The Last Secret of Fatima: The Revelation of One of the Most Controversial Events in Catholic History By Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah's Blogging for Books program for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.



Book Description: 

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.



My Thoughts: 

The Last Secret of Fatima By Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone reveals and explains the apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima.  Three Portuguese children see the Virgin Mary and told of great global turmoil to come to our world.  They received predicitons of WW II, communism, and the growth of atheism which was made pubic at the time but officials of the Vatican were hesitant to reveal the last images of the predictions.  The Church eventually banned the last surviving visionary to speak of the experience publicly.  Cardinal Bertone breaks the silence of the last scene, which was highly speculated to be Armageddon but instead it the final prophecy was the 1981 assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II. 

I was raised Catholic and the story of Fatima was one that fascinated me from the start. The first time I heard it was in second grade and the story just stuck with me. When I saw that this book was available I HAD to read it.  Cardinal Bertone answers candidly and honestly the questions that have been posed for many, many years.  He talks about the three children of Fatima and their lives after they received these visions. Written in Question/Answer form, the book’s content comes from a series of interviews that  Giuseppe DeCarli conducted with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Each of the three messages that  Mary entrusted  to Lucia to hold for the Pope are revealed in their entirety. Along with them, it gives insights into the apparitions themselves when Cardinal Bertone details his meetings with Sister Lucia. The book also discusses the way in which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — later Pope Benedict XVI — felt about these messages. The parts I found most interesting were the details surrounding the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II’s life and his subsequent Entrustment of Russia and the World to Mary’s protection.  Pope John Paul  II became known as “The Fatima Pope.” I really feel like I learned so much more about Fatima than I ever knew. This book is fantastic and I highly recommend this book to anyone who "knows" the story of Fatima, you will be amazed at the things you didn't know. I give this book 5 STARS.