Official Fátima Texts and Church Documents
This section preserves a collection of historical Catholic Church documents connected with Fátima and the publication of the Third Secret in 2000. The documents are presented as an archive for readers who want to go beyond a general travel guide and read the Church’s own statements, testimony and theological interpretation.
These pages should be read as historical source documents. Some were written or published in 2000 and therefore reflect the language, context and concerns of that period. For a modern overview of the 1917 events, the Miracle of the Sun and the Three Secrets, see our Miracle of Fátima guide. For practical visitor information, see the Fátima travel guide and Sanctuary of Fátima visitor guide.
Fátima Church Documents in This Archive
Announcement on the Third Secret
This document preserves the announcement delivered at Fátima on May 13, 2000, during Pope John Paul II’s pilgrimage for the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto. It announced the Pope’s decision to make public the third part of the Secret of Fátima and introduced the Church’s interpretation of the symbolic vision.
Theological Commentary on the Fátima Message
This is the most substantial interpretive document in the archive. It explains the Catholic distinction between public Revelation and private revelation and discusses how the Church understands the imagery and meaning of the third part of the Secret. The commentary was published with the Vatican’s release of the Fátima documentation in 2000.
Read the Theological Commentary →
Conversations With Sister Lúcia
This page preserves material concerning a meeting with Sister Lúcia in Coimbra on April 27, 2000. The discussion involved Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone and the Bishop of Leiria-Fátima and addressed the handwritten text of the third part of the Secret and its interpretation.
Read the Conversations With Sister Lúcia →
The Message of Fátima and the Third Secret
This document places the three parts of the Secret within their historical and religious context and describes how the manuscripts were preserved and handled by Church authorities before the third part was published in 2000. It is useful for understanding the documentary history behind the Vatican’s release.
Official Text of the Secrets of Fátima
This page preserves the text associated with the three parts of the Secret of Fátima, including Sister Lúcia’s account of the first two parts and the text of the third part that was made public by the Holy See in 2000.
Read the Official Secrets of Fátima →
How the Documents Fit Together
The archive is easiest to understand as a sequence. The Announcement explains why the third part of the Secret was being made public. The Conversations With Sister Lúcia provide historical context for the Church’s discussions with the surviving Fátima seer. The Message of Fátima presents the documentary background and text. The Official Secrets page preserves the Secret itself, while the Theological Commentary explains how the Catholic Church interprets private revelation and the symbolic imagery associated with Fátima.
Historical Archive, Not Current Travel Guidance
These pages are maintained because they document an important part of the modern history of Fátima. They should not be confused with current visitor information, pilgrimage schedules or travel advice. Some wording within the archived documents reflects the period in which the documents were originally issued.
For current travel planning, use our Fátima travel guide. For the Chapel of the Apparitions, the two basilicas, the shepherds’ tombs, Valinhos, Aljustrel and pilgrimage dates, see the Sanctuary of Fátima visitor guide.
Primary Vatican Source
The Holy See published the third part of the Secret together with the relevant historical documents and theological commentary on June 26, 2000. Readers who want to consult the Vatican source directly can use:
Vatican: The Message of Fátima →
Archive reviewed August 2026. PortugalOnline preserves these pages for historical and informational purposes. The wording of individual documents may reflect their original publication date.