Earlier this year I came across an interesting article written by Dr. José Barreto of the University of Lisbon on Fátima and Fr. Edouard Dhanis. Written in Portuguese, a friend of mine translated it into English for me. Unfortunately, I was not able to spend as much time going through it as I would have liked to do.

While in Fátima last month, Dr. Barreto’s article came up during a conversation. I renewed my interest in the article and contacted Dr. Barreto to request permission to publish the translation. He has graciously consented to do so. I provide it below for your reading pleasure.

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On the Third Part of the Secret of Fátima
Kevin J. Symonds, M.A.

This presentation was delivered at the 24th International Mariological Congress held in Fátima, Portugal
as a part of the English speaking workshop on September 8, 2016 A.D., In Festo Nativitatis B.V.M.

Good afternoon: Very reverend Fathers, religious brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues and devotees of Our Blessèd Lady. It is truly an honor to be with you at this prestigious Conference in Fátima—the place blessed by Our Lady’s presence nearly 100 years ago. I hope that you find the talk to be thought-provoking and challenging. Our topic, On the Third Part of the Secret of Fátima, is written from the heart but with scholarly perspective.

Much mystery, suspense, intrigue and sensational speculation have surrounded the third part of the secret for several decades. Regretfully, these issues have caused discussions on the overall secret to become mired in seemingly endless controversy, resulting in an utterly tragic misunderstanding of Our Lady’s message. In the light of the upcoming centenary of Fátima, I intend in this paper briefly to make some observations concerning these distortions. Let us begin by pointing out the present status quaestionis of the discussions.

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