Fatima...

...and the famous Third Secret revealed in 2000 by Bl John Paul, continues to hold an enormous fascination...and as things develop in Russia, there will be more...you might find this feature of interest...

There has long been an assumption that "the conversion of Russia" would be (a) quick, with an immediate impact and (b) enjoyable for us here in the West. But the Fatima promises did not suggest either of these things.  We should ponder the Fatima message as Catholics, not as readers of horoscopes or listeners to fortune-tellers.

We have been praying, and rightly, for Russia's conversion: it is happening and, like all conversions, will take some while.  But meanwhile, what about the conversion of the West? And what will it be like with Russia a place of growing Christianity -  and with the Holy Father  in renewed dialogue with the Orthodox and so on -  while the Christians in the West are facing immense pressures from the governments, bureaucracy, media and commercial interests of their countries?  To grasp this, we need to shift our world-view. The Cold War era of the 1950s-80s is over, and we are in a new era...

The minds of many Catholics have been confused by campaigners who, for whatever reason, have muddled the whole thing up with their own views on the Church, the liturgy, Vatican II, and more.  They want conspiracies and plots and ooh-the-Vatican-is-in-the-grip-of-evil-and-Ratzinger-was-a-liar.  But the reality is  the unfolding of a loving plan: all the secrets have been revealed, and what remains is the age-old gentle call to prayer and penance. And the call to the New Evangelisation...are you ready?