A predicted and massive event
October 13 marks the 108th anniversary of the so-called "miracle of the sun" in Fatima, a phenomenon observed by an estimated crowd of between 30,000 and 100,000 people in Cova da Iria, Portugal. Although the Catholic Church recognizes the veracity of the visions of the three shepherd children—Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta—it has not issued an official statement on the nature of the solar event itself. What makes this case unique is that it was predicted several days in advance by the children, who announced a "prodigy" for the date of the last Marian apparition.
The unexpected testimony of the anticlerical press
The significance of the phenomenon is confirmed by its coverage in the media of the time, including secular and openly anti-clerical newspapers. Of particular note is the testimony of Avelino de Almeida, editor-in-chief of the socialist and positivist newspaper "O Século" in Lisbon, who traveled to the site with the intention of discrediting the events. However, two days later, he published an extensive report on the front page entitled "Phenomenal things! How the sun danced at midday in Fatima." In it, he described how the sun, resembling a "dark silver disc," could be seen without effort, and then made sudden, spinning movements that seemed to contradict the "cosmic laws."
Naturalistic theories and their limitations
Various scientific explanations have been proposed for the event, although all encounter obstacles when confronted with the testimonies. Researcher Joe Nickell attributed it to retinal distortion from prolonged exposure to the sun, but this theory does not explain why many of those present, including a photographer accompanying De Almeida, saw absolutely nothing. For his part, priest and scientist Szaniszló Jaki suggested a sudden change in weather that would have created an "air lens" with ice crystals, simulating the solar dance. However, this hypothesis also fails to account for the prior prediction or the absence of universal observation. The theory of collective hallucination also runs up against the ideological diversity of the witnesses and the lack of mass psychopathological conditions.
Pius XII's revealing secret note
A lesser-known episode dates back to October 1950, when Pope Pius XII claimed to have witnessed a similar phenomenon in the Vatican gardens. According to a handwritten note that emerged from the Pacelli family archives, the Pontiff described the sun as an "opaque yellowish globe" surrounded by a halo, which performed rotating movements. Pius XII testified to having seen it on four occasions, including the day of the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption. He emphasized that, despite trying to repeat the observation on subsequent days under similar conditions, he was unable to look at the sun again without being immediately dazzled.
A unique case in the chronicle of the 20th century
The convergence of such diverse testimonies—believers, skeptics, anticlerical journalists—makes the event at Fatima unique in contemporary history. Beyond interpretations, the documented facts show an announced solar phenomenon, witnessed by a crowd and recorded by observers with opposing motivations, which continues to defy any simplistic explanation and fuel reflection on its nature.
Original source: www.uccronline.it (published October 13, 2025)
Photo: V Srinivasan on Unsplash
