Secrets of Fatima

* Re “Catholic Church Unveils ‘Third Secret’ of Fatima,” June 27: Many priests, like myself, will attest to the number of people in our congregations who claim to have had “visions” and “revelations.” Our usual advice to them is, all things being equal, if their experience did not contradict Scripture of the living faith of the church, then they could consider it as a private gift from God for their personal edification and growth.

Christopher Ferrara of the Fatima Center in Fort Erie, Canada, does not seem to understand the nature of revelation and its distinctions. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is right when he says that the events at Fatima constitute a “private revelation.” They do not become part of the body of binding revelation of the church.

The holy father’s personal devotion to Mary under the title of “Our Lady of Fatima” is precisely that--personal. As a baptized Catholic, Karol Wojtyla is free to follow the impulses and rhythms of his own spirituality within the framework of the faith. He canonized the shepherd children not because of the apparitions but because of “their generous innocence”--worthy of imitation. His view of and his presence at Fatima is in no way an official endorsement of the event, and Roman Catholics are free to incorporate it in their own spirituality if they wish.

FATHER VIVIAN BEN LIMA

North American College, Rome

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The pope interprets Sister Lucia’s vision of the Virgin Mary, a flaming sword and a bishop and his followers being slain with bullets and arrows, as a prophecy of the attempt on his life. No explanation why the killing of many gets changed to wounding of one, but he does add his own vision that the Virgin Mary deflected the bullets.

Meanwhile, the Vatican’s top theologian interprets the vision to mean the flaming sword is a symbol of modern technology and prayer is more powerful than bullets--even though everybody dies.

With this latest example of “interpretation” of apocalyptic visions and literature, we can now prophesy that theologically speaking, for many, the third millennium isn’t going to be much different from the first two.

JUDY FARRIS

Rancho Mirage