In a ceremony in Fatima, Portugal, Pope John Paul has beatified two of the three children, who had visions of the Virgin Mary in 1917. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the ceremony. Francisco and Jacinta Marto saw the Virgin Mary six times between May and October of 1917. They both died shortly after the apparitions and today's ceremony marks the first step towards sainthood. The third visionary, Sister Lucia dos Santos is still alive. The Virgin Mary is said to have told them the three secrets of Fatima. The Pope, who is making his third visit to Fatima, believes the Virgin saved his life 19 years ago when he was shot by a Turkish gunman.
The Vatican has unveiled part of the third secret of Fatima, saying it foresaw a failed bid to kill Pope John Paul in 1981. A Vatican spokesman promised full details would be revealed after what he termed "appropriate" preparation of the text for the faithful, because it also contained another prophetic vision. The Vatican cardinal, Angelo Sodano, said that Pope John Paul will reveal what is known as the third secret of Fatima in Rome at an unspecified date in the future. The secret is said to have been revealed to three child sheperds in an appearance by the Virgin Mary at Fatima in Portugal in 1917.
