Review: The Last Secret of Fatima

The Last Secret of Fatima: The Revelation of One of the Most Controversial Events in Catholic History by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, August 6, 2013. 192 pages. Published by Image Books. Source: Blogging for Books.

With an introduction by Pope Benedict XVI and including information previously suppressed, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, definitively reveals and explains one of the most controversial events in twentieth-century Catholicism—the 1917 apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima.

During World War I, three Portuguese children received a vision in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, foretold great global turmoil. The first part of their vision—warnings about World War II, communism, and the spread of atheism—were widely publicized, but Vatican officials were hesitant to reveal the vision’s concluding images, thus creating the "secret" of Fatima. Speculation about this secret gripped many Catholics, and the aura of intrigue surrounding Fatima grew when the Church hierarchy barred the last surviving visionary from speaking publicly.

In THE LAST SECRET OF FATIMA, Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican equivalent of prime minister and a top advisor to Pope Benedict, breaks the Vatican’s official silence on the last secret. Rather than Armageddon, he claims, the final prophecy envisaged the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Bertone argues the apparition at Fatima was a call to renewal for the Church, and he was assigned the task of promulgating this message by the Pope.

While it did take me a week to actually finish The Last Secret of Fatima, due to the fact that I kept misplacing it (I'm thinking the Lord wanted me to ponder on what I was reading). I must say that there are so many things I found to be important in this book. While I may be only moderately familiar with the three secrets of Fatima, I enjoyed seeing the way Fatima helped to shape the life of JPII and his devotion to the Blessed Mother.

In a very un-me fashion, I actually put sticky-tabs throughout my copy of this book. Why, because there were so many different aspects of the book and that I knew I'd never remember all the pages/things I would like to bring up in my review.

I also found it quite interesting that, from what was mentioned in this book, that more than Christians see the importance of the message of Fatima. While I was caught off guard over that fact, I also found it very interesting as to why non-Christians found the message of Fatima to be of inportance. It would be entirely too lengthy of a discussion to go into the why's, but it was definitely interesting to read about.

One of the things I enjoyed most about The Last Secret of Fatima would have to be the way Cardinal Bertone described Sister Lucia because he was able to show the kindness and trust that she had in the Lord. I really enjoyed seeing knowing that while she trusted in Our Lady and her message she was able to maintain her humility at being called to be an instrument for the Lord. Also, from what I've read about her- and I now plan to learn more about her and Fatima- I'm curious to see her own writing and hearing what she personally thought and wrote about her experiences.

Even though there are many more things I would like to say about The Last Secret of Fatima and my experience while reading it, I'm afraid I just cannot put into words my final thoughts on this one. Just know this, it was well written and definitely good reading for both those familiar and unfamiliar with Sister Lucia and the apparition of The Blessed Virgin Mary at Fatima in 1917.

Final Verdict: The Last Secret of Fatima-  For me was an eyeopener in regards to Fatima and its message. It was also quite enjoyable because of the way the book is written (i.e not like some boring textbook).

The Last Secret of Fatima earns 4 out of 5 griffins

This book was received in exchange for an honest review.