Finding Fatima - Film Review

The film “Finding Fatima” (1)

Ignatius Press’ second Fatima film in a very short period of time

A Review

NOTE Added on May 10th, 2022

We suggest this 2011 document to be read in conjunction with these others:

The conspiracy to discredit the Apparitions in Fatima and its Messages

Key facts on the Third Part of the Secret of Fátima

On the void Act of Consecration of Russia to Mary staged by Francis on March 25th, 2022

Lucia took the Real Fatima Secret to the grave

PURPOSE and INTRODUCTION

February 2011. After a little over a year, Ignatius Press has released yet another film (2) about Fatima. By this time one could ask: “What is left to be said about Fatima?” However, there is another question which is more appropriate: “What new spin are 'they' trying to give the events of Fatima now?”, since it would seem that “they” have already “spun it to death” for decades.

With those questions raised we asked a close cooperator to acquire the film, review it, and forward it to m de P so that he could also view the film in an effort to discern the answers to the questions posed above, should that be the Will of God.

This brief document is the result of these reviews.

DETAILS

The Review from our cooperator

The DVD contains the film, and some side features. Quite a lot of the movie is interviews of people in Portuguese; it would be interesting to know how faithful the English subtitles are to the original meaning.

Regarding the film itself:

They got some parts of the Fatima message right:

• The film ends with a call for peace from Fr. Schiffer, the Jesuit priest who was one of the survivors of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima (3). It is noteworthy —and correct— for NOT calling for a militant crusade as a response to the messages of Our Lady.

• The film makes it clear that the Fatima message is still relevant now; it does not relegate the apparition and its significance to the past.

The film provided some details that I knew beforehand, details that are (or could be seen as) critical of the slothful behavior of the Church Administration:

• It stated, accurately, that John Paul II was not connected to Fatima, or attentive to it, until after the May/13/81 assassination attempt (4).

• It stated that the beatification of the 2 seers who died soon after the apparition was “delayed for many decades”, and getting the beatification done required something like a personal intervention from Pope John Paul II.

• It was very clear that the Vatican prohibited Lucia from speaking to others about the message of Fatima, a prohibition that she accepted and obeyed (5). (I recall a reference to this situation in the 1990s by Malachi Martin; he had described Sr. Lucia as a “hostage,” as far as I remember.)

The film makers included some information that was new to me, even though I am familiar with the phenomenon through reading several books, and through the articles on your web site. That new information included:

• The film stated that the October 13 Miracle of the Sun was seen over a 600 square mile area, which works out to it being visible about 14 miles away from the Cove.

• When Francisco was dying of the flu, he refused hospital care.

• After Jacinta died, the undertaker found tears of blood on her body, as if she had wept blood just before dying... but nevertheless, that there was an odor of flowers, and no stench, around the body.

• The film claims that it was the picture of Jacinta's incorrupt body in 1935 that motivated Lucia to start her Fatima memoirs. (I do not know whether this is true, or propaganda.)

Unfortunately, the film incorporates much of the evil “spin” on Fatima from the Vatican hierarchy. Spin is delivered by commission and by omission:

• There is a reference to the La Salette vision (6), and a mention that these children “went off the rails” later in life. The context in this film is that the Fatima visionaries retained the free will to respond well or badly to the apparitions. However, it is clear that the Vatican (and the film makers) disdain an apparition such as La Salette, which includes the warning that “Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist”.

• The film makes the claim that Lucia withheld the Third Part of the secret because the world was not ready for it.

• The film upholds the Vatican line that the Third Secret was a vision. It makes no mention of the text of the message given in the secret.

• In the biography of Lucia after 1917, the film makes a brief reference to additional visits by Our Lady to her. There is no specific mention of the 1925-1931 apparitions of Jesus and Mary (7), and NO mention of their content and deadlines.

• The film claims that Portugal was transformed in the 1920s, with the end of the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church... but there is no mention of the role of Salazar or of Portuguese fascism.

• At 1 hour and 14 minutes into the main movie, there is a photo of Benedict XVI (8), followed by the statement, “It was he who interpreted and wrote out the Third Part of the Secret of Fatima. In that text he reveals deep knowledge of everything related to Fatima.” The film praises Benedict XVI, and appears to give him credit for writing the “Third Secret” that was released in 2000. Could it be that the Vatican's men have admitted more than they intended to in this case?

• In its history of the Rosary, the film stated that Our Lady gave it to St. Dominic, and that he used it to pray against the Albigensians. This history of the fight against the Albigensians omits the crusade against the Albigensians, the Inquisition, and the Dominicans' role in the Inquisition.

• The film ends with a Bishop Sheen quote that “Fatima is not a warning, it is a hope.” As such, the movie ending pulls the teeth (9) from the Fatima message.

The film is engaging and technically well done. Nevertheless, because the true parts of the message of the film are so thoroughly mixed with ecclesiastical propaganda, I cannot give the movie better than a “D” grade (10).

Aside from the film, there are additional items on the DVD: 2 hour-long films on Fatima and its meaning. I was unable to review these films or to make comments, but viewed the first several minutes of each one to verify that they are viewable on the DVD.

The M+G+R Foundation Comments

Regarding: After Jacinta died, the undertaker found tears of blood on her body, as if she had wept blood just before dying... but nevertheless, that there was an odor of flowers, and no stench, around the body.

Comments: We have never heard about the tears of blood; however, the sweet smell of flowers is a well documented fact.

Regarding: The film claims that it was the picture of Jacinta's incorrupt body in 1935 that motivated Lucia to start her Fatima memoirs.

Comments: Pure propaganda. Every time Lucia formally wrote about her recollections it was done at the request of her Bishop.

Regarding: There is a reference to the La Salette vision, and a mention that these children “went off the rails” later in life.

Comments: This is not true. Melanie (of La Salette) never went “off the rails” even though she was “in the world” and not hiding from it in a cloistered convent as they tried to impose upon her. Maximin just got fed up with the “games clerics play” and remained at the margin of the seemingly never ending arguments about what Mary “really” said at La Salette.

Regarding: The film makes the claim that Lucia withheld the Third Part of the secret because the world was not ready for it.

Comments: This is not true either. Lucia requested the Vatican authorities not to release the third part of the Secret until 1960 because by then people would not doubt it.

Regarding: There is no specific mention of the 1925-1931 apparitions of Jesus and Mary, and NO mention of their content and deadlines.

Comments: No surprise here. Did Hitler ever admit to his wrong doings?

Regarding: The film ends with a Bishop Sheen quote that “Fatima is not a warning, it is a hope.”

Comments: Yes, “holy” and “adored” (11) Bishop Sheen had to put in his “two cents worth” (12).

In a way, Fatima is a message of hope since it reassures us that the words of Malachias 3:3 “And he shall sit refining and cleansing the silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi (the priestly class), and shall refine them as gold, and as silver, and they shall offer sacrifices to the Lord in justice” will come to pass. We cannot wait until the Vatican is left in the condition the Temple of Jerusalem was left in 70 AD.

Regarding: Aside from the film, there are additional items on the DVD: 2 hour-long films on Fatima and its meaning.

Comments: There was a one hour talk by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, (member of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal). Justifiably, but totally outside the scope of this review, our opinion of Apostoli is not favorable at all. Regarding the interviews in Portuguese: The translations were accurate.

NOTES

(1) The film being reviewed – Finding Fatima

(2) The first film – The 13th Day

(3) Our document Divine Protection at Hiroshima includes the story of the late Fr. Hubert Schiffer, as retold by Fr. Paul Ruge

(4) On Defense of Pope John Paul II – His programed and tragic trajectory

(5) Controlling elements of the Roman Catholic Church Administration tried to place Melanie of La Salette in a cloistered Carmelite convent in England where they had “exiled” her, just as they did with Lucia of Fatima. Melanie was able to derail the plans of the controlling elements through her solid backing from less powerful elements of the Administration, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember “controlling elements of the Administration” can only count upon the power of satan and, as we have often reminded our readers – even satan must serve God. (The precondition for this is that we place our trust in God and not in man – or in an institution.)

(6) The Apparitions of Our Lady of La Salette, France, in 1846

(7) For some references to the 1925-1931 apparitions of Jesus and Mary, see Fátima from 1917 to 1942

(8) From the beginning, Ratzinger/Benedict XVI attempted to deflect the warnings of Fátima

What The Vatican disinformation machinery did with the document issued on June 26, 2000 —the alleged full text of Third Part of the secret with over 30 pages of literary smoke explaining it— was simply trying to cover its tracks for its abysmal failure at not having heeded the Message of Fátima at the proper time – back in 1929! This failing has already resulted in over one hundred million deaths worldwide (7) with many more to come.

(9) (Note for non-native English speakers) “To pull the teeth”: “To make someone or something less powerful, potent, or effective”.

(10) (Note for readers outside USA) “Grade D”: Academic grading in the United States commonly are A, B, C, D, E and F, with A being the highest and F being lowest.

(11) See posts in FYI&R of October 6th and December 13th, 2010

(12) (Note for non-native English speakers) “To put two cents worth”: “To give one's opinion even when it is not asked for”.