What is the Corpus?

OBJECTIVE: To establish the definitive critical account of the Fátima events through a historical reconstruction grounded in the biographical study of its central figures and achieved by the rigorous application of the historical-critical method.

The working method of the Corpus Historicum Fatimae Criticum is based on the rigorous application of the classical historical-critical method, within the epistemological tradition defined by Ch. V. Langlois and Ch. Seignobos in their foundational work Introduction aux Études Historiques (1898).
We begin with the meticulous examination of primary sources—published archival materials, edited epistolary records, minutes, and contemporary press—subjecting them to internal and external criticism to verify their authenticity, reliability, and context.
The ultimate goal is a documented reconstruction of the facts and the biographical evolution of the protagonists (such as Lúcia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, Jacinta, and Francisco Marto), explicitly stating the degrees of certainty and interpretative gaps in our publications through an exhaustive critical apparatus.

Methodology

Mission

The Corpus Historicum Fatimae Criticum is a Catholic scholarly initiative of a historical and scientific character, devoted to the critical reconstruction of the Fátima Apparitions of 1917 and their subsequent historical development.
Its mission is to apply the classical rigor of the historical-critical method to the Fátima phenomenon, with full methodological independence and fidelity to historical truth — free from ideological distortions, whether secular or devotional.
By combining documentary precision, critical discernment, and a spirit of faith, the Corpus seeks to offer a comprehensive and verifiable account of the events, serving as a lasting point of reference for historians, theologians, and believers alike.
Rooted in rigorous scholarship yet inspired by profound devotion to Our Lady of Fátima and to the Holy Rosary, the Corpus seeks to serve truth as an act of faith, in the service of the Church and of historical science alike.