[mod.religion.christian] The story of the sightings of mary, at Fatima

christian@topaz.UUCP (02/27/87)

      I was watching a movie recently, about the miracle of Fatima(sp)

  The story goes...that 3 young children, 2 girls and a boy, saw the
image of Mary by a tree.  She gave several predictions of things that
were to happen,


  Does anyone know of the story, and have some info??
  I know that the first message was that the little boy was going to
die, and for the rest, I don't know.  I think that the one girl is a
nun, and is still alive.

                        Thanks,     Jack Stanley

christian@topaz.UUCP (03/02/87)

	I'm somewhat reluctant to say very much about this
subject - the purported vision of Mary at Fatima by three
very young Spanish children (eldest 9 I believe), after
WW1 and shortly before the Bolshevik (Russian) Revolution
of 1917. But apparently this event is officially considered
by the Catholic Church to involve a miraculous revelation,
which has been taken seriously by some Popes, especially
after many years when some international political predictions
were fulfilled. 
	As I understand it, the ultimate message
conveyed by the children involves a startling warning about 
Russia, then a very religious country, advising the Pope
and Cardinals to consecrate Russia to the Virgin if disaster
is to be avoided and peace secured. As I said, I believe 
that some Popes have acted on this, although lately and 
somewhat equivocally.
	Many will consider this to be superstition, no doubt,
however, well-known Catholic writer and Vatican-observer
Malachi Martin suggests in his slightly veiled novel,
_Vatican_, the effect of the Fatima episode behind-the-scenes
of the Vatican.

christian@topaz.UUCP (03/11/87)

[In article <9752@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU> harwood@cvl.uucp (David Harwood) 
 responded to a question about the purported vision of Mary at Fatima.]

Wasn't this message supposed to be revealed to the world in 1960 by the pope?
If so, why wasn't the world told what supposedly was said to the three
children?  It is said that the popes before 1960 were permitted to read this
message and some cried when they did so.  Any truth to this either?  Just
curious.  I don't know what to believe about all of this but the movie was
good.  

ray