In 1973, light began to shine from the tabernacle at a convent in Akita, Japan. Shortly thereafter, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary began to emit tears, which were subsequently tested to be human. In conjunction with this, one of the nuns at the convent claimed to have received messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary:
In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the suffering of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him forming a legion of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger. I desire this also from your community. That it love poverty, that it sanctify itself and pay in reparation for the ingratitude and outrages of so many men...As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms that will remain for you will be the Rosary and Sign left by my Son. With the Rosary, pray for the pope, the bishops, and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.
After being investigated by the Catholic Church, it was approved as "worthy of belief." By this, the Church did not obligate anyone to believe in Akita, but rather stated that there were signs of the supernatural in the events there, and that the messages did not contradict Church teaching. Certainly, the themes being stated at Akita were consistent with those at Fatima - humanity was moving in the wrong direction, and must repent in order to avoid grave disaster.
In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the suffering of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him forming a legion of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger. I desire this also from your community. That it love poverty, that it sanctify itself and pay in reparation for the ingratitude and outrages of so many men...As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms that will remain for you will be the Rosary and Sign left by my Son. With the Rosary, pray for the pope, the bishops, and the priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.
After being investigated by the Catholic Church, it was approved as "worthy of belief." By this, the Church did not obligate anyone to believe in Akita, but rather stated that there were signs of the supernatural in the events there, and that the messages did not contradict Church teaching. Certainly, the themes being stated at Akita were consistent with those at Fatima - humanity was moving in the wrong direction, and must repent in order to avoid grave disaster.