OCT. 13, 1917: THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN.
THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT FATIMA: “The dance of the sun ”
Dear brethren in Christ, below you have an interesting article regarding the miracle of the sun which occurred in Fatima on Oct. 13, 1917 which I have re-formatted and emphasized to facilitate your reading.
Let us thank Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of the Holy Rosary for this supernatural phenomenon which strengthens even more our faith in God and leads us to heed Our Lady’s request on behalf of Her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, to pray for the conversion of sinners and for world peace, struggling at the same time to faithfully live our Christian faith for love of God.
If you wish to watch the video summary instead. Click here.
OUTLINE
I. FIRST HISTORY, THEN SCIENCE, FINALLY FAITH
1. THE HISTORY : A PRODIGIOUS, EXTRAORDINARY EVENT
1.1. THE HISTORICAL SOURCES: THE CONTEMPORARY PORTUGUESE PRESS.
1.2. THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATIONS.
1.3. THE INVESTIGATIONS OF HISTORIANS.
1.4. REPORTING ON THE EVENTS OF OCTOBER 13.
2.1. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 : THE PILGRIMS ON THE MARCH.
2.2. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 : A PILGRIMAGE OF PENANCE.
2.3. AT THE COVA DA IRIA : HOURS OF WAITING… IN THE RAIN.
3. BETWEEN 50,000 AND 70,0000 WITNESSES
5. THE SERIES OF MARVELLOUS PHENOMENA
5.1. AT THE MOMENT OF THE APPARITION : A COLUMN OF CLOUD
5.2. THE SUDDEN STOPPING OF THE RAIN
5.4. THE THREEFOLD DANCE OF THE SUN
5.5. « ALL THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW »
5.6. THE FALLING OF THE SUN : « THE SUN SEEMED TO FALL TO THE GROUND »
5.7. « EVERYBODY’S CLOTHES WERE DRY »
5.8.. THE VISION OF THE SOLAR PRODIGY AT A DISTANCE
6. UNQUESTIONABLE HISTORICAL FACTS
II. SCIENCE : AN UNQUESTIONABLE MIRACLE
- THE NATURAL SCIENCES : AN EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENON
- PSYCHOLOGY : AN OBJECTIVE PHENOMENON
- METAPHYSICAL REASONING : THE WORK OF PROVIDENCE
- THEOLOGY : A STRIKING MIRACLE
III. FAITH : « A SPECTACULAR SIGN »
- THE SIGN OF GOD : TRIUMPH OF THE FAITH
- THE SIGN OF MARY : PROOF OF HER APPARITIONS, GUARANTEE OF HER MESSAGE
- FROM THE GREAT MIRACLE TO THE GREAT SECRET
- A SIGN OF HOPE : THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, SALVATION OF THE WORLD
APPENDIX I: THE MYTH OF COLLECTIVE HALLUCINATION
APPENDIX II: HYPOTHESES ON THE NATURE OF THE SOLAR MIRACLE
- « SCIENCE WILL EXPLAIN »
- A MINIMIZING HYPOTHESIS
- A SUPERNATURAL PERCEPTION ?
- THE NATURAL PERCEPTION OF A LUMINOUS PHENOMENON OF MIRACULOUS ORIGIN ?
- DID EVERYBODY SEE IT ?
HERE are the facts, briefly recounted by a journalist that nobody could suspect of impartiality in this affair, and with reason ! The man in question is Avelino de Almeida, Editor in Chief of O Seculo, the great “ liberal ”, anticlerical and Masonic daily of Lisbon :
« From the road, where the cars were packed together, and several hundred people had remained, not having had the courage to advance towards the muddy field, one could see the immense multitude turn towards the sun, which appeared at its zenith, coming out of the clouds.
« It resembles a dull silver disc, and it is possible to fix one’s eyes on it without the least damage to the eye. It does not burn the eyes. It does not blind them. One might say that an eclipse was taking place.
« An immense clamour bursts out, and those who are nearer to the crowd hear a shout : “ Miracle ! Miracle ! Prodigy !… Prodigy !… ”
« The attitude of the people takes us back to biblical times. Stupefied and with heads uncovered, they watch the blue sky. Before their dazzled eyes the sun trembled, the sun made unusual and brusque movements, defying all the laws of the cosmos, and according to the typical expression of the peasants, “ the sun danced ”… » 1
Violently challenged by all the anticlerical press, Avelino de Almeida renewed his testimony fifteen days later in his review, Illustraçao Portuguesa. This time, he illustrated his account with a dozen photographs of the immense crowd, in a state of ecstasy, and all through his article he repeated like a refrain : « I saw it… I saw it… I saw it. »
Let us quote his conclusion :
« What did I see at Fatima that was even stranger ? The rain, at an hour announced in advance, ceased falling ; the thick mass of clouds dissolved ; and the sun – a dull silver disc – came into view at its zenith, and began to dance in a violent and convulsive movement, which a great number of witnesses compared to a serpentine dance, because the colours taken on by the surface of the sun were so beautiful and gleaming. »
And our reporter concludes, quite appropriately :
« Miracle, as the people shouted ? A natural phenomenon, as the learned would say ? For the moment, I do not trouble myself with finding out, but only with affirming what I saw… The rest is a matter between Science and the Church. »
I. FIRST HISTORY, THEN SCIENCE, FINALLY FAITH
This conclusion of the agnostic and positivist journalist we can make our own. It is not a question of saying, « I believe in it ! » or « I don’t believe in it ! » The fact does not belong first to the domain of faith, or even that of science. Before all else it is a historical event, which must be related with the greatest precision, even to its tiniest details. Then, and only then, science or more exactly the rational sciences can consider the facts and judge their natural or supernatural character. And finally, after the results of the scientific examination, the Church must make a pronouncement…
This order in the analysis of the fact by which one passes successively from history to science, and only then to theology and faith, cannot be dispensed with by anybody without confusing the whole process. And this confusion, which is so common, easily leads us to adopt a conclusion which corresponds neither to reality or the facts, nor their rational interpretation, but only to subjective a priori passions and prejudices.
1. THE HISTORY : A PRODIGIOUS, EXTRAORDINARY EVENT
It is easy to relate what happened at the Cova da Iria on October 13 : The witnesses of the event were innumerable, their testimonies agree, and the documents they left us are superabundant. Is a brief summary needed ?
1.1.THE HISTORICAL SOURCES: THE CONTEMPORARY PORTUGUESE PRESS.
First of all there are the numerous accounts which appeared immediately in the Portuguese press. It is noteworthy that the first publications to bear witness to it were the anticlerical papers. The three articles of Avelina de Almeida, that of October 13, written right after the event, that of the 15th, written the same night at Vila Nova de Ourem, and that of October 29 merit special mention. In spite of the derisive tone and Voltairian irony which in part inspire the first article, in spite of the anticlerical prejudices which still appear in the article of the 15th, these texts of a talented journalist, who was also honest and conscientious, are incomparable historical documents. 2 But he was not the only one to relate the facts, and all through our exposition we will cite the testimony of other journalists present at the Cova da Iria.
1.2.THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATIONS.
In November of 1917, at the request of Msgr. Vidal, who was then directing the diocese of Lisbon, the parish priest of Fatima began his inquiry and interrogated several witnesses from the parish. Unfortunately, he wrote down only four depositions… And why ? The other depositions, he explains ingenuously, « were not written down because they add nothing to the preceding ones. » Granted, it is tiring to write down texts which all say the same thing ! But what a pity from the historian’s point of view ! The canonical investigation did complete the documentation, but without assembling the mounds of evidence it was then possible to collect. We will return to this point in Volume II.
1.3.THE INVESTIGATIONS OF HISTORIANS.
Fortunately, there were more zealous investigators to make up for these negligences. All the first historians of Fatima went to interrogate the witnesses. Father Formigao obtained from Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of the Faculty of Sciences at Coimbra, the most scientific and detailed account we have of the events. Father da Fonseca went to verify the points disputed by Father Dhanis, 3 then Father de Marchi, Canon Barthas, Father Messias Dias Coelho, Father Richard, and in 1960 John Haffert, who collected the statements of forty witnesses in a book, Meet the Witnesses. 4 In 1967, Father Martins dos Reis devoted a whole new book to the solar phenomenon of October 13. 5
All these successive inquiries conducted by the historians of Fatima resulted in the collation of an impressive number of accounts of the event, which were published during the lifetime of numerous witnesses. Thus they were completely at liberty to publish any corrections, where they were necessary.
In 1977, to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the last apparition, it was still possible to reunite at Fatima more than thirty persons who had attended the solar prodigy, and who were able to give their testimony once again. 6
1.4.REPORTING ON THE EVENTS OF OCTOBER 13.
Rather than cite only a few documents at length – it is to be hoped that soon almost all of them will be collected in the great critical work of Father Alonso – we prefer, using extracts from numerous accounts of the witnesses, to reconstruct a precise report which will permit us, hour by hour and minute by minute, to relive this decisive day, which is certainly one of the most important of this century. 7
2. WAITING FOR THE EVENT
2.1. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12 : THE PILGRIMS ON THE MARCH.
To begin with, let us follow the report of Avelino de Almeida, which is particularly vivid and colourful. Having arrived at the train station of Chao de Macas, the director of O Seculo had the annoying surprise of not finding the car which was to take him to Vila Nova de Ourem, where he would spend the night. « The stagecoach has no more room, and all the carts which await the passengers have long been booked. » So courageously, he set out on foot.
« … On the road (from Chao de Macas to Vila Nova de Ourem), we encounter the first groups which are on their way to the holy place, a good thirteen miles away.
« Men and women are for the most part barefoot, the latter carrying their shoes in bags on their heads, while the men lean on thin sticks and are also prudently armed with umbrellas. Apparently indifferent to what is going on around them, they do not seem to notice the countryside nor their fellow-travellers, but murmur the Rosary as they go along immersed in thought.
« A woman recites the first part of the Ave Maria and immediately her companions continue the second part in chorus. They move rhythmically and rapidly in order to reach the place of the apparitions by nightfall. Here, under the stars they will sleep, keeping the first and best places near the little tree. »
« … It is only thanks to an extreme favour that we are able to obtain lodgings in Ourem. During the night the most varied types of vehicle have arrived in the square, bringing their loads of the devout and the curious… » 8
2.2. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13 : A PILGRIMAGE OF PENANCE.
The whole night it rained. But as the proverb says, « the morning rain does not stop the pilgrim ». « The sudden change in the weather, which allowed the stubborn rain to transform the dusty roads into muddy quagmires, for one day made the gentle autumn give way to the bitterest winter weather. This did not move the crowd, or cause it to give up or lose hope. » 9
« At daybreak fresh groups hurry through the town and the habitual quiet is broken by singing of the most varied kind… At sunrise the weather looks threatening. Black clouds gather right over Fatima but this does not deter the people who by now are flocking in from all sides, employing every means of transport. There are luxurious motor cars travelling at speed, oxcarts pulled in to the side of the road, victorias, closed carriages, carts in which seats are improvised and in which not another soul could be squeezed. Everyone is provided with food both for themselves and for the beasts… valiantly playing their part.
« Here and there one sees a cart decorated with greenery, and although there is an air of discreet festivity people are sober and well-mannered. Donkeys bray at the side of the road and the innumerable cyclists make prodigious efforts not to collide with the carts.
« By ten o’clock the sky was completely hidden behind the clouds and the rain began to fall in earnest. Swept by the strong wind and beating upon the faces of the people, it soaked the macadam and the pilgrims, often without protection against the weather, to the marrow of their bones. But no one complained or turned back, and if some took shelter under trees or walls, the great majority continued on their journey with remarkable indifference to the rain.
2.3. AT THE COVA DA IRIA : HOURS OF WAITING… IN THE RAIN.
« The place where the Blessed Virgin is alleged to have appeared is fronted to a large extent by the road which leads to Leiria, along which the vehicles that bring the pilgrims are parked. But the great mass of the people congregate round the oak tree which, according to the children, is Our Lady’s pedestal. It can be imagined as the centre of a large circle round which the spectators gather to watch events.
« Seen from the road the general effect is picturesque. The peasants, sheltering under their huge umbrellas, accompany the unloading of fodder with the singing of hymns and the recitation of decades of the Rosary in a matter-of-fact way. People plod through the sticky clay in order to see the famous oak tree with its wooden arch and hanging lanterns, at closer quarters…
« Groups take it in turns to sing the praises of the Virgin, while a terrified hare runs through the crowd and is hardly noticed except by a half a dozen or so of small boys, who catch and beat it to death with sticks… » (O Seculo, October 15; De Marchi, p. 130-131).
3. BETWEEN 50,000 AND 70,0000 WITNESSES
How many people were there at the Cova da Iria ? It is difficult and even impossible to get the exact number. The exact figure does not matter much, for it changes absolutely nothing – neither the reality of the fact, nor the explanation we can give of it. It is only a question of approaching the historical reality as closely as possible.
For this purpose, all we can do is compare the different estimates, trying to discern each one’s degree of credibility. G. de Sede claims that it is the “ incense-bearers ” of Fatima who inflate the number of witnesses each year. 10 Nothing could be more false. For the largest estimate, that of Dr. Almeida Garrett, was proposed a few months after the event. He estimates the spectators at over 100,000. In his article published in O Seculo of October 15, Avelino de Almeida wrote : « This crowd, which unbiased estimates of learned persons, very foreign to mystical influences (sic), place at somewhere between thirty to forty thousand people. » 11 Fifteen days later, he corrected his first estimate : « On October 13, according to the calculations of completely unbiased people, some fifty thousand people were gathered at the moor of Fatima. » 12 A neutral journal, the Primeiro de Janeiro, also estimated the crowd at fifty thousand people. Thus one can say, with near certitude, that this is a minimum figure ; this is why the majority of historians propose that there were probably 70, 000 witnesses in the crowd.
A DIVERSIFIED CROWD.
Although « the peasants dominated » the crowd, as Avelino de Almeida noted, the whole population of Portugal was represented at the Cova da Iria. Was such a representative and motley crowd ever seen ? People of all sorts, from all regions of the country, from all social classes and cultural levels, the faithful already certain of witnessing a miracle and the fanatical and sceptical unbelievers, all were side by side, waiting for what would take place, and preparing to observe it as best they could.
« At the moment of the great miracle », notes a Portuguese historian, Leopoldo Nunes, « there were present some of the most illustrious men of letters, in the arts and the sciences, and almost all were unbelievers coming out of simple curiosity, led by the prediction of the seers. » 13 After the account of the event, we will report the reactions of some of them. Even the national Minister of Education for the masonic government was there ! We will analyse his version of events.
Although the great mass of people was composed of the faithful, there were many of the curious and the incredulous. They had come to see, to amuse themselves, and make fun of the credulity of the others ! 14
Finally let us point out that a good number of believers, who were practicing Catholics, were in no way disposed to believe in the apparitions. Among them there were also many who had remained on the road to Leiria, observing the spectacle from afar, well sheltered by their cars, such as Dr. Almeida Garrett, Professor Ferreira Borges or the lawyer Pinto Coelho, to whom we shall return…
« I arrived at noon. The rain which had been falling since the morning, fine and persistent, propelled by a fierce wind, continued to fall… » (Dr. Almeida Garret).
4. THE HOUR APPROACHES...
« The presence of the seers (writes Avelino de Almeida) is announced perhaps a half hour before the moment indicated for the apparition. 15 The little girls, crowned with flowers, are led to the place where the platform has been erected. The rain continues without stopping, but nobody loses hope. Some late-coming wagons arrive on the road. Groups of the faithful kneel in the mud and Lucy asks them, orders them, to shut their umbrellas. The order is transmitted and executed right away, without resistance. » 16
AT NOON, SOLAR TIME… According to the watches it is already almost 1 : 30 p. m. 17 Near the seers, a priest who has spent the whole night there begins to get impatient :
« He asks them what time Our Lady is to appear, recounts Maria Carreira. “ At midday ”, said Lucy. The priest looked at his watch and said : “ Look, it’s midday now ! Our Lady doesn’t lie !.. Well ! Well !… ” After a few minutes he said again : “ It’s past midday. You see, it’s all a delusion ! Run along, all of you !… ”
« But Lucy refused to go and the priest began to push the three children with his hands. Lucy who was nearly crying, said to him : “ If anyone wants to go, they can go. I shall stay where I am. Our Lady said She would come. She came the other times and She will come this time, too ! ”
« At the same time she looked to the east and said to Jacinta : “ Jacinta, kneel down ; Our Lady is coming. I saw the lightning ! ”
« The priest didn’t say another word and I never saw him again ! » 18
5. THE SERIES OF MARVELLOUS PHENOMENA
In comparing the numerous accounts of the witnesses, we can distinguish fairly well the various aspects and order of the stupefying phenomena observed by all. 19 For this analysis, which attempts to reconstruct the picture of the events in their various phases, we generally follow the account of Dr. Almeida Garrett, professor of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Coimbra. This account is the work of a learned person used to making subtle and precise observations, which he expresses with perfect clarity. 20
5.1. AT THE MOMENT OF THE APPARITION : A COLUMN OF CLOUD
Here is the first marvellous fact observed by Dr. Almeida Garrett : « It must have been about one-thirty by the legal time and about midday by the sun, when on the very spot where the children were, a fine, slender, bluish column of smoke rose straight up to about six feet above their heads, and vanished at this height. This phenomenon, which was perfectly visible to the naked eye, lasted a few seconds. Not having kept track of the time, I could not say whether it was less than a minute or longer. The smoke suddenly disappeared, and a few moments later the phenomenon took place a second and then a third time. All three times, and especially the last one, the beams went up and clearly disappeared in the grey atmosphere.
« I looked in that direction with my glasses. I was not able to see anything except the columns of smoke, but I remained convinced that they were produced by some censer, with incense inside it being swung. Then some people worthy of faith told me that this phenomenon was a regular occurrence on the 13th of the five previous months, and that nobody had made any fire, either this time or the others. » 21
The professor said at the beginning of his account that he was only a little more than a hundred yards from the holm oak. Thus he was well placed to observe everything with precision.
5.2. THE SUDDEN STOPPING OF THE RAIN
Although there had been a steady rain all morning, during the apparition the rain totally stopped, and suddenly the sky cleared.
« The sky, which had been overcast all day, suddenly clears up; the rain stops and it looks like the sun is about to fill with light the countryside that the wintry morning had made so gloomy… » 22
This sudden change in the weather surprised all the witnesses : « It was a rainy day, with a thin but steady rainfall. But a few minutes before the miracle, it stopped raining. » 23 « The rain suddenly stopped. » (Dr. Pereira Gens) « At this moment, I got out of the car, and as I extended my hand to my wife to help her step out, suddenly all the clouds disappeared without the slightest breeze, and the sun was shining in a clear sky. » (Professor Ferreira Borges). 24
The crowd is waiting expectantly. The believers think the promised miracle is about to happen :
« The miraculous demonstration, the visible sign that had been announced is about to take place, many of the pilgrims said. » 25 Meanwhile the chilly spectators were getting impatient : « … I was looking at the spot of the apparitions », writes Dr. Almeida Garrett, « in a serene, if cold, expectation of something happening and with diminishing curiosity because a long time had passed without anything to excite my attention…
« The sun, a few moments before, had broken through the thick layer of clouds which hid it and shone clearly and intensely. » 26
5.3.. THE VISION OF THE SUN
« Suddenly I heard a shout from thousands of voices and saw the multitude which straggled out at my feet, here and there concentrated in small groups round the trees, suddenly turn its back and shoulders away from the point towards which up to now it had directed its attention, and turn to look at the sky on the opposite side.
« Then they saw a unique spectacle », remarks the reporter from O Seculo, « an unbelievable spectacle for anyone who did not witness it. From the road… one could see the immense multitude turn towards the sun, which appeared free from clouds and in its zenith.
« It resembles a dull silver disc, and it is possible to look at it without the least discomfort. It might have been an eclipse which was taking place. » 27
Dr. Almeida Garrett, who observed things more keenly, sought to express with minute precision what his eyes saw :
« I veered to the magnet which seemed to be drawing all eyes and saw it as a disc with a clean-cut rim, luminous and shining, but which did not hurt the eyes.
« I do not agree with the comparison which I have heard made in Fatima – that of a dull silver disc. It was a clearer, richer, brighter colour, having something of the lustre of a pearl.
« It did not in the least resemble the moon on a clear night because one saw it and felt it to be a living body. It was not spherical like the moon. It looked like a glazed wheel made of mother-of-pearl…
« It could not be confused, either, with the sun seen through fog (for there was no fog at the time), because it was not opaque, diffused or veiled. In Fatima it gave light and heat and appeared clear-cut with a well-defined rim.
« The sky was mottled with light cirrus clouds with the blue coming through here and there but sometimes the sun stood out in patches of clear sky. The clouds passed from west to east and did not obscure the light of the sun, giving the impression of passing behind it, though sometimes these flecks of white took on tones of pink or diaphanous blue as they passed before the sun.
« It was a remarkable fact that one could fix one’s eyes on this brazier of light and heat without any pain in the eyes or blinding of the retina.
« The phenomenon, except for two interruptions when the sun seemed to send out rays of refulgent heat which obliged us to look away, must have lasted about ten minutes. » 28
OCTOBER 13, 1917. THE GREAT MIRACLE. Some pilgrims during the dance of the sun. « Thousands of God’s creatures fell on their knees on the sodden ground… Everybody wept, everybody prayed, the men holding their hats in their hands, under the spectacular impression of the awaited miracle ! These seconds, these instants, seemed like hours, so intensely were they lived ! » (O Dia, October 19, 1917).
Ti Marto, who left us a brief account of the event, which is particularly remarkable for the precision of his observations, also declared : « What was the most extraordinary was that the sun did not hurt our eyes at all. » 29
5.4. THE THREEFOLD DANCE OF THE SUN
Suddenly the sun began trembling, shaking with sudden movements, finally turning over upon itself with dizzying quickness, spraying out rays of light of all the colours of the rainbow. Let the witnesses speak :
« The sun trembled, the sun made sudden incredible movements outside all cosmic laws – the sun “ danced ” according to the typical expression of the people. » 30
« It shook and trembled ; it seemed like a wheel of fire. » (Maria da Capelinha). This expression is found in many accounts.
« … It spun like a firewheel, taking on all the colours of the rainbow. » 31 It looked « like a ball of snow, revolving upon itself. » (Father Lourenço). « The sun’s disc did not remain immobile. This was not the sparkling of a heavenly body, for it spun round upon itself in a mad whirl. » (Dr. Almeida Garrett).
« Suddenly », wrote Father Pereira da Silva in a letter sent the very evening of October 13, « the sun appeared with its circumference well-defined. It came down as if to the height of the clouds and began to whirl giddily upon itself like a captive ball of fire. With some interruptions, this lasted about eight minutes. » 32
Many witnesses mention these interruptions. Ti Marto relates with precision :
« At a certain moment the sun seemed to stop and then began to move and dance. » 33« However, the sun stops, only to begin its strange dance all over again after a brief interruption, whirling upon itself, giving the impression of approaching or receding. » (Dr. Pereira Gens of Batalha. At the time he was a student at Coimbra.) 34
Thus the “ dance of the sun ” that thousands of witnesses affirmed they saw, was actually repeated three times.
5.5. « ALL THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW »
First let us listen to the description of Dr. Almeida Garrett :
« During the solar phenomenon, which I have just described in detail, there were changes of colour in the atmosphere. Looking at the sun, I noticed that everything was becoming darkened. I looked first at the nearest objects and then extended my glance further afield as far as the horizon. I saw everything an amethyst colour. Objects around me, the sky and the atmosphere, were of the same colour. An oak tree nearby threw a shadow of this colour on the ground. Soon I heard a peasant who was near me shout out in tones of stupefaction : “ Look, that lady is all yellow ! ” And in fact everything both near and far had changed, taking on the colour of old yellow damask. People looked as if they were suffering from jaundice and I recall a sensation of amusement at seeing them look so ugly and unattractive. My own hand was the same colour. 35
« The sun produced different colours : yellow, blue, white… », reports Maria da Capelinha. 36 Maria do Carmo recalls : « The sun took on all the colours of the rainbow. Everything took on the same colours : our faces, our clothes, the earth itself. » 37 « A light whose colour varies from one moment to the next is reflected on persons and things », notes Dr. Pereira Gens. Ti Marto : The sun « shot rays in different directions and painted everything in different colours. » 38
A witness from Alburitel, Father Inacio Lourenço, points out that objects took on different colours depending on their location : « Objects around us turned all the colours of the rainbow. We saw ourselves blue, yellow, red… » 39
5.6. THE FALLING OF THE SUN : « THE SUN SEEMED TO FALL TO THE GROUND »
« Then, suddenly », relates Almeida Garrett, « one heard a clamour, a cry of anguish breaking from all the people. The sun, whirling wildly, seemed to loosen itself from the firmament and advance threateningly upon the earth as if to crush us with its huge and fiery weight. The sensation during those moments was terrible. » 40
« The sun… began to move and dance until it seemed that it was being detached from the sky and was falling on us. It was a terrible moment ! » (Ti Marto). 41 « It seemed like a wheel of fire which was going to fall on the people. » (Maria da Capelinha). Alfredo da Silva Santos : « The sun began to move and at a certain moment appeared to be detached from the sky and about to hurtle upon us like a wheel of flame. » 42 « It suddenly seemed to come down in a zigzag, menacing the earth », recalls Father Lourenço. 43
Seeing this unanimity, it is easy to see why Father da Fonseca had no great difficulty refuting the minimizing allegations of Father Dhanis. Among others, he cites the very interesting witness of Baron de Alvaiazere, 44 whom Canon Barthas in turn went to interrogate :
« The sun at its zenith whirled upon itself ; it detached itself in descending towards the right, all the while whirling with sudden movements never seen before, to the right and the left ; having almost arrived at the horizon line, it went back up to the zenith on the left, tracing a sort of winding ellipse as it went. » 45
The spectators had the irresistible impression that the sun was going to fall on them : « It threatens to fall on us » (Dr. Pereira Gens); « Seeing the sun falling on us… » (Father John Gomes Menitra); « … giving us the impression that it was about to fall on us » (Mario Godinho). 46 It was such a terrible moment that several people fainted.
« Finally, the sun stopped and everybody breathed a sigh of relief… » recalls Maria da Capelinha. 47
5.7. « EVERYBODY’S CLOTHES WERE DRY »
A last astonishing fact : all these people, who were for the most part soaked to the bone, noticed with joy and stupefaction that they were dry. The fact is attested in the canonical process, and the academician Marques da Cruz made a personal inquiry on the subject. He writes :
« This enormous multitude was drenched, for it had rained unceasingly since dawn. But – though this may appear incredible – after the great miracle everyone felt comfortable, and found his garments quite dry, a subject of general wonder… The truth of this fact has been guaranteed with the greatest sincerity by dozens and dozens of persons of absolute trustworthiness, whom I have known intimately from childhood, and who are still alive (1937), as well as by persons from various districts of the country who were present. » 48
Sister Lucy herself, who was absorbed in her ecstasy, was not aware of any of this, and did not even think of pointing out this fact. She declared to Canon Barthas : « However, some nuns of my congregation, who were still in the world and were at Fatima that day, assured me of the reality of the phenomenon. » 49
How can we explain this fact ? The account of Dr. Pereira Gens gives us a glimpse into the answer :
« … It continues to rain so strongly that in spite of our umbrellas, nobody has a stitch of dry clothing left… The rain suddenly stops, the clouds split open, and the sun is visible in all its splendour. Our clothes are wet and our bodies cold ; I still remember the delicious sensation that this warm caress of the sun gave me… » And after mentioning the dance of the sun, he continues : « Although it is true that the luminosity of the sun was diminished, its warmth lost none of its power. I feel my clothes almost dry now, although they were all wet only a few moments ago. » 50
In A Ordem, Pinto Coelho made an analogous remark : « The sun seemed… to be loosened from the sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat. » 51 « We felt the heat as though we had entered an overheated steam-room », remarked Maria de Vieira Campos.