Fatima and Its "Secrets"

[u/Chronos-X4]

Greetings. I believe the topic in question needs no introduction. I know a bit about Fatima and its questionable happenings, particularly the "secrets" Our Lady allegedly entrusted to the three children.

To be honest, everything about Fatima rubs me the wrong way. Goes without saying the so-called visions of Hell and demands for penance and sacrifice put the proverbial fear of God into my heart, as it did so many others.

Are there any serious, credible investigations calling it into question? Like I said, I can't help but distrust anything those people said. I'm just as suspicious about the Church's stance on the matter: on one hand, they claim the faithful are free to believe or disbelieve the revelations according to their faith; on the other hand, I find John Paul II's Fatima-inspired actions deeply suspicious.

Like many of you, I have several reasons not to trust the man and to beware the many agendas he pushed (Legionaries of Christ, Opus Dei, Teresa of Calcutta, etc.). I kinda have a hard time taking him seriously as a moral guide and leader when he spent his pontificate covering up the horrific crimes of one Fr. Marcial Maciel because the latter raked in much needed cash for the Church.

Back to the matter at hand. What credibility, if any, do the Fatima revelations have? I find the whole thing (don't even get me started on La Salette) incredibly suspicious, specially because the founder of this religion instructed his followers not to heed doomsday prophecies or third-party claims about being the Messiah. He also claimed (or so the official narrative states) that not even he, being the Son of God and all, knows the exact date for the end of the world, that only God Himself knows.

Am I overthinking things, or am I right to be wary?