Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, showed the original letter from Sister Lucia containing the third secret of Fatima, which the Vatican revealed in 2000, for the first time on television.

During the program “Porta a Porta” on the RAI Uno network, the cardinal first opened an orange envelope with a translation in Italian of the letter, and then he opened a white envelope and showed the original letter written in 1944.

The cardinal read the phrase that appears on the outside of the envelope:  “Through express order of Our Lady, this envelope can be opened in 1960.”  Inside is the letter in which Sister Lucia revealed the third secret of the Fatima apparitions of 1917. 

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 May 13, 1981.