EPISTLES

In the book The Fruits of Fatima, Joseph Pronechen presents convincing evidence that Pope John Paul II was not actually the first “Fatima Pope,” even though he is widely known as the pontiff most closely associated with devotion to Our Lady of Fatima.

According to the author, the title of the first true “Fatima Pope” belongs instead to Pope Pius XII. Pronechen argues that long before John Paul II’s famous pilgrimage to Fatima and consecration of the world, Pius XII had already deeply embraced, promoted, and spread the Fatima message throughout the universal Church.

The author lays out several striking reasons for this conclusion.

First, Pius XII was the first pope to explicitly mention Fatima in a formal papal document. In his 1940 encyclical Saeculo Exeunte Octavo, he encouraged the faithful to pray the Rosary as requested by Our Lady at Fatima and invoked “the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary, who is venerated at Fatima.” This was historically important because it marked the first official papal recognition of Fatima in a solemn Church document.

Second, the timing of this encyclical appeared providential. It was released on June 13, 1940, the anniversary of one of the Fatima apparitions. Pronechen suggests that this connection was not accidental but part of a larger heavenly design linking Pius XII to Fatima.

Another remarkable reason is the extraordinary coincidence surrounding Pius XII’s episcopal consecration. On May 13, 1917 — the exact day the Blessed Virgin first appeared to the three shepherd children in Fatima — Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, was being consecrated bishop in Rome. The author sees this as one of the strongest symbolic links between the future pope and Fatima.

Pronechen also emphasizes Pius XII’s lifelong Marian devotion. Even as a young boy, Eugenio Pacelli frequently stopped to pray before Marian images in Rome. After his priestly ordination, he celebrated his first Mass at a Marian altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The future pope’s deep love for Mary long preceded his papacy and naturally aligned with the Fatima message centered on devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

One of the most important reasons the author calls him the first Fatima Pope was Pius XII’s consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on October 31, 1942. This act directly responded to the request made through Sister Lucia that the pope consecrate the world and Russia to the Immaculate Heart. On the same occasion, Pius XII also made the first papal attempt to consecrate Russia specifically.

Pronechen further notes that Pius XII approved the publication of the Fatima message and the first two secrets in 1942. This helped spread Fatima throughout the world and greatly increased awareness of Our Lady’s warnings and requests.

The pope also continuously promoted the Rosary, one of the central messages of Fatima. Throughout his pontificate, Pius XII repeatedly urged families to pray the Rosary, calling it a remedy for the crises afflicting the modern world. In several encyclicals and addresses, he emphasized family Rosary prayer as the path to peace. The author asks rhetorically whether this was not precisely the message of Fatima itself.

Another major point was Pius XII’s expansion of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He extended the feast of the Immaculate Heart to the universal Church and encouraged dioceses, parishes, and families everywhere to consecrate themselves to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. These actions mirrored the requests made at Fatima.

Pronechen also highlights the pope’s extraordinary Marian initiatives. Pius XII proclaimed the first Marian Year in Church history in 1954 and established the feast of the Queenship of Mary. He consistently tied these Marian devotions to consecration and the Rosary, both essential themes of Fatima spirituality.

One of the most dramatic episodes mentioned in the book was the reported “Miracle of the Sun” witnessed privately by Pius XII in 1950. According to the account, he saw the solar phenomenon several times shortly before proclaiming the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. The author presents this as another heavenly confirmation of Pius XII’s unique role in Marian history and Fatima devotion.

Pronechen even points to symbolic details surrounding the pope’s death. Pius XII died during October, the month of the Rosary, and was buried on October 13, the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. For the author, these details reinforce the providential connection between the pontiff and the Fatima message.

The book does not diminish the importance of Pope John Paul II. In fact, Pronechen fully acknowledges his immense role in promoting Fatima, especially after the assassination attempt on May 13, 1981. John Paul II visited Fatima, placed the bullet from the assassination attempt into the crown of Our Lady’s statue, beatified Francisco and Jacinta, and performed major acts of consecration connected to Fatima.

Yet the author argues that the foundations had already been laid decades earlier by Pope Pius XII. Through official papal documents, Marian consecrations, promotion of the Rosary, expansion of devotion to the Immaculate Heart, and countless references to Fatima, Pius XII became the first pope to truly bring the Fatima message into the life of the universal Church.

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