know, as you can see, the kids aren't having the best time so far, right? They get abducted, they're thrown in jail, they're interrogated relentlessly, but at the end of the day, they still have their encounter and they are given instructions regarding preparations for Feast of Mary of the Rosary. All right, Fast forward to September 13th once again. A month later, all the kids go to the apparition site. An estimated crowd of 20,000 people had gathered to witness the events that occurred during the previous apparitions. But this time it was a little different. September 13th, they still observed the air suddenly turning cold and the sun dimming to a point where stars became visible in broad daylight. But a mysterious rain of iridescent petals fell from the sky, vanishing before reaching the ground. This isn't specifically stated in the records of the event, but many witnesses claim to have seen these petals throughout each apparition and is a common theme amongst people that have witnessed Marian apparitions from around the world. But that's not the last of it. Adding to the wildness, a bright, luminous globe appeared during the encounter, moving slowly across the sky to west. The apparition then suddenly came to a stop. It reversed direction, returning to the east, as it always does. While everyone else was witnessing the globe, the kids reported seeing a radiant light, followed once again by the appearance of the Blessed Mother above the oak tree. And she says once again, continue to pray the rosary to obtain the end of war in October, Our Lord will also come, as well as Mary of Sorrows and Mary of Mount Carmel and St. Joseph with the child of Jesus to bless the world. The children tied ropes around their waist underneath their clothing as a sacrifice for sinners. This was seen almost like. As a form of, like, self flagellation. The ropes were deliberately uncomfortable, causing pain and irritation, and they were meant as an offering for the sins of others. I mean, it's crazy to think these kids were literally just kids. They're like 10, you know, 9 years old, spreading the word of Christianity, the Virgin Mary, from, you know, around Europe, around Portugal. At this point, like, hundreds of thousands of people are hearing about this, and they're bringing together this community. They're sacrificing themselves for the sins of others. Regardless of what you think is actually happening, if you're a materialist or a naturalist and you think that some bizarre mania is occurring, it's a weird time in Fatima in Portugal. Everyone's hearing about this. These kids are, you know, enduring this. This physical discomfort. And that one was in September. And then we Fast forward to October 13, 1917. This is the big one where Mary's been prepping everyone. This is super bowl, all right? If July and, you know, August, that was, you know, AFC playoffs or whatever. This is the. This is the big one, okay? This is where it's really going down. So this is where the craziest encounter of all of them had occurred. All right? This is exactly when Mary had said it would occur. On October 13, an estimated 70,000 people. Again, some have estimated even to the hundreds of thousands. Even the most conservative estimates suggest 30,000. And there's many pictures of this actual apparition of many of the people that are standing there watching this event unfold. They all gather at Cova da Iria to witness the event. Many were skeptics. Many were believers. There was even, you know, one of the leading, like, Freemason paper writers, like the editor of the paper, he shows up to be like, oh, these Catholics. And, you know, many Freemasons were not Catholic. You know, these Catholics and their crazy thing, like, what is going on? And they all showed up and witnessed something unbelievable. So just as before, the children first saw a bright flash of light, and then the lady appeared over the same oak tree, Lucia, once again speaking on behalf of everyone, asked, what do you wish of me? And this is what Mary says. I wish to tell you that I want a chapel built here in my honor. I am the lady of the Rosary. Continue to pray the Rosary every day. The war is going to end and the soldiers will return soon to their homes. Lucia again asked to heal some sick people and convert sinners to believers. Mary replied that she would heal some, but not all, emphasizing that people must change their lives and seek the forgiveness of sins. Mary then becomes sad and says, let them offend our Lord no more, for he is already much offended. At that point, the lady, the Blessed Mother, opens her hands and rays of light stream towards the sun. She rises into the sky and her radiance continue to shine onto the sun itself. Lucia cries out to the enormous crowd of you know, this is like Woodstock 99. This is like 100,000 people. And Lucia says, look at the sun. Once Mary had disappeared in the expanse of the stars and the galaxy, three scenes followed, symbolizing first the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, then the sorrowful mysteries, then finally the glorious Mysteries. Lucia is the only one who saw all three scenes. Francisco and Jacinta only saw the first. In the first scene, St. Joseph appears with a child Jesus and Our lady of Rosaries beside him, forming the Holy Family. St. Joseph and the child Jesus each blessed the crowd by making the sign of the cross three times. Next came the sorrowful visions that only Lucia saw. Our lady of Sorrows and Jesus carry his cross on the way to Calvary, where he's eventually crucified. She even said that Christ paused to bless the crowd before continuing on his way. Finally, Lucia witnessed Our lady of Mount Carmel, crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth, holding the child Jesus close to her heart. Meanwhile, the others that are all there couldn't see the Virgin Mary. But what they did see was the sun, which appeared to. According to thousands of the people that saw it, it appeared to dance in the sky. It said that when the Blessed Virgin rose and Lucia shouted, look at the sun. The clouds parted again. At this point, it had been a very rainy day. All the people showed up and it had been like, you know, really gloomy, and there was rain on the ground, and like the ground is wet, but yet they look up the clouds part, revealing the sun as this immense giant silver disc thing that's shining with intensity never before seen. That's a quote from Lucia. Again, there's going to be ufo. People are like, oh, it's a Shining disc. That's aliens. Maybe, I don't know. Maybe. Though it wasn't blinding, somehow the people could look directly into the sun and, and they weren't blinded. They could stare at it. And although this lasted a period of time, this disc shaped sun thing began to dance. It spun rapidly, stopping, then spun again. Observers described it's, you know, the outside of it turning crimson, very like multicolored lights across the landscape. The hues reflected on people's faces and clothing, painting everything in a strange shifting colored light display. Then suddenly, the sun appears to tremble and plunge in a zigzag motion towards the earth, causing everyone to freak out. There's panicked cries. People start to run all over the place and believing that the world was ending, they're like, oh, the sun's going to crash on Earth and we're all going to die. And again, there's 70,000 people at this thing watching this whole thing happen. The sun crashing into Earth. And it gets even crazier. It's pouring rain before the encounter happens. And many people realize that as the dance of the sun, this miracle of the sun is happening, all of their clothes in the ground are perfectly dry. Now. The miracle of sun was reportedly witnessed up to 25 miles away. For many, it serves as this definitive proof that the children's claims and their messages that they said were true and that they're kind of vindicated. Newspapers across Portugal, both secular and religious, publish eyewitness accounts, helping to cement the event's place in modern religious history. Even that Freemason guy, the guy I was talking about, that was like, oh, let's go see what happens. At the top of that newspaper. It says, the miracle of the sun. The sun dances in Fatima. Apparently, again, this might be apocryphal. This is what I had heard from listening to a podcast with a priest that talked about this. He said that that actual editor ended up converting to Christianity and left this sort of freemasonic, you know, sort of group he was a part of. He left it behind and became a practicing Catholic. So to honor Mary's request, believers soon consecrated a chapel at Cova di Iria, which later became part of the sacred shrine of Our lady of Fatima, which is now a global pilgrimage site for millions of followers, many of them, you know, still appearing on October 13th in, you know, sort of honor of that specific day. And now to top it all off, in 1930, so fast forward, you know, like 11 years, the local bishop of lyria officially recognized the events of Fatima as quote, worthy of belief. This is the same guy that was kind of interrogating the kids. He says, hey, this is undeniable. What happened here was supernatural. It was strange and unexplainable. And not long after, Pope Pius XII gave a papal order to the devotion of Mary, referring to this marvelous solar phenomena. In his statements on Fatima, he's claimed to have witnessed the miracle of the sun while walking in the Vatican garden. Some people dispute this claim that he never had seen it. But in a handwritten note, the pope wrote, quote, I have seen the miracle of the sun. This is the pure truth. The popes after him endorsed the apparitions by visiting the shrine and emphasized the importance of Our lady of Fatima's message, thereby securing the miracle of the sun as a celebrated and recognized event in Catholic history. It's very strange, all of this. It's like, you know, even if you are a materialist, naturalist person, there has to be some explanation for 70,000 people believing that they, you know, see the sun disc moving around. You know, even the aliens explanation at least acknowledges, like, hey, something weird happened again. You look at people in, you know, 1917, and you might be like, oh, those. They were dumb. There's sheep herders. There's people from all over Portugal that are showing up to witness this. And also, sure, it was 100 years ago, but, like, that's not that long ago. Like, it's not like these people were just like, you know, idiot. You know, like, fourth level on the evolution chart. Like, these are regular human beings, just like you and I, that have witnessed the night sky over and over. They probably are more in touch with nature than we are, like, living in our modern world. Like, they're living in these rural towns looking at the stars. They know what the sun looks like, and what they saw on that day was not what they had seen before. So years had passed, obviously, Jacinta and Francisco had passed away, and Lucia continued to spread the message that she had received as a child. She also claims to still have encounters with Mary as time went on, but they seem to have gotten more personal, you know, than causing a big crowd as before. It wasn't as spectacular as the miracle of the sun. And to end things, Lucia lived to be 97 years old, passing away in 2005. And what day did she die? She died on February 13th. Again, the 13th being a very significant day for these apparitions that they were appearing on the 13th of all those months. And then she was buried on the 19th, which is obviously the same day as the August apparition that they couldn't attend because they were in holding. Now, what do I make of this? This is wild. Like, as a Catholic, you hear about this stuff growing up, and you're like, oh, maybe I've even looked into some debunking videos, and I found them not super compelling. Again, some people have believed that perhaps, you know, there was some type of fabrication with some of these secrets, some of these letters, that they came out at a different date than they had actually said. I haven't seen any necessarily solid proof of that, but again, it's difficult to really discern because I don't have Vatican records prior to the assassination of John Paul ii. Other people have pointed out that, you know, there was some type of mention that not everyone had seen this, that there were some people that apparently had gone to this apparition of the 70,000. And some of them, on an individual basis, had said, I didn't see anything, but my wife saw it. And that's good enough for me. Again, not a. Not a great look. Ideally, you would want, you know, as a believer, you'd be like, yo, everybody saw this. And other people pointed out, like, okay, if the sun is really dancing and moving, right? Like, why wouldn't everyone on Earth see it? And I think Catholics would just be like, yo, this was a specific apparition for these children in this specific time and place, much like many other Marian apparitions, whether it's Lords or Guadalupe, they occur for a specific time and place for these people, I guess would be the Catholic explanation. All that to say, I think something happened. You know, I don't. I don't know if, you know, like, without definitively being there, if you could necessarily say, oh, this was, you know, definitely the Blessed Mother. As a Catholic, I choose to believe that based on my faith. But even if you're a materialist, you got to look at this and be like, these people saw something, or, you know, maybe there was a mass hysterical event. But even that, from a psychological level, I find fascinating. You know, like, what is this type of event that all these people could. Could witness simultaneously? And again, there are thousands and thousands of people with their own documented reports. Many journalists and, you know, newspaper writers had gone to Fatima that day, and they took written statements, many of them you can find online. And they all effectively describe the same exact thing. This dancing light disc feature in the sky that was moving in all sorts of erratic directions in a dance. Very strange. Now, again, I think sometimes Marian apparitions, for some Catholics, can sometimes go too far. Sometimes they go like, oh, this is. This is it. This is, you know, this is everything. And, you know, for non Catholics, they hear the stuff and they're like, whoa, this is a little out there. So in my mind, if you're a Catholic and you hear this and it emboldens your faith, then great, let it do just that. And, you know, I don't know if it's necessarily a church matter if you don't necessarily believe in the apparitions of Mary. I don't think it makes you a non catholic. I think you should probably have some good reasons. But I do find it fascinating regardless. I mean, it's a pretty wild thing. 70,000 people see the sun move. That's pretty cool. So there you have it. That is the full story. All the apparitions and all the aftermath of Our lady of Fatima. Pretty crazy. I don't know, Croesus. What do you think? You going to church now? Doing whatever the Virgin Mary tells me to do. He's doing whatever the Virgin Mary saying solid rosary. Rosary every day. No snitching. That's basically. That's what I got from this. Yo, you're trying to get a RICO on these kids. Be like, yo, we know your boss. We know that. We know the big one we're getting. Stop it, Santos. You're not going to trick these kids. You can boil them alive. All right. Sexist. Yes. Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's. Apparently, we don't like to hear. We don't want to hear the men, you know, we don't let the men hear what's going on. All right, which maybe for a later apparition, get the men involved. Actually, Guadalupe, Juan Diego sees the. The Blessed Mother as I have it right up here. So we'll get into that one at another time where Mary actually appears to Juan Diego. Very similar circumstances. And another fascinating part of Catholic history. I'm curious to know what you guys think. Catholics, non Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Mormons, atheists. What happened on that fateful day in October. Let me know what you think in the comments. I will be reading all of them. And once again, I appreciate you guys for joining me in the tent to discuss all things divine, supernatural, mystical and out of this world. Thank you all so much for tuning in. We'll see you next Sunday. All right. Peace be with you. 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