On July 13, 1917, the third apparition of the Virgin Mary to the shepherd children of Fatima took place, considered one of the most important in the entire series of apparitions. That day, before Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the Virgin entrusted the so-called secret of Fatima, composed of three parts: the vision of hell, the announcement of the future spread of the “errors of Russia,” and a third part that would remain reserved until its publication by the Holy See in the year 2000.
The apparition was preceded by moments of uncertainty. According to Sister Lucia’s account, the parish priest’s warnings, fearing that the events might be the work of the devil, led the girl to even consider not going to Cova da Iria. However, when July 13 arrived, her doubts disappeared and, together with Francisco and Jacinta, she went to the usual place of the encounter with the Virgin.
“Only she can obtain peace”
After appearing above the holm oak, the Virgin again asked the children to return on the 13th of the following month and to continue praying the Rosary daily “to obtain peace in the world and the end of the war.”
When Lucia asked her who she was and requested a miracle so that everyone would believe in the apparitions, the Virgin replied that she would reveal her identity in October and that she would then perform a visible sign for all.
During the dialogue, Lucia also conveyed various requests that had been entrusted to her by the pilgrims. The Virgin responded that some people would be healed, while others would not, and insisted on the need for family prayer and offering sacrifices for the conversion of sinners.
The vision of hell
The central moment of the apparition came when the Virgin opened her hands again.
The three children beheld a vision that Sister Lucia would later describe as “a sea of fire,” where demons and condemned souls were found amid screams and sufferings. That experience, the visionary explained, filled them with deep fear, and only the Virgin’s presence kept them from succumbing to terror.
After the vision, Mary told them:
“You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go.”
She then explained that God wished to establish in the world devotion to her Immaculate Heart for the salvation of souls.
Russia and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Virgin announced that the First World War would end, but warned that if men did not cease offending God, another, even worse war would begin.
She also requested the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart and the practice of the reparatory Communion of the first Saturdays of the month.
According to the message given to the shepherd children, if these requests were heeded, Russia would be converted and there would be peace. Otherwise, “she would spread her errors throughout the world,” causing wars, persecutions against the Church, and the martyrdom of numerous Christians.
The message concludes with a promise of hope:
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
The Holy See published the third part in its entirety on June 26, 2000, by decision of Saint John Paul II, accompanied by a theological commentary from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Subsequently, Benedict XVI stated that there was no hidden part of the secret other than the one already published by the Vatican.
A test for the three shepherd children
After this apparition, the three children faced increasing pressure to reveal the content of the secret. Relatives, neighbors, civil authorities, and even members of the clergy tried to learn what the Virgin had entrusted to them.
The situation reached a critical point a few weeks later, when the openly anticlerical Portuguese republican authorities arrested the shepherd children and attempted to force them to reveal the secret, without success. Those events preceded the famous apparition of October 13, 1917, in which the so-called miracle of the sun took place, witnessed by tens of thousands of people.