Fátima Book Publication
by Kevin Symonds
It is with great joy to announce that the interior work on my Fátima book is now complete with 580 pages. The cover design shall be approved today and fulfillment of orders begins in about 3 days.
For more information, please visit En Route Books and Media over the next few days. I shall update this web site accordingly as time permits.
In the meantime, please join me in thanking God for this great grace. The true work begins now and I shall make yet another notable announcement related to the book when things are ready.
Fatima, Kevin's new book
Moderators:Johnna, MarieT, Denise
Last edited by Denise on Thu May 04, 2017 8:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales
Fr. Paul, June and I got our books. I can't wait to start reading it. Also here is a flyer for the book
promotional flyer
promotional flyer
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales
Donal Foley reviews Kevin's Fatima book
http://thewandererpress.com
A Book Review… A Non-Polemical Study The Third Secret Of Fatima
July 20, 2017
By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY
On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima, by Kevin Symonds (En Route
Books and Media, 2017, 582 pages, $35.00 paperback, $10.05 Kindle).
On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima is a quite comprehensive
treatment of this difficult subject, and one based on extensive
documentation and copious footnotes.
Some people might find that off-putting, but it is worth persevering with
this book because it breaks significant new ground with regard to the
third part of the secret of Fatima, a subject over which conspiracy
theorists have burned much midnight oil.
The Secret as a whole was given to the Fatima seers during the July 1917
apparition. The first part was the terrifying vision of Hell they
experienced for just a moment — the context for that was that the children
had been promised they would go to Heaven.
The second part of the secret concerned the warning given by our Lady
about the outbreak of World War II, and how Russia would spread its errors
throughout the world. Her remedy for these things was the consecration of
that country to her Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on
the First Saturdays.
She also promised that in the end her Immaculate Heart would triumph and a
period of peace would be given to the world.
Then came the third part of the secret, which was written down by Sr.
Lucia in January 1944, taken to Rome in 1957, and only finally revealed in
the year 2000 at the behest of Pope John Paul II.
This was a vision seen by the seers in which a “bishop dressed in white” —
taken to be the Pope — struggled up a mountain through a half-ruined city,
followed by numerous Catholics of all ranks. At the top of the mountain
was a rough wooden cross, and here the Pope and his followers were all
killed.
This vision was explained in the year 2000 as symbolic of the sufferings
undergone by the Church during the 20th century in particular.
In On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima, the author discusses the
meaning of the phrase, “In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be
preserved,” which is found at the end of the second part of the secret in
the fourth memoir, but is omitted in the third memoir. The crucial
question is: Is this phrase the end of the second part of the secret or
the beginning of the third?
A lot hangs on that question. Those who believe that the full text of the
secret hasn’t yet been revealed, and thus that the third part of the
secret refers to apostasy in the Church, or nuclear war, etc., rather than
persecutions, have seized on this phrase in support of their view. This
attitude is characterized by Symonds as a “hermeneutic of suspicions and
conspiracy.”
This is the approach found among the writings of people such as the Abbé
George de Nantes, founder of “League of Catholic Counter-Reform,” Frère
Michel of the Holy Trinity, and the late Fr. Nicholas Gruner.
But as Symonds demonstrates, it is perfectly plausible to regard it as the
end of the second part of the secret, and thus not an indication of the
tone or content of the third part of the secret.
One of the important claims made by Frère Michel, a French writer, who was
responsible for the multi-volume, The Whole Truth About Fatima, was that
the third part of the secret comprised only about 20-25 lines, whereas the
text released by the Vatican in 2000 had 62 lines, leading to speculation
about other texts which were not being revealed.
However it seems that this figure of 20-25 lines comes from Frère Michel
himself rather being a figure based on any solid evidence. It seems he
based this idea on the comments by Bishop Venation of Leiria-Fatima, the
successor to Bishop Correia da Silva, who had seen the secret within its
envelope and described the whole as being “small.” This idea of a 20-25
lines secret has been widely broadcast by enthusiasts for a cover-up.
In fact, in 2007, Cardinal Bertone, who has had an important part to play
regarding the third part of the secret, revealed on Italian television the
envelope holding the secret and the secret itself. It was a single sheet
of paper but had been folded over into squares. This explains how it can
be regarded as having been small but at the same time comprise 62 lines of
text.
Regarding the content of the third part of the secret, it is worth noting
that Cardinal Ottaviani, who had read it, said in 1967, in Rome, that it
actually referred to the Pope, rather than that it was addressed to him —
which again backs up the version which was revealed by the Vatican in
2000.
And in fact the actual content of the third part of the secret makes it
understandable why it wasn’t revealed in 1960, which was widely expected
at the time. Clearly the account of a future Pope being killed could have
led to all sorts of complications for the Church, and even more conspiracy
theories, or even attempts on the life of the Pope. Thus it wasn’t
revealed until after the assassination attempt on Pope St. John Paul II on
May 13, 1981.
Much has been made of an interview between Sr. Lucia and the Mexican
priest, Fr. Agustin Fuentes, in December 1957, and the claims he later
made about this interview, which touched on the third part of the secret
which he described in apocalyptic terms. It appears though that the text
of this interview, as published in English, was somewhat embellished.
And even before that, in his commentary on the third part of the secret,
the then Cardinal Ratzinger said that it was being revealed “in its
entirety,” which ought to have been enough for the critics.
One point which the author doesn’t cover, but which would have added
weight to his conclusions, concerns the two visions of a future Pope seen
by Jacinta alone, and which are recounted in Sr. Lucia’s Third Memoir. In
one of these she saw the Pope praying in a big house while outside an
angry mob was protesting, and in the other she saw refugees with nothing
to eat and the Pope in prayer in a church with many people.
In both cases Sr. Lucia specifically relates these visions to the secret,
which adds weight to the position that the complete text of the secret was
in fact revealed in 2000, since these two extra visions clearly have
themes relating to persecutions and the papacy.
This book is not light reading, and does require concentration and the
ability to follow an often complex series of arguments, but for anyone
interested in this subject, it will be essential reading.
In sum, the author has very diligently and painstaking gone over the texts
and literature relevant to the third part of the secret and in doing do
has undoubtedly rendered an important service to the Church, and moreover
he has done this in a very charitable and non-polemical way.
+ + +
(Donal Anthony Foley is the author of a number of books on Marian
Apparitions, and maintains a related website at www.theotokos.org.uk. He
has also a written two time-travel/adventure books for young people —
details can be found at: http://glaston-chronicles.co.uk/.)
http://thewandererpress.com
A Book Review… A Non-Polemical Study The Third Secret Of Fatima
July 20, 2017
By DONAL ANTHONY FOLEY
On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima, by Kevin Symonds (En Route
Books and Media, 2017, 582 pages, $35.00 paperback, $10.05 Kindle).
On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima is a quite comprehensive
treatment of this difficult subject, and one based on extensive
documentation and copious footnotes.
Some people might find that off-putting, but it is worth persevering with
this book because it breaks significant new ground with regard to the
third part of the secret of Fatima, a subject over which conspiracy
theorists have burned much midnight oil.
The Secret as a whole was given to the Fatima seers during the July 1917
apparition. The first part was the terrifying vision of Hell they
experienced for just a moment — the context for that was that the children
had been promised they would go to Heaven.
The second part of the secret concerned the warning given by our Lady
about the outbreak of World War II, and how Russia would spread its errors
throughout the world. Her remedy for these things was the consecration of
that country to her Immaculate Heart and the Communion of Reparation on
the First Saturdays.
She also promised that in the end her Immaculate Heart would triumph and a
period of peace would be given to the world.
Then came the third part of the secret, which was written down by Sr.
Lucia in January 1944, taken to Rome in 1957, and only finally revealed in
the year 2000 at the behest of Pope John Paul II.
This was a vision seen by the seers in which a “bishop dressed in white” —
taken to be the Pope — struggled up a mountain through a half-ruined city,
followed by numerous Catholics of all ranks. At the top of the mountain
was a rough wooden cross, and here the Pope and his followers were all
killed.
This vision was explained in the year 2000 as symbolic of the sufferings
undergone by the Church during the 20th century in particular.
In On the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima, the author discusses the
meaning of the phrase, “In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be
preserved,” which is found at the end of the second part of the secret in
the fourth memoir, but is omitted in the third memoir. The crucial
question is: Is this phrase the end of the second part of the secret or
the beginning of the third?
A lot hangs on that question. Those who believe that the full text of the
secret hasn’t yet been revealed, and thus that the third part of the
secret refers to apostasy in the Church, or nuclear war, etc., rather than
persecutions, have seized on this phrase in support of their view. This
attitude is characterized by Symonds as a “hermeneutic of suspicions and
conspiracy.”
This is the approach found among the writings of people such as the Abbé
George de Nantes, founder of “League of Catholic Counter-Reform,” Frère
Michel of the Holy Trinity, and the late Fr. Nicholas Gruner.
But as Symonds demonstrates, it is perfectly plausible to regard it as the
end of the second part of the secret, and thus not an indication of the
tone or content of the third part of the secret.
One of the important claims made by Frère Michel, a French writer, who was
responsible for the multi-volume, The Whole Truth About Fatima, was that
the third part of the secret comprised only about 20-25 lines, whereas the
text released by the Vatican in 2000 had 62 lines, leading to speculation
about other texts which were not being revealed.
However it seems that this figure of 20-25 lines comes from Frère Michel
himself rather being a figure based on any solid evidence. It seems he
based this idea on the comments by Bishop Venation of Leiria-Fatima, the
successor to Bishop Correia da Silva, who had seen the secret within its
envelope and described the whole as being “small.” This idea of a 20-25
lines secret has been widely broadcast by enthusiasts for a cover-up.
In fact, in 2007, Cardinal Bertone, who has had an important part to play
regarding the third part of the secret, revealed on Italian television the
envelope holding the secret and the secret itself. It was a single sheet
of paper but had been folded over into squares. This explains how it can
be regarded as having been small but at the same time comprise 62 lines of
text.
Regarding the content of the third part of the secret, it is worth noting
that Cardinal Ottaviani, who had read it, said in 1967, in Rome, that it
actually referred to the Pope, rather than that it was addressed to him —
which again backs up the version which was revealed by the Vatican in
2000.
And in fact the actual content of the third part of the secret makes it
understandable why it wasn’t revealed in 1960, which was widely expected
at the time. Clearly the account of a future Pope being killed could have
led to all sorts of complications for the Church, and even more conspiracy
theories, or even attempts on the life of the Pope. Thus it wasn’t
revealed until after the assassination attempt on Pope St. John Paul II on
May 13, 1981.
Much has been made of an interview between Sr. Lucia and the Mexican
priest, Fr. Agustin Fuentes, in December 1957, and the claims he later
made about this interview, which touched on the third part of the secret
which he described in apocalyptic terms. It appears though that the text
of this interview, as published in English, was somewhat embellished.
And even before that, in his commentary on the third part of the secret,
the then Cardinal Ratzinger said that it was being revealed “in its
entirety,” which ought to have been enough for the critics.
One point which the author doesn’t cover, but which would have added
weight to his conclusions, concerns the two visions of a future Pope seen
by Jacinta alone, and which are recounted in Sr. Lucia’s Third Memoir. In
one of these she saw the Pope praying in a big house while outside an
angry mob was protesting, and in the other she saw refugees with nothing
to eat and the Pope in prayer in a church with many people.
In both cases Sr. Lucia specifically relates these visions to the secret,
which adds weight to the position that the complete text of the secret was
in fact revealed in 2000, since these two extra visions clearly have
themes relating to persecutions and the papacy.
This book is not light reading, and does require concentration and the
ability to follow an often complex series of arguments, but for anyone
interested in this subject, it will be essential reading.
In sum, the author has very diligently and painstaking gone over the texts
and literature relevant to the third part of the secret and in doing do
has undoubtedly rendered an important service to the Church, and moreover
he has done this in a very charitable and non-polemical way.
+ + +
(Donal Anthony Foley is the author of a number of books on Marian
Apparitions, and maintains a related website at www.theotokos.org.uk. He
has also a written two time-travel/adventure books for young people —
details can be found at: http://glaston-chronicles.co.uk/.)
Devotion to the souls in Purgatory contains in itself all the works of mercy, which supernaturalized by a spirit of faith, should merit us Heaven. de Sales