Dear Beth:

No, the third secret did not "have" to be opened in 1960, rather the instructions were that 1960 was the earliest date that the secret could be published if, and only if, the Pope decided to reveal it.

All the Popes since 1960 decided to not reveal the Third Secret until Pope John Paul II published the it a couple of years ago. You can read the history of the Third Secret and view the original handwritten message and the typed translation and other documents concerning the secret at the Vatican Website.

Keep in mind that there are wacko people out there who claim that the Pope is lying about the Third Secret and hasn't actually published the full text. This is utter nonsense and is a notion posited only by people who need a psychiatrist.

One of the things I always wonder is that since it is a secret how could they know if parts are missing?

Their problem was that the Third Secret did not tell of the end of the world. The end-of-the-worlders were disappointed and of course immediately went into wacko-dingbat-conspiracy mode.

The Pope is not lying to us. The Third Secret has been published. The link above will take you to it.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary