Poem of the Man God
Encyclopedia
The Poem of the Man God (Italian title: Il Poema dell'Uomo-Dio) is a multi volume book of about four thousand pages on the life of Jesus Christ written by the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta
. The latest editions of the book bear the title: The Gospel As It Was Revealed to Me.
The book was first published in Italian in 1956 and has since been translated into 10 languages and is available worldwide. The book is based on over 15,000 handwritten pages produced by Maria Valtorta between 1943 and 1947. During these years she reported visions of Jesus and Mary
and claimed personal conversations with Jesus.
The book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Holy Office in 1959 an remained there until the abolition of the Index in 1965. Since, it has received the imprimatur
and approval of two Catholic Bishops but the official position of the Holy See
with respect to the book is currently less than clear. Since 1993 the Vatican has decided to remain silent on the work. Given the endorsements provided for the book in the visions of the Virgin Mary reported at Medjugorje in 1981, if and when the Holy See selects a position on Medjugorje, it may also be viewed as having selected a position on the work of Maria Valtorta
.
Italy for most of her life due to complications from being struck in the back at random while walking on a street. On the morning of Good Friday
1943 she reported a vision in which Jesus appeared and spoke to her. She reported many more visions and conversations with Jesus and Saint Mary and said that Jesus had asked her to record her visions in writing. She continued to write her visions in her notebooks until 1947.
The handwritten pages were surprising to her priest and others in that they included no overwrites, corrections or revisions and seemed somewhat like dictations. The fact that she often suffered from heart and lung ailments during the period of the visions made the natural flow of the text even more unusual. Some readers were struck by the fact that the sentences attributed to Jesus in the visions had a distinct and recognizable tone and style that was different from the rest of the text.
's notebooks, because her reported visions (which were dated in her notebooks) were not in the same chronological order as the flow of time in the narrative she wrote. For instance, she wrote her vision of The Last Supper
on March 9, 1945 while her vision of the Beatitudes
during the Sermon on the Mount
was written more than two months later on May 24, 1945. In the absence of computers in 1947, her priest (Father Romuald Migliorini OSM) was surprised that once the handwritten pages were typed on separate pages and reassembled, episode by episode like a deck of cards, the flow of the text was smooth. The book itself follows the life of Jesus in chronological form, with footnotes referring to the dates on which she wrote each episode.
Most of the episodes she wrote have a uniform format and structure. Valtorta first describes a scene, often with picturesque details of the background, the trees, the mountains and the weather conditions on that day in the Holy Land
. For instance, her prelude to the Sermon on the Mount
written on May 22, 1945 depicts the road on which Jesus is walking, states that it was a clear day on which Mount Hermon
could be seen by Jesus but Lake Merom could not be seen. In some episodes she mentions the colors of the clothing worn by Jesus or the Apostles.
The consistency of her almost eyewitness-like descriptions of the topography of the terrain in the Holy Land has been surprising to some experts. A geologist, Dr. Vittorio Tredici (a past president of the National Miners' Association of Italy) found the detailed knowledge of the geological and mineralogical aspects of Palestine present in her notes unexplainable in view of the fact that she never left Italy and was bed-ridden much of her life. A biblical archeologist, Father Dreyfus, noted that her work includes the names of several small towns which are absent from the Old and New Testaments and are only known to a few experts
.
The Poem of the Man God is very specific in its description of the topography and geography of Palestine. Its level of detail has been surprising to experts, in that it includes more ancient town names than were generally recorded when the book was written in the 1940s.
The book names 255 specific locations in Palestine as it narrates the life and travels of Jesus, but 52 of these locations have no biblical reference at all. However, 79 of these 255 locations (about 30%) were not mentioned in the then current 1939 edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Atlas. And 62 of the 79 locations were not mentioned in the 1968 edition of the Macmillan Bible Atlas
, published after Maria Valtorta
's death, but her account of the connectivity of the locations is correct.
Of these locations, 20 confirmations have been made via the 1989 editions of atlases of Palestine published after the Poem of the Man God was written and 9 more have since been confirmed via the analysis of ancient documents. The book also mentions 6 ancient Palestinian cities whose locations correspond to the modern consensus among experts.
Valtorta gives particular emphasis to the words she attributes to Jesus. While the Gospel of Matthew
refers to the Beatitudes
in a few paragraphs (Matthew 5:3-12), the text for the single Beatitude “poor in the spirit” spoken by Jesus in her vision is one and a half pages long. The full text of the Sermon on the Mount
that she wrote in her notebook and attributed to Jesus takes three episodes from May 24 to 27, 1945, and is over 30 pages long. The fact that her text of the Beatitudes still has the same eight or ninefold structure as the Beatitudes in the Gospel (but is far more detailed) characterizes her notebooks.
In some cases, such as the Passion
, her descriptions are very detailed and graphic. An endocrinologist, Dr. Nicholas Pende, expressed surprise at the level of detail in which Valtorta depicted Christ
's spasms in Crucifixion
, saying that she described "a phenomenon which only a few informed physicians would know how to explain, and she does it in an authentic medical style".
Maria Valtorta
's visions do, however, report parables, miracles and episodes in the life of Jesus that are not present in any of the synoptic Gospels.
An example is how the episode she wrote regarding the Trial of Jesus
by Caiphas after Jesus was betrayed presents an extended life story of Jesus beyond the synoptic Gospels. She wrote this episode on February 16, 1944, as the 600th episode in the Poem of the Man God.
The Trial of Jesus
by Caiphas is discussed in all synoptic Gospels. However, the fact that some place it at night, while others refer to it after daybreak has at times been viewed in terms of a
synoptic problem. Luke 22:66 states: "At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them." Luke thus places the trial after daybreak. However, both Matthew and Mark refer to the trial at night. Some biblical scholars have struggled with these facts, e.g. The Complete Gospels Annotated Scholars Version notes for Mark 14:53-72 state: "...It is difficult to reconcile much of Mark's picture with known Jewish judicial procedures: a secret court session, at night..."
While the synoptic Gospels do not directly refer to the role of Gamaliel
in the Trial of Jesus, the Poem of the Man God does. Indeed, Gamaliel
(a leading authority in the Sanhedrin
) makes repeated appearances in Valtorta's narrative and Valtorta reports a number of meetings between him and Jesus over the years.
In the episode that Valtorta wrote for the Trial of Jesus
by Caiphas, there are two trials, one at night and the other after daybreak. The second trial is prompted by Gamaliel
using the same reasoning that The Complete Gospels notes used to criticise Mark 14, namely Gamaliel considered the time and place of the night trial against Jewish judicial procedures, and demanded a new trial after daybreak. Thus Valtorta's episode makes any criticism of the Gospel of Mark's account of the Trial of Jesus unnecessary and produces an explanation that reconciles Mark 14 with Luke 22.
Another example is the episode she wrote on February 28, 1946. It reports that in preparation for His Passion, Jesus visited the town of Kerioth
to say farewell and performed a miracle, curing Anne of Kerioth on her deathbed. In this episode Jesus instructs the cured Anne of Kerioth to forever tend to and comfort Mary of Simon, the mother of Judas Iscariot
who will be heartbroken upon the betrayal by her son and the deaths of Jesus and Judas in the near future.
The fact that Valtorta wrote each multi-page episode as a much more detailed version of an episode in the New Testament
and her inclusion of as yet unreported events in the life of Jesus generated both interest and controversy from the moment the book was offered for publication.
The narrative of the Poem of the Man God includes a number of specific observations of the positions of the stars, the moon, etc. For instance, in episode 356, titled "The Night at Gadara" (page 459, volume 3) written on December 11, 1945 Maria Valtorta wrote:
Given that the joint visibility of these stars is uncommon, in 1992 Purdue University
physicist Lonnie VanZandt
analyzed these events to estimate a date for the event described. Jupiter has roughly a 13 year cycle as it is seen against the background of the stars. Mars has an orbital period of 23 months, while Venus is almost cyclic, appearing every two years at about the same location, but advancing 2 and half months each time. Using a computer planetary simulation system, VanZandt noted that the only possibilities for the observation Valtorta described during the month of March would be AD31 and AD33. After considering other elements in the narrative VanZandt concluded that the date AD31 had to be rejected, leaving March AD33 as the only possibility. Given that according to the narrative the Night at Gadara was one year before the Crucifixion of Jesus
, the observation places the date of Good Friday
during April AD34. According to VanZandt the estimation of the joint observability of these three stars and the position of the moon during that time would have been almost impossible without a computer system.
The two priests approached their contacts at the Vatican with the typed manuscript and in February 1948 the future Cardinal Augustin Bea
, S.J. who was then the confessor to Pope Pius XII
, bypassed the Holy Office by facilitating a private audience for them and their Prior, Father Andrea Checchin, with the Pope. The meeting was mentioned in L'Osservatore Romano
's list of audiences and thereafter Father Berti provided a signed affidavit that recorded Pope Pius XII
as saying: “Publish this work as is. There is no need to give an opinion about its origin, whether it is extraordinary or not. Whoever reads it, will understand."
Apparently assuming that he had a verbal papal approval, Father Berti then approached the official hierarchy at the publishing office of the Roman Curia
, where he met serious resistance and opposition. A year later, in 1949, the Holy Office condemned the work and confiscated Father Berti’s typed copy. Father Berti then returned the handwritten pages to Maria Valtorta.
From the beginning, by its nature, the work generated strong emotional reactions among those who read it. Those opposed to the work saw it as an affront to their beliefs for it claimed to elaborate on the Gospel. Those who supported it often seemed amazed by its consistent flow as an elaboration of the Gospel and felt that the text attributed to Jesus was extraordinary.
Eventually, a lay publisher, Michele Pisani, decided to publish the work in 1956, despite the opposition to it at the Holy Office. Pisani published the book in four volumes of about one thousand pages each, one volume per year through 1959. While the third volume was being published in 1958 Pope Pius XII
died and was succeeded by Pope John XXIII
. In 1959, when the fourth volume was being published, the Holy Office, headed by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani recommended that the work be placed on the Index of Forbidden Books and in 1959 Pope John XXIII issued a decree to that effect. It is worth noting that Cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani (who opposed Valtorta) and Augustin Bea (who supported her) continued to disagree with each other on a wide range of issues beyond Valtorta's work for a number of years thereafter.
Maria Valtorta died in 1961, feeling deeply hurt and rejected because her work remained on the Index of Forbidden Books. In 1965, the Index of Forbidden Books itself was abolished by Pope Paul VI
, who had succeeded Pope John XXIII. Valtorta supporters immediately claimed that this in effect nullified the suppression of 1959 since the Index no longer existed. Those opposed to the book considered the abolition of the Index as a reversal of the Church’s opinion of the work. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI
), while acting as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
, wrote in 1985 that "the Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution." Valtorta supporters point to the fact that the long list of books on the Forbidden Index
also included writings by Jean Paul Sartre, Voltaire
, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
, David Hume
, René Descartes
, Francis Bacon
, John Milton
, John Lock, Galileo Galilei
, Blaise Pascal
, among others while some authors (e.g. Karl Marx
and Adolf Hitler
), whose views are very unacceptable to the Church, were never put on the Index. Among several noted Roman Catholic supporters, there are John Haffert
(co-founder of the 25 million member Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
) and Father Vernard Poslusney
(assisted with the founding and daily operations of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
).
At the moment the official position of the Catholic Church with respect to the book is less than clear. The Church does not endorse the book, although ecclesiastical officials (including then-Cardinal Ratzinger in 1985) have made occasional comments about it. The last formal action taken by an office of the Holy See with respect to the book occurred a month after Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Secretary General of the Italian Bishops' Conference, wrote in May 1992 to the publisher Emilio Pisani, requesting that a paragraph be added to the first few pages of the book disclaiming any supernatural origin for the work: in June 1992, Pisani visited the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
at the Vatican and stated that he had been told there that the letter indicated that the Italian Bishops' Conference saw nothing in the work that contradicts the doctrines of the Church. Some detractors claim that Tettamanzi's letter intended to classify the work as fiction. Since 1992, the Catholic Church has chosen to remain silent on its position with respect to the work.
The Poem of the Man God has, however, drawn criticism from a variety of theologians and skeptics, who claim internal inconsistencies, friction with the Holy See and theological errors of the Biblical account of the Gospel and Catholic dogma.
Regarding the issue of internal consistency and correspondence with the Gospels, Valtorta supporters point to the fact that ever since Saint Augustine of Hippo
addressed the Augustinian hypothesis
in the 5th Century, religious scholars have been debating issues regarding the comparison of various texts with the Gospels, at times with no clear resolution. Such debates still take place among experts even on issues regarding the Church Canons and the early Gospels themselves. Valtorta supporters point to the fact that the Poem of the Man God seems to provide solutions to some synoptic debates such as those regarding Luke 22:66
and Matthew 26:57 by providing simple explanations that resolve the conflicts. Certain scripture scholars such as the Venerable
Gabriele Allegra
have expressed their support for the Poem of the Man God and its correspondence with the Gospel. In defense of Maria Valtorta, when providing his imprimatur
for the Poem of the Man God, Bishop Roman Danylak
recalled John 8:7 and referred to some of her critics as "those who want to cast stones".
In 1987, Vatican Cardinal Edouard Gagnon was persuaded to locate and evaluate the original minutes from the February 26, 1948 Papal meeting transcribed by the Vatican Recording Cardinal who accompanied Pope Pius XII
. Shortly afterwards Cardinal Gagnon wrote from the Vatican, that Pope Pius XII's action was "the kind of official Imprimatur granted before witnesses by the Holy Father in 1948, an Official Imprimatur of the Supreme Authority of the Church". The Cardinal Gagnon letter was eventually published in a 1992 CEV periodical.
Cardinal Edouard Gagnon served as the Peritus (Expert Theologian Advisor and Consultant) during the second Vatican Council. He had a Doctorate in Theology and taught Canon law for ten years at the Grand Seminary.
and that the vagueness of the Church’s current position and its continued silence are indeed a matter of prudent necessity.
On one hand, the Vatican can not suddenly declare a new and more detailed version of the Gospel every time a mystic produces a manuscript. Indeed, as a historical pattern, Vatican approval of visions of Jesus and Mary
has usually followed general acceptance of a vision by well over a century in most cases. Hence the resistance to the book from deep within the Holy See’s hierarchy needs to be understood by Valtorta’s supporters.
On the other hand, the Holy See can no longer issue an outright condemnation of The Poem on the Man God because of its strong following among Catholics worldwide, including clergy such as Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce
, S. M., the respected scripture scholar the Venerable
Gabriele Allegra
and Bishop Roman Danylak (a canon of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
in Rome
) who provided his imprimatur for the book. When providing his imprimatur in 2002, Bishop Danylak wrote:
It is clear that at the moment, open support for Maria Valtorta does not make someone a persona non grata
at the Vatican. When the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
at the Vatican declared the respected scripture scholar Gabriele Allegra
as venerable
in 1994, they were aware of the fact that he had written that he considered The Poem of the Man God to have a "supernatural origin". Yet Allegra became the only scripture scholar beatified by Pope John Paul II
.
Further complexity is added by the fact that the Vatican also wishes to remain silent on the visions at Medjugorje, neither approving nor disputing them. The Medjugorje visions by Marija Pavlovic and Vicka Ivankovic
have both stated that Maria Valtorta’s records of her conversations with Jesus are truthful. According to an Ivankovic statement made on January 27, 1988, in 1981 the Virgin Mary told her at Medjugorje: "If a person wants to know Jesus he should read Maria Valtorta. That book is the truth". If at some future date the Vatican decides to approve the Medjugorje messages, it may also have to acknowledge Valtorta’s work as valid.
A 2009 Yale University
Report details the intricate connection between the Medjugorje apparitions and the writings of Maria Valtorta
.
However, support for Maria Valtorta’s work continues to grow from within the mid levels of the Vatican hierarchy, with Msgr. Gianfranco Nolli, a director of the Vatican Museum stating that "Whoever reads The Poem of the Man God is favored with spiritual blessing and inner peace." Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce
, S. M. also publicly defended The Poem of the Man God and wrote:
Support for Valtorta's work continues to appear from various corners of the Vatican. The respected Mariologist, and the author of many books on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Gabriel M. Roschini, professor at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome
, advisor to the Holy Office and founder of the Marianum
(which is both the name of the pontifical school and the prestigious journal of Marian theology) wrote of Valtorta:
In the meantime, Valtorta’s supporters continue to publish the book. They view the current silence of the Holy See as leaving them with the "Whoever reads it will understand" verbal authorization that they attribute to Pope Pius XII
.
The Poem of the Man-God is mentioned in the writings of Archbishop Don Ottavio Michelini
, from Mirandola
, who reported a series of Dictations and Visions given to him by Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary from 1975 to 1979. He reported these words dictated to him by Jesus himself:
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
. The latest editions of the book bear the title: The Gospel As It Was Revealed to Me.
The book was first published in Italian in 1956 and has since been translated into 10 languages and is available worldwide. The book is based on over 15,000 handwritten pages produced by Maria Valtorta between 1943 and 1947. During these years she reported visions of Jesus and Mary
Visions of Jesus and Mary
Since the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary until today, a number of people have claimed to have had visions of Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have often invited...
and claimed personal conversations with Jesus.
The book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Holy Office in 1959 an remained there until the abolition of the Index in 1965. Since, it has received the imprimatur
Imprimatur
An imprimatur is, in the proper sense, a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement.-Catholic Church:...
and approval of two Catholic Bishops but the official position of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
with respect to the book is currently less than clear. Since 1993 the Vatican has decided to remain silent on the work. Given the endorsements provided for the book in the visions of the Virgin Mary reported at Medjugorje in 1981, if and when the Holy See selects a position on Medjugorje, it may also be viewed as having selected a position on the work of Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
.
The 15,000 handwritten pages
Maria Valtorta was bed ridden in ViareggioViareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
Italy for most of her life due to complications from being struck in the back at random while walking on a street. On the morning of Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
1943 she reported a vision in which Jesus appeared and spoke to her. She reported many more visions and conversations with Jesus and Saint Mary and said that Jesus had asked her to record her visions in writing. She continued to write her visions in her notebooks until 1947.
The handwritten pages were surprising to her priest and others in that they included no overwrites, corrections or revisions and seemed somewhat like dictations. The fact that she often suffered from heart and lung ailments during the period of the visions made the natural flow of the text even more unusual. Some readers were struck by the fact that the sentences attributed to Jesus in the visions had a distinct and recognizable tone and style that was different from the rest of the text.
Temporal order
The Poem of the Man God is not, however, a sequential transcription of Maria ValtortaMaria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
's notebooks, because her reported visions (which were dated in her notebooks) were not in the same chronological order as the flow of time in the narrative she wrote. For instance, she wrote her vision of The Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
on March 9, 1945 while her vision of the Beatitudes
Beatitudes
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
during the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
was written more than two months later on May 24, 1945. In the absence of computers in 1947, her priest (Father Romuald Migliorini OSM) was surprised that once the handwritten pages were typed on separate pages and reassembled, episode by episode like a deck of cards, the flow of the text was smooth. The book itself follows the life of Jesus in chronological form, with footnotes referring to the dates on which she wrote each episode.
Most of the episodes she wrote have a uniform format and structure. Valtorta first describes a scene, often with picturesque details of the background, the trees, the mountains and the weather conditions on that day in the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. For instance, her prelude to the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
written on May 22, 1945 depicts the road on which Jesus is walking, states that it was a clear day on which Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
could be seen by Jesus but Lake Merom could not be seen. In some episodes she mentions the colors of the clothing worn by Jesus or the Apostles.
Geography of the Holy Land
.
The Poem of the Man God is very specific in its description of the topography and geography of Palestine. Its level of detail has been surprising to experts, in that it includes more ancient town names than were generally recorded when the book was written in the 1940s.
The book names 255 specific locations in Palestine as it narrates the life and travels of Jesus, but 52 of these locations have no biblical reference at all. However, 79 of these 255 locations (about 30%) were not mentioned in the then current 1939 edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia is a public domain Biblical encyclopedia. This encyclopedia was published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co...
Atlas. And 62 of the 79 locations were not mentioned in the 1968 edition of the Macmillan Bible Atlas
Macmillan Bible Atlas
The Macmillan Bible Atlas is a book on the geography, civilizations and cartography of the Holy Land. It describes the movements of biblical characters, trade routes and battles...
, published after Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
's death, but her account of the connectivity of the locations is correct.
Of these locations, 20 confirmations have been made via the 1989 editions of atlases of Palestine published after the Poem of the Man God was written and 9 more have since been confirmed via the analysis of ancient documents. The book also mentions 6 ancient Palestinian cities whose locations correspond to the modern consensus among experts.
Style of narrative
The scenes Valtorta wrote usually involve detailed conversations between people. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount episode written on May 22, 1945 Jesus is met on the road by Saint Philip the Apostle and their detailed conversation is included. The scene then describes how the other Apostles come down the mountain to greet Jesus and how the Sermon on the Mount begins.Valtorta gives particular emphasis to the words she attributes to Jesus. While the Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
refers to the Beatitudes
Beatitudes
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
in a few paragraphs (Matthew 5:3-12), the text for the single Beatitude “poor in the spirit” spoken by Jesus in her vision is one and a half pages long. The full text of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
that she wrote in her notebook and attributed to Jesus takes three episodes from May 24 to 27, 1945, and is over 30 pages long. The fact that her text of the Beatitudes still has the same eight or ninefold structure as the Beatitudes in the Gospel (but is far more detailed) characterizes her notebooks.
In some cases, such as the Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
, her descriptions are very detailed and graphic. An endocrinologist, Dr. Nicholas Pende, expressed surprise at the level of detail in which Valtorta depicted Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
's spasms in Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, saying that she described "a phenomenon which only a few informed physicians would know how to explain, and she does it in an authentic medical style".
An extended story
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
's visions do, however, report parables, miracles and episodes in the life of Jesus that are not present in any of the synoptic Gospels.
An example is how the episode she wrote regarding the Trial of Jesus
Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
The Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the Canonical Gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus before the Jewish Council, or Sanhedrin, following his arrest and prior to his trial before Pontius Pilate...
by Caiphas after Jesus was betrayed presents an extended life story of Jesus beyond the synoptic Gospels. She wrote this episode on February 16, 1944, as the 600th episode in the Poem of the Man God.
The Trial of Jesus
Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
The Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the Canonical Gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus before the Jewish Council, or Sanhedrin, following his arrest and prior to his trial before Pontius Pilate...
by Caiphas is discussed in all synoptic Gospels. However, the fact that some place it at night, while others refer to it after daybreak has at times been viewed in terms of a
synoptic problem. Luke 22:66 states: "At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them." Luke thus places the trial after daybreak. However, both Matthew and Mark refer to the trial at night. Some biblical scholars have struggled with these facts, e.g. The Complete Gospels Annotated Scholars Version notes for Mark 14:53-72 state: "...It is difficult to reconcile much of Mark's picture with known Jewish judicial procedures: a secret court session, at night..."
While the synoptic Gospels do not directly refer to the role of Gamaliel
Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder , or Rabban Gamaliel I , was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the mid 1st century CE. He was the grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder, and died twenty years before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem...
in the Trial of Jesus, the Poem of the Man God does. Indeed, Gamaliel
Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder , or Rabban Gamaliel I , was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the mid 1st century CE. He was the grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder, and died twenty years before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem...
(a leading authority in the Sanhedrin
Sanhedrin
The Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel.The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel made of 71 members...
) makes repeated appearances in Valtorta's narrative and Valtorta reports a number of meetings between him and Jesus over the years.
In the episode that Valtorta wrote for the Trial of Jesus
Sanhedrin Trial of Jesus
The Sanhedrin trial of Jesus refers to the Canonical Gospel accounts of the trial of Jesus before the Jewish Council, or Sanhedrin, following his arrest and prior to his trial before Pontius Pilate...
by Caiphas, there are two trials, one at night and the other after daybreak. The second trial is prompted by Gamaliel
Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder , or Rabban Gamaliel I , was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the mid 1st century CE. He was the grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder, and died twenty years before the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem...
using the same reasoning that The Complete Gospels notes used to criticise Mark 14, namely Gamaliel considered the time and place of the night trial against Jewish judicial procedures, and demanded a new trial after daybreak. Thus Valtorta's episode makes any criticism of the Gospel of Mark's account of the Trial of Jesus unnecessary and produces an explanation that reconciles Mark 14 with Luke 22.
Another example is the episode she wrote on February 28, 1946. It reports that in preparation for His Passion, Jesus visited the town of Kerioth
Kerioth
Kerioth - cities. #A town in the south of Judea . Judas Iscariot was probably a native of this place, and hence his name Iscariot. It has been identified with the ruins of el-Kureitein, about 10 miles south of Hebron. ....
to say farewell and performed a miracle, curing Anne of Kerioth on her deathbed. In this episode Jesus instructs the cured Anne of Kerioth to forever tend to and comfort Mary of Simon, the mother of Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
who will be heartbroken upon the betrayal by her son and the deaths of Jesus and Judas in the near future.
The fact that Valtorta wrote each multi-page episode as a much more detailed version of an episode in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and her inclusion of as yet unreported events in the life of Jesus generated both interest and controversy from the moment the book was offered for publication.
Astronomical facts
"The magnificent stars of a clear night in the month of March are shining in the eastern sky.... It is a very tall house, situated in one of the highest parts of the town, so that the infinite horizon spreads out.... as the moon is waning, the sky is glistening with countless stars.... with its springtime constellations and the magnificent stars of Orion: of Rigil and Betelgeuse, of Aldebaran, of Perseus, Andromeda and Cassiopeia and the Pleiades united like sisters. And Sapphirine Venus covered with diamonds, and Mars of pale ruby and the topaz of Jupiter..."
Given that the joint visibility of these stars is uncommon, in 1992 Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
physicist Lonnie VanZandt
Lonnie Lee VanZandt
Lonnie Lee VanZandt was a professor of physics at Purdue University in Indiana, USA.VanZandt participated in the formation of the molecular biological physics group at Purdue and studied the dynamics of dissolved DNA polymers. He also performed pioneering research on the effect of microwaves on DNA...
analyzed these events to estimate a date for the event described. Jupiter has roughly a 13 year cycle as it is seen against the background of the stars. Mars has an orbital period of 23 months, while Venus is almost cyclic, appearing every two years at about the same location, but advancing 2 and half months each time. Using a computer planetary simulation system, VanZandt noted that the only possibilities for the observation Valtorta described during the month of March would be AD31 and AD33. After considering other elements in the narrative VanZandt concluded that the date AD31 had to be rejected, leaving March AD33 as the only possibility. Given that according to the narrative the Night at Gadara was one year before the Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
, the observation places the date of Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
during April AD34. According to VanZandt the estimation of the joint observability of these three stars and the position of the moon during that time would have been almost impossible without a computer system.
Publication controversy
Maria Valtorta was at first reluctant to have her notebooks published, but based on the advice of her priest, in 1947 she agreed to their publication. The handwritten pages were typed and bound by Father Romuald Migliorini OSM and Father Corrado Berti, OSM.The two priests approached their contacts at the Vatican with the typed manuscript and in February 1948 the future Cardinal Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea
Augustin Bea, SJ was a German scholar at the Gregorian University specializing in biblical studies and biblical archeology. He was confessor of Pope Pius XII. In 1959, Pope John XXIII made him cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first President of the Secretariat for Promoting...
, S.J. who was then the confessor to Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, bypassed the Holy Office by facilitating a private audience for them and their Prior, Father Andrea Checchin, with the Pope. The meeting was mentioned in L'Osservatore Romano
L'Osservatore Romano
L'Osservatore Romano is the "semi-official" newspaper of the Holy See. It covers all the Pope's public activities, publishes editorials by important churchmen, and runs official documents after being released...
's list of audiences and thereafter Father Berti provided a signed affidavit that recorded Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
as saying: “Publish this work as is. There is no need to give an opinion about its origin, whether it is extraordinary or not. Whoever reads it, will understand."
Apparently assuming that he had a verbal papal approval, Father Berti then approached the official hierarchy at the publishing office of the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, where he met serious resistance and opposition. A year later, in 1949, the Holy Office condemned the work and confiscated Father Berti’s typed copy. Father Berti then returned the handwritten pages to Maria Valtorta.
From the beginning, by its nature, the work generated strong emotional reactions among those who read it. Those opposed to the work saw it as an affront to their beliefs for it claimed to elaborate on the Gospel. Those who supported it often seemed amazed by its consistent flow as an elaboration of the Gospel and felt that the text attributed to Jesus was extraordinary.
Eventually, a lay publisher, Michele Pisani, decided to publish the work in 1956, despite the opposition to it at the Holy Office. Pisani published the book in four volumes of about one thousand pages each, one volume per year through 1959. While the third volume was being published in 1958 Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
died and was succeeded by Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...
. In 1959, when the fourth volume was being published, the Holy Office, headed by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani recommended that the work be placed on the Index of Forbidden Books and in 1959 Pope John XXIII issued a decree to that effect. It is worth noting that Cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani (who opposed Valtorta) and Augustin Bea (who supported her) continued to disagree with each other on a wide range of issues beyond Valtorta's work for a number of years thereafter.
Maria Valtorta died in 1961, feeling deeply hurt and rejected because her work remained on the Index of Forbidden Books. In 1965, the Index of Forbidden Books itself was abolished by Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
, who had succeeded Pope John XXIII. Valtorta supporters immediately claimed that this in effect nullified the suppression of 1959 since the Index no longer existed. Those opposed to the book considered the abolition of the Index as a reversal of the Church’s opinion of the work. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
), while acting as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
, wrote in 1985 that "the Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution." Valtorta supporters point to the fact that the long list of books on the Forbidden Index
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
also included writings by Jean Paul Sartre, Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of 18th-century Romanticism. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological and educational thought.His novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise...
, David Hume
David Hume
David Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
, René Descartes
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
, Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
, John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
, John Lock, Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei , was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations and support for Copernicanism...
, Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, among others while some authors (e.g. Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
), whose views are very unacceptable to the Church, were never put on the Index. Among several noted Roman Catholic supporters, there are John Haffert
John Haffert
John Mathias Haffert, was an author, editor and Roman Catholic figure. He wrote several books, mostly on Roman Catholic themes, co-founded Catholic societies, edited Catholic magazines and lectured on Catholic issues....
(co-founder of the 25 million member Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima is a public international association of the Christian faithful that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents...
) and Father Vernard Poslusney
Vernard Poslusney
Father Vernard Poslusney, was a Roman Catholic figure and author who gained recognition through many conferences, lectures and seminars...
(assisted with the founding and daily operations of the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima
The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fátima is a public international association of the Christian faithful that has as its general purpose "the promotion of the authentic teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the strict adherence to the tenets of the Gospel; the personal sanctification of adherents...
).
At the moment the official position of the Catholic Church with respect to the book is less than clear. The Church does not endorse the book, although ecclesiastical officials (including then-Cardinal Ratzinger in 1985) have made occasional comments about it. The last formal action taken by an office of the Holy See with respect to the book occurred a month after Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, Secretary General of the Italian Bishops' Conference, wrote in May 1992 to the publisher Emilio Pisani, requesting that a paragraph be added to the first few pages of the book disclaiming any supernatural origin for the work: in June 1992, Pisani visited the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
at the Vatican and stated that he had been told there that the letter indicated that the Italian Bishops' Conference saw nothing in the work that contradicts the doctrines of the Church. Some detractors claim that Tettamanzi's letter intended to classify the work as fiction. Since 1992, the Catholic Church has chosen to remain silent on its position with respect to the work.
The Poem of the Man God has, however, drawn criticism from a variety of theologians and skeptics, who claim internal inconsistencies, friction with the Holy See and theological errors of the Biblical account of the Gospel and Catholic dogma.
Regarding the issue of internal consistency and correspondence with the Gospels, Valtorta supporters point to the fact that ever since Saint Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
addressed the Augustinian hypothesis
Augustinian hypothesis
The Augustinian hypothesis is a solution to the synoptic problem, which concerns the origin of the Gospels of the New Testament. The hypothesis holds that Matthew was written first, by Matthew the Evangelist...
in the 5th Century, religious scholars have been debating issues regarding the comparison of various texts with the Gospels, at times with no clear resolution. Such debates still take place among experts even on issues regarding the Church Canons and the early Gospels themselves. Valtorta supporters point to the fact that the Poem of the Man God seems to provide solutions to some synoptic debates such as those regarding Luke 22:66
and Matthew 26:57 by providing simple explanations that resolve the conflicts. Certain scripture scholars such as the Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra was a Franciscan Friar and scripture scholar. He is best known for performing the first complete translation of the Catholic Bible into the Chinese language. His Studium Biblicum Translation is often considered the definitive Chinese Bible among Catholics...
have expressed their support for the Poem of the Man God and its correspondence with the Gospel. In defense of Maria Valtorta, when providing his imprimatur
Imprimatur
An imprimatur is, in the proper sense, a declaration authorizing publication of a book. The term is also applied loosely to any mark of approval or endorsement.-Catholic Church:...
for the Poem of the Man God, Bishop Roman Danylak
Roman Danylak
Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D. is a Canadian Ukrainian Catholic bishop. He was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1957 and ministered to Ukrainian Catholics in Canada. He received a licentiate of sacred theology from the Pontifical Urbaniana University and a doctorate of canon and civil law...
recalled John 8:7 and referred to some of her critics as "those who want to cast stones".
In 1987, Vatican Cardinal Edouard Gagnon was persuaded to locate and evaluate the original minutes from the February 26, 1948 Papal meeting transcribed by the Vatican Recording Cardinal who accompanied Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Shortly afterwards Cardinal Gagnon wrote from the Vatican, that Pope Pius XII's action was "the kind of official Imprimatur granted before witnesses by the Holy Father in 1948, an Official Imprimatur of the Supreme Authority of the Church". The Cardinal Gagnon letter was eventually published in a 1992 CEV periodical.
Cardinal Edouard Gagnon served as the Peritus (Expert Theologian Advisor and Consultant) during the second Vatican Council. He had a Doctorate in Theology and taught Canon law for ten years at the Grand Seminary.
The Vatican's dilemma
Some observers have suggested that The Poem of the Man God poses a delicate dilemma for the Holy SeeHoly See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
and that the vagueness of the Church’s current position and its continued silence are indeed a matter of prudent necessity.
On one hand, the Vatican can not suddenly declare a new and more detailed version of the Gospel every time a mystic produces a manuscript. Indeed, as a historical pattern, Vatican approval of visions of Jesus and Mary
Visions of Jesus and Mary
Since the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary until today, a number of people have claimed to have had visions of Christ and personal conversations with him. Some people make similar claims regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary. Discussions about the authenticity of these visions have often invited...
has usually followed general acceptance of a vision by well over a century in most cases. Hence the resistance to the book from deep within the Holy See’s hierarchy needs to be understood by Valtorta’s supporters.
On the other hand, the Holy See can no longer issue an outright condemnation of The Poem on the Man God because of its strong following among Catholics worldwide, including clergy such as Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce
George Hamilton Pearce
Msgr. George Hamilton Pearce, SM, DD was the first Bishop of Apia and is Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, Fiji....
, S. M., the respected scripture scholar the Venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra was a Franciscan Friar and scripture scholar. He is best known for performing the first complete translation of the Catholic Bible into the Chinese language. His Studium Biblicum Translation is often considered the definitive Chinese Bible among Catholics...
and Bishop Roman Danylak (a canon of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major , known also by other names, is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy.There are other churches in Rome dedicated to Mary, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greater size of the...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
) who provided his imprimatur for the book. When providing his imprimatur in 2002, Bishop Danylak wrote:
- "Is there anything against faith or morals in her writings? All her critics begrudgingly have acknowledged that there is nothing against faith and morals… there is nothing objectionable in The Poem of the Man-God and all the other writings of Valtorta."
It is clear that at the moment, open support for Maria Valtorta does not make someone a persona non grata
Persona non grata
Persona non grata , literally meaning "an unwelcome person", is a legal term used in diplomacy that indicates a proscription against a person entering the country...
at the Vatican. When the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
Congregation for the Causes of Saints
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passing through the steps of a declaration of "heroic virtues" and beatification...
at the Vatican declared the respected scripture scholar Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra
Gabriele Allegra was a Franciscan Friar and scripture scholar. He is best known for performing the first complete translation of the Catholic Bible into the Chinese language. His Studium Biblicum Translation is often considered the definitive Chinese Bible among Catholics...
as venerable
Venerable
The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English-language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
in 1994, they were aware of the fact that he had written that he considered The Poem of the Man God to have a "supernatural origin". Yet Allegra became the only scripture scholar beatified by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
Further complexity is added by the fact that the Vatican also wishes to remain silent on the visions at Medjugorje, neither approving nor disputing them. The Medjugorje visions by Marija Pavlovic and Vicka Ivankovic
Vicka Ivankovic
Vicka Ivanković is one of six visionaries at Međugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina who claim to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary on multiple occasions....
have both stated that Maria Valtorta’s records of her conversations with Jesus are truthful. According to an Ivankovic statement made on January 27, 1988, in 1981 the Virgin Mary told her at Medjugorje: "If a person wants to know Jesus he should read Maria Valtorta. That book is the truth". If at some future date the Vatican decides to approve the Medjugorje messages, it may also have to acknowledge Valtorta’s work as valid.
A 2009 Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
Report details the intricate connection between the Medjugorje apparitions and the writings of Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
.
Quotes and comments
The higher levels of the Vatican hierarchy at times still express skepticism about The Poem of the Man Gods origin although they do not claim that it contains items contrary to the doctrines of the Church. In 1992, Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi wrote that the he viewed the visions and dictations of Maria Valtorta as "simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus" and that they cannot be considered supernatural in origin .However, support for Maria Valtorta’s work continues to grow from within the mid levels of the Vatican hierarchy, with Msgr. Gianfranco Nolli, a director of the Vatican Museum stating that "Whoever reads The Poem of the Man God is favored with spiritual blessing and inner peace." Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce
George Hamilton Pearce
Msgr. George Hamilton Pearce, SM, DD was the first Bishop of Apia and is Archbishop Emeritus of Suva, Fiji....
, S. M. also publicly defended The Poem of the Man God and wrote:
- "
Support for Valtorta's work continues to appear from various corners of the Vatican. The respected Mariologist, and the author of many books on the Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Gabriel M. Roschini, professor at the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, advisor to the Holy Office and founder of the Marianum
Marianum
The Marianum is both the name of a Pontifical institute for the study of Mariology and the name of the prestigious journal of Marian theology. The school and the journal share the same name since their formation was based on the work of Father Gabriel Roschini, who founded both the journal and the...
(which is both the name of the pontifical school and the prestigious journal of Marian theology) wrote of Valtorta:
- "I must candidly admit that the Mariology found in Maria Valtorta's writings, whether published or not, has been for me a real discovery. No other Marian writing, not even the sum total of all the writings I have read and studied were able to give me as clear, as lively, as complete, as luminous, or as fascinating an image, both simple and sublime, of Mary, God's masterpiece."
In the meantime, Valtorta’s supporters continue to publish the book. They view the current silence of the Holy See as leaving them with the "Whoever reads it will understand" verbal authorization that they attribute to Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
.
The Poem of the Man-God is mentioned in the writings of Archbishop Don Ottavio Michelini
Don Ottavio Michelini
Archbishop Don Ottavio Michelini, of Mirandola, Italy is a Roman Catholic figure, Italian author and considered by many to be a mystic. He wrote several books pertaining to his visions of Jesus and Mary....
, from Mirandola
Mirandola
Mirandola is a city and comune of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, 31 km northeast of the provincial capital by railway.- History :Mirandola originated as a Renaissance city-fortress...
, who reported a series of Dictations and Visions given to him by Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary from 1975 to 1979. He reported these words dictated to him by Jesus himself:
"I have dictated to Maria Valtorta, a victim soul, a marvelous work. Of this work I am the Author. You yourself, son, have taken account of the raging reactions of Satan.... You have verified the resistance that many priests oppose to this work. This also proves, son, that he who has not sensed in the Poem the savour of the Divine, the perfume of the Supernatural, has a soul encumbered and darkened. If it were—I do not say "read"—but studied and meditated, it would bring an immense good to souls. This work is a well-spring of serious and solid culture.... This is a work willed by Wisdom and Divine Providence for the new times. It is a spring of living and pure water. It is I, the Word living and eternal, Who have given Myself anew as nourishment to the souls that I love. I, Myself, am the Light, and the Light cannot be confused with, and still less blend Itself with, the darkness. Where I am found, the darkness is dissolved to make room for the Light."
Sources and external links
- Bishop Roman Danylak's Imprimatur for the Poem of the Man God
- Maria Valtorta Official Site
- The Maria Valtorta Network
- The Venerable Gabriele Allegra on Maria Valtorta
- The Maria Valtorta Reader’s Group in Australia
- The Maria Valtorta Web-Ring
- Valtorta Publishing excerpts
- Medjugorje confirmation of Poem of the Man God
- "Is the Poem of the Man-God Simply a Bad Novel?" by Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
- EWTN Global Catholic Network 'Expert Answer' by Colin B. Donovan, STL
- Father Gabriel M. Roschini The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria ValtortaThe Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria ValtortaThe Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta is a book on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary written by the respected Mariologist Father Gabriel Roschini who in light of the encyclopedic accuracy of his work and 900 Mariological publications, was called "one of the most profound Mariologists"...
ISBN 8879870866