[Xenalyte]

In 2000 Pope John Paul II decided to reveal the secret, which did not refer to any worldwide catastrophe, but rather to the attempt on his life on 13 May 1981.

Not to trivialize the late pontiff, but why would the Blessed Mother have thought that important enough to make one of three earth-shaking secrets?

[Mikey_1962]

When I saw him in the bullet-proof Popemoble in Hamtramck I thought if he is afraid of the here after what chance do I have?

[ClearCase_guy]

I know that Wikipedia is not the best source for information, but the article on Fatima there describes the controversy over the Third Secret:

Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) said in November 1984 that the Secret would cause "sensationalism" and dealt with the "end times." This comment could not be understood if the Secret referred to the assassination attempt in 1981.[13]

On November 11, 1984, as reported in the Pauline Catholic magazine Jesus, Cardinal Ratzinger stated that he had "read the text of the Third Secret." When asked why he had not revealed it, he replied that "in the judgment of previous Popes, it adds nothing to what Christians must know respecting what is stated in the Book of Revelation."

This followed the report in the October 1981 issue of the German Catholic magazine Stimme des Glaubens of a discussion at Fulda in November 1980 when Pope John Paul II had stated to a select group of German Catholics, in response to the question why he had not revealed the Third Secret of Fatima, "If you read that the oceans will inundate continents, and millions of people will die suddenly in a few minutes, once this is known, then in reality it is not necessary to insist on the publication of this Secret."

However, in another interview, Pope John Paul II indicated that the entire secret of Fatima could be summarized in the idea that prayer, especially the Rosary, is the remedy against all manner of evil.

I'm not Catholic, but I rather think there may be more to the story.

[Rutles4Ever]

Because it revealed eschatologically the lot of the Church as prophesied in Revelation. It also demonstrates that Mary plays an essential role in the survival of the Church, and was the instrument of God in sparing John Paul II’s life.

[ears_to_hear]

Not to trivialize the late pontiff, but why would the Blessed Mother have thought that important enough to make one of three earth-shaking secret

Exactly, it reminds me of all the spiritualist "prophets " that give prophecies that can be forced to mean almost anything.