What do you make of Christopher Ferrara’s book The Secret Still Hidden, in which he makes the case that there is more to the Third Secret (two different letters, only one of which was disclosed to the public by the Vatican)?
I have not read the book, and so I cannot comment on it specifically. All I can do is to caution you about the prudence of accepting Christopher Ferrara as a helpful guide to this issue. He is a writer for The Fatima Network, the “apostolate” of Fr. Nicholas Gruner, a priest who has had his priestly faculties suspended (
source). The Fatima Network’s
raison d’etre was to criticize the Church over how it addressed the issues raised by the Fatima apparitions (e.g., the consecration of Russia, the Third Secret). Since the consecration was made in 1984 and Third Secret was released in 2000, the
raison d’etre has shifted to claims that the consecration wasn’t done correctly and that the Third Secret hasn’t been
fully released.
hoop0826:
Also, why does it seem that Fatima and the Third Secret are still hot topics with the faithful today?
People like secrets. They like thinking that they have the “inside scoop” on something that no one else knows. They like the idea that there might be some Grand Conspiracy dedicated to covering up what they themselves have the inside scoop on and think they “know.” And so even people who consider themselves faithful Catholics will listen to murmurings of secrets, conspiracies, cover-up, etc. They might not intend to do so, but this lends credence to unjust claims that leaders in the Church are involved in some Grand Conspiracy to hide the entirety of the Fatima message.
Since you are a new Catholic, I strongly urge you to set aside your interest in these issues for the time being. Concentrate on learning your faith from trustworthy sources, developing Marian devotion by reading Marian spiritual guides who do not have questionable agendas, and avoiding undue curiosity about presumed “secrets.” Certainly you may continue to find inspiration from and cultivate devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, but I recommend you do so with a group faithful to the Church and its magisterium. One possibility for such a group might be the
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima.
