MyCatholicSource.com - 'Quick Help' Page: Siri Thesis/Third Secret of Fatima

Question / Issue:

"Do you think that Cardinal Siri was validly elected as Gregory XVII in 1958? You have seen for yourself the Catholic Church go into a tail spin since then. For instance, why do you think that the Vatican did not obey Mary and reveal the third secret in 1960? And when they finally said that they did reveal it, it was preposterous, unbelievable."

Answer / Resources:

[click link(s) below, as applicable]

I certainly agree that things have been in turmoil in the Church since the 60's, but I do not think the 'Siri thesis' is valid for various reasons (e.g. Cardinal Siri himself accepted the other popes as valid – as did those who supposedly voted for him; events of the conclave are supposed to remain secret & there is no real evidence that this occurred; etc.). There are various resources online that rebut this thesis.

Regarding the 'third secret' of Fatima that has been revealed, it does seem very difficult to believe. There are certainly many unanswered questions concerning this revealed 'third secret'. As to why the Vatican did not obey the Blessed Virgin Mary and reveal the third secret in 1960, my personal opinion (for whatever that is worth) is that the content of the secret was 'embarrassing' or 'unbelievable' to them in light of the events of that time (for example, what if the third secret predicted the disastrous results of the council?). Ultimately, they seemed to show very little faith in regard to the validity of the message and its origin (if they really believed the message was from the Mother of God, how could they dare disobey?)

BTW, you may find the resources on our Vatican II Topic Page to be of some assistance (see link below). It contains links to articles such as 'Vatican II and its Fruits' and 'Summary of Changes Since Vatican II: A Revolution in the Church?'

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