The Last Secret of Fatima [Hardcover]

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2008

With an introduction by Pope Benedict XVI and including information previously suppressed, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, definitively reveals and explains one of the most controversial events in twentieth-century Catholicism—the 1917 apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima.

During World War I, three Portuguese children received a vision in which Mary, the Mother of Jesus, foretold great global turmoil. The first part of their vision—warnings about World War II, communism, and the spread of atheism—were widely publicized, but Vatican officials were hesitant to reveal the vision’s concluding images, thus creating the "secret" of Fatima. Speculation about this secret gripped many Catholics, and the aura of intrigue surrounding Fatima grew when the Church hierarchy barred the last surviving visionary from speaking publicly.

In THE LAST SECRET OF FATIMA, Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican equivalent of prime minister and a top advisor to Pope Benedict, breaks the Vatican’s official silence on the last secret. Rather than Armageddon, he claims, the final prophecy envisaged the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. Bertone argues the apparition at Fatima was a call to renewal for the Church, and he was assigned the task of promulgating this message by the Pope.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The apparition of Mary, the mother of Christ, to three children in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 has long fascinated Roman Catholics and others intrigued by the vision's prophetic messages, particularly the so-called Third Secret. Journalist De Carli explores the meaning of the visions and puts them in historical context in this extended interview with Bertone, the Vatican official charged with verifying the last secret. Before its release in 2000, Bertone met with the only surviving visionary, Sister Lucia, for confirmation. In subsequent meetings before her death, Bertone gained her assurance that no further secrets remained. This book also discusses the significance of the visions to the late Pope John Paul II, who believed his assassination attempt was foretold in the last secret and emphasized the visions' essential purpose of calling people to conversion. Included are a chronology, theological commentary written by Pope Benedict XVI when he was head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the last secret's text. This guide will be of special interest to Fatima devotees. (May 6)
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About the Author

CARDINAL TARCISIO BERTONE is the Secretary of State for the Holy See. Prior to his current position, Bertone was Archbishop of Genoa, Italy, and during the papacy of John Paul II, he was the number-two figure in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In 2000, Bertone was sent to Fatima by Pope John Paul II to prepare for the release of the “final secret.”

The book is translated by ADRIAN WALKER, an American theologian living in Europe, who has served as translator for Pope Benedict XVI's Jesus of Nazareth.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; Reprint edition (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385525826
• ISBN-13: 978-0385525824
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penance, penacne, penance., November 14, 2008

By 

Bobby Bambino (Lebanon, NH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Secret of Fatima (Hardcover)

If you're wondering what all the fuss over Fatima is all about, than this book is for you. I had often heard people talk about Fatima but didn't know why people had such a devotion to it. This book showed me the beauty and mystery surrounding Fatima. Most of it is in a question and answer interview form with Cardinal Bertone, who met with Sister Lucia and was heavily involved in all the Fatima business. It tells the story of Fatima from the beginning with the three peasant children, the apparitions, the three secrets and how different popes handled it etc. This is all private revelation but never before (according to the book) has a pope headed a request that was made in a private revelation (consecrating Russia to Mary's Immaculate Heart.)

This was an uplifting book which gives a lot of hope for our troubled times now. The world now offends God just as much as it did back then, and this book encourages a real devotion to Our Lady to ask our Lord to have mercy on us.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Book, But Leaves Questions Unanswered, June 24, 2009

By 

A.R. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Secret of Fatima (Hardcover)

This book only deals with the subject of the Last Secret of Fatima for a short while and the focus seems to want to deterr from the story of Fatima. A few nice insights into the Fatima visionary Sister Lucia, but overall it seems to be a bit of a let down. There are remarkable insights into the mind of Cardinal Bertone, the Author - who is a brilliant man - however this seems like it was two small books of different subjects, mashed together.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If you can put up with the interviewer, great book!, August 9, 2010

By 

Jessica R. Westberg "A Catholic with a sense ... - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Last Secret of Fatima (Hardcover)

First off, the editing of the book needs work. I was reading through the introduction, and kept wondering who had written it. There was nothing at the end of the introduction, nor at the beginning. I finally deduced that it was written by the interviewer (Giuseppe de Carli). This is very confusing. Also, sometimes the questioning seems disjointed, as if the editor mixed up the questions. I thought as well that the book ended rather abruptly. If they were shooting for a similar style as "Salt of the Earth", or "Ratzinger Report" (both interviews with then Cardinal Ratzinger, both of which I have read), they failed miserably at doing a good imitation.

Speaking of the interviewer, Giuseppe, he was so aggressive, almost confrontational in his interview style that several times I almost stopped reading and would have except for two things. One was just the sheer information that Cardinal Bertone was sharing, information I had never had knowledge of, or my knowledge was so limited (like the miracles surrounding the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II on pages 51-53). Other good advice was given on apparitions (under 'Medjugorje' pages 92-96). It was also so good to come to know more about Sister Lucia (I expect I'll be picking up her book next) and her most needed common sense. Other worthwhile from the book are the appendices: the secrets themselves, commentary from Cardinal Ratzinger, and Pope John Paul II's act of entrustment.

The second thing was the attitude of Cardinal Bertone himself: so common sense, so approachable and accessible. I will be looking for books of his as well.

So, I definitely recommend this book but only if you can stand the interviewer's style.