What is the message of these three secrets of Our Blessed Virgin Mary? What is the real meaning behind them? Are the secrets of Fatima meant to frighten us or lead us to God? 

During World War I, three children, Lúcia dos Santos (10) and her cousins Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7), reported six apparitions of a lady "brighter than the sun" in Cova da Iria, Fátima. They were young, simple children chosen by God through Our Blessed Virgin Mary for a special mission. In the third apparition on July 13, 1917, according to venerable Sr. Lúcia, the Blessed Virgin Mary entrusted them with a three-part prophecy. While two of the secrets were published in 1941, the Vatican kept the final secret confidential until the turn of the millennium. 

The First Secret: The Vision of Hell 

"…she opened her hands…the light seemed to penetrate the earth and we saw, as it were, a sea of fire. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers... floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke.... amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair…we looked up at Our Lady, who said to us so kindly and so sadly: You have seen hell, where souls of poor sinners go. 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 " 

The first secret was a terrifying glimpse of hell that lasted only a moment but left a permanent mark on the children. One may think that the children were too young to see scary things, such as hell, but it was important for them to know and to learn how bad things could be prevented, even the war could be prevented. Obviously, they wouldn’t be able to see the vision of hell without supernatural power; only by God’s grace were they able to understand the vision. They understood that their prayers and sacrifices could prevent people from going to hell. This first secret served as a dramatic, urgent call to the world. It framed the entire Fátima message not as a selected theological puzzle, but as a direct warning about the spiritual danger of human action, emphasizing the reality of damnation and the urgent need to save souls. Although sin and suffering are real, our Blessed Mother assures us that the faithful can have hope because victory comes through Jesus when we remain faithful to God's grace. In Catholic theology, this wasn't just a scary tactic. It was presented as a wake-up call to the reality of human free will and the spiritual consequences of actions. The vision served as the method for the children’s message to the world: a desperate plea for prayer and conversion to prevent souls from falling into this state of separation. It is not meant to discourage humanity but to prevent them from perishing. 

The Second Secret: World War II and the Rise of Russia 

“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various nations will be annihilated.” Our Blessed Virgin Mary added a most hopeful message. She said, “In the end, 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 to the world.”   

The second secret was a geopolitical prophecy. It accurately predicted the end of World War I but warned of a worse conflict if humanity did not stop offending God. Notice that it moved directly from the spiritual realm into the drama of modern history. What does Our Blessed Mother mean by “God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart” and “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph”? Why devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Because the Immaculate Heart of Mary is pure, holy, humble and spotless; her Heart is totally dedicated and open to God’s will. Mary's heart, unlike Jesus' Heart, is fully human. As the most perfect of God's creatures, Mary loved God as completely as possible and shared a uniquely close bond with Jesus through her roles as both mother and disciple. Therefore, her Immaculate Heart is stronger than any weapons and guns of all kinds. She will protect and save the souls from the grasp of the evil ones. Her humility is so great that the devil cannot prevail against her. 

The message of Our Lady of Fatima has inspired generations by offering hope during times of hardship, war, persecution and personal struggle, and reminding people that God's plan leads to redemption. It also calls us to pray, make sacrifices, and work for the salvation of others. We live in a world of a self-centred culture that prioritises personal comfort and only does what makes us feel good. This mentality is contrary to God’s way of love. Therefore, the message of Our Lady is to help us to focus on a life of love, self-sacrifice, and prayer for the grace to care more deeply for others. 

The Third Secret: Persecution and the Pope 

“…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 splendour that Our Lady 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 in 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 that it was the Holy Father”. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of roughhewn 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 halting 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 aspersorium 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. 

“To save souls” has become the central theme of the first and second sections of the “secret,” while the important expression of the third section is the threefold appeal: “Penance, Penance, Penance!” The third vision emphasizes its call to prayer and penance. By these spiritual exercises, we can overcome the evil one who constantly spreads its poison in the world. In the vision, we see how Our Blessed Mother powerfully protected her spiritual children from the hands of the enemy, …with the splendour that she radiated towards him from her right hand… This vision also foretold how the Militant Church was and still is in constant battle against the Evil One. She is going through a time of violence, destruction and persecution. According to the vision, the last century was a period of martyrdom, hardship, and persecution for the Church, marked by world wars and numerous local conflicts that subjected humanity to previously unseen forms of violence and cruelty. Throughout the centuries, the figure of the Pope has played a special role. We see in this vision the Pope climbing the hill, symbolising different Popes, who constantly strive to march forward amidst the sufferings and persecution of the Church, which leads to the Cross. Besides the image of the Pope, we also see beneath the arms of the Cross two angels gather up the blood of the martyrs, and with it they give life to the souls making their way to God. In the Sacred Scriptures, blood is referred to as belonging to God. Only God has the right to take a human’s life. Sadly, some of those who were and who are in authority continue to shed the blood of innocent people to satiate their power and greed. The deaths of Christian martyrs are seen as spiritually united with the death of Christ. Their suffering and sacrifice are understood as sharing in Christ’s Passion, so the martyrs’ blood is symbolically viewed as flowing from the cross alongside Christ’s blood. In this way, their deaths become part of and connected to his sacrifice. Tertullian says, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians.” As from the side of Christ, the Church was born; similarly, the martyrs’ deaths bear fruit for the future life of the Church.

Although the vision of these three secrets looks rather distressing at first, it concludes with the image of hope; hope that in the end God's love and mercy will triumph, that death has no power over Life. The believers are called to remain faithful and persevere in their faith and hope in God. The purpose of the secret is to prevent humanity from perishing and to live with God in eternity. Throughout the centuries, God chose and continues to choose simple and pure souls as His instruments to silence His enemies. 

Written by Sr. Mary Goncalves, F.D.C.

Daughters of Divine Charity (Filae Divinae Caritatis F.D.C) 

(An international Congregation, active in the Diocese of East Anglia since missionaries from their Congregation arrived in England from Vienna, Austria, in 1914) 

Sr. Mary joined the Order in 2014 and made her final vows in August 2023.  The Charism of the Congregation is to make God’s Love visible through education, social work, and pastoral care, focusing on fulfilling the needs of the present day