Refuting Their Erroneous Statements Concerning the Historical Audience of Pope Pius XII (Which Was Undeniably Documented in the Vatican Newspaper -- Which, Not Surprisingly, They Were Ignorant of, Like So Many Other Relevant Facts)

The Dominicans wrote:

Her confessor Father Migliorini, claims to have been received in audience with Pope Pius XII alongside Father Berti, in February 1948 and the Pope is supposed to have said to them to publish this work, adding " Whoever reads it, will understand". This oral authorisation of the Pope seems very unlikely: The Pope could only have given the authorisation of the work if he had read it and been assured of its orthodoxy; but how would the Pope have found the time to read these 10,000 pages? This authorisation appears even less credible when the Holy Office forbade the work definitively (with no possible correction) one year later in February 1949.

All the issues brought up in the above paragraph are thoroughly and entirely addressed, and the accusations of the Resistance Dominicans refuted, in the subchapter of this e-book entitled "The Statements and Actions of the Popes Regarding the Poem of the Man-God". For a short introduction to the history of the imprimaturs Valtorta's work has received over the years, see: An Analysis and Refutation of All the Top Anti-Valtorta Articles.

However, I will also expound on the facts here, although I refer readers to the above e-book for a complete and more thorough exposition of all of the relevant facts.

The fact that the Resistance Dominicans did not come even close to "doing their homework" on this subject matter and did not come even close to consulting all the relevant sources is aptly shown by their statement "Her confessor Father Migliorini, claims to have been received in audience with Pope Pius XII alongside Father Berti, in February 1948". By the fact that they use the words "claims to have been received" suggests that Fr. Migliorini and Fr. Berti were lying and that there is no proof of this. This is quite an accusation. Furthermore, these priests (especially Fr. Berti) are not the type of priests who you would automatically presume to be lying without providing any sort of evidence. In fact, the Church teaches that the virtues of charity and justice demands that we must not make accusations against other people unless we have proof. The Dominicans lack both proof and a high level of probability; therefore, their insinuation that these renowned priests were lying is a sin of calumny (apparently, calumniating Valtorta and smearing her reputation with a falsehood wasn't enough so they also want to calumniate priests as well without evidence). Even Scripture states: "Against a priest receive not an accusation, but under two or three witnesses." (1 Timothy 5:19, Douay-Rheims).

The Dominican's groundless accusation/insinuation that these priests were lying about their audience with Pope Pius XII wouldn't be so damning for the Dominicans if there were not concrete, hard evidence proof that both of these priests did, in fact, have this audience that they claimed. But, fortunately, there is this proof. Below is a photocopy of the front page of the February 27, 1948, edition of the Vatican's newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. Underneath, you can see a close-up of the section (highlighted in yellow) where it explicitly states that Pope Pius XII received in a private audience Fr. Andrea M. Cecchin (Rector of the International College of the Servants of Mary), Fr. Romualdo M. Migliorini, and Fr. Corrado M. Berti.

L'Osservatore Romano, February 27, 1948, Pope Pius XII Audience

CLOSE-UP:

It is to be noted that Fr. Romualdo M. Migliorini had been a Prefect Apostolic in Africa. Fr. Andrew M. Cecchin was the Prior of the International College of the Servites of Mary in Rome. Fr. Corrado M. Berti, O.S.M., was a professor of dogmatic and sacramental theology of the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty in Rome from 1939 onward, and Secretary of that Faculty from 1950 to 1959. Fr. Berti was the theologian assigned by the Servites in 1946 to study Maria Valtorta's writings in depth, as she was a Third Order Servite.

We have already refuted the supposition and accusation of the Resistance Dominicans that Fr. Cecchin and Fr. Berti were lying in their claim to have had a private audience with the Sovereign Pontiff.

Now the Resistance Dominicans try to deny the assertion of the papal audience members that the Pope commanded them to publish the work and that the Pope had said, "whoever reads it will understand."

Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology), responds:11

It has been objected that Pope Pius XII never gave approval for The Poem of the Man-God since this approval was not printed in the February 27, 1948 edition of L'Osservatore Romano, which documented the papal audience of Pius XII with Father Migliorini, Father Berti, and Father Cecchin, spiritual directors and custodians of The Poem of the Man-God. There is no substantial reason to doubt the oral statement granted by Pope Pius XII during a papal audience given to the spiritual director of Maria Valtorta, Father Romualdo Migliorini, O.S.M., Father Berti, O.S.M., and Father Andrea Cecchin, Prior of the Order of the Servants of Mary (papal audience, February 26, 1948; L'Osservatore Romano, February 27, 1948), whereby they record the words of the pope saying, "Publish this work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion about its origin, whether it be extraordinary or not. Who reads it, will understand. One hears of many visions and revelations. I will not say they are all authentic; but there are some of which it could be said that they are." Speculations on "how much was read" by Pius XII whether in "whole or in part" posed to undermine the oral statement of Pius XII, as faithfully transmitted by the Prior of the Order of the Servites of Mary, would represent speculation without factual foundation.

An article relates concerning the papal audience with Pope Pius XII:12

"Some critics have attempted to discredit its authenticity, however without citing any real evidence to the contrary. Thus, we have not found any reason for rejecting the testimonies of these three priests as a mistake or a lie, especially given their distinguished repute (Prior of the Servites of Mary in Rome, Professor of Dogmatic Theology, and Prefect Apostolic in Africa). It may also be worth mentioning, in a court of law in the United States, only two eyewitnesses are necessary to convict someone with the death penalty."

Fr. Berti's signed testimony is available here:

A Testimony on Maria Valtorta’s Poem of the Man-God. By Rev. Corrado Berti, O.S.M. December 8, 1978: https://web.archive.org/web/20230606222346/...

This is the English translation of a photostated copy of Fr. Berti's original signed Italian typescript testimonial, which is in possession of Dr. Emilio Pisani in Isola del Liri, Italy. A photocopy of Fr. Berti's original signed Italian typescript is viewable and downloadable here:

https://web.archive.org/web/20230614010427/...

Original Italian of the Pope's words: "Pubblicate quest’opera così come sta, senza pronunciarvi a riguardo deII’origine straordinaria o meno di essa; chi legge capirà." Pope Pius XII, during a private audience granted to Fr. Berti, Fr. Migliorini, and Fr. Cecchin (all of them Servites of Mary), Feb. 26, 1948. The taking place of this audience was mentioned in the Osservatore Romano of Feb. 27, 1948, and this can be viewed online here. The Pope's words were quoted by Fr. Berti, editor of Il poema dell’Uomo-Dio, in Il poema dell’Uomo-Dio, vol. VII, Appendix, pp. 1870-1871.

Another noteworthy document describing the papal intervention is: Maria Valtorta (1897-1961): Ia Vita di Gesù, intitolata “II poema deiI’Uomo-Dio” e gli altri suoi scritti mistici [Maria Valtorta (1897-1961): Jesus’ life entitled The Poem of the Man-God and her other mystical writings]. By Fr. Corrado M. Berti, O.S.M. (Rome, December 8, 1978).

It is obvious to any scholar of Valtorta that this papal audience was about the topic of Maria Valtorta and her mystical writings. This is absolutely unquestionable. Fr. Migliorini was Maria Valtorta's spiritual director from 1942 to 1946 and Fr. Corrado Berti, O.S.M., supervised the editing and publication of the critical second edition of the Poem, and from 1960 to 1980 provided the extensive theological and biblical annotations that accompany that edition and all subsequent editions (totaling over 5,675 footnotes). He was the theologian assigned by the Servites in 1946 to study the great mystic's writings in depth, as she was a Third Order Servite.

He visited Maria Valtorta often (totaling over 180 visits). He attested many times -- including in his signed testimony on December 8, 1978 -- to her holiness and virtue. He was well acquainted with Valtorta and her writings, including before this papal audience. In fact, he stated in his signed testimony written on December 8, 1978, in Rome:13

I knew Maria Valtorta in 1946, and, given the fact that she lived close enough to my mother, I often met with her at least once a month until the year of her death in 1961.

I read and annotated (by myself from 1960 to 1974; with the help of some confreres from 1974 on) all the Valtorta writings, both edited and unedited.

I can certify that Valtorta did not, by her own industry, possess all that vast, profound, clear, and varied learning which is evident in her writings. In fact, she possessed, and at times consulted, only the Catechism of Pius X, and a common popular [Italian] Bible.

Since Maria was a humble and sincere woman, we can accept the explanation which she herself furnished about her learning: attributing it to supernatural visions and dictations, besides her natural skill as a writer. And this is also the opinion of Miss Marta Diciotti who assisted Valtorta for 30 years, and who today receives so many visitors in Valtorta's little room.

Finally, this is also the opinion of the editor, Dr. Emilio Pisani, who hears the written and oral echo of very many readers.

Hence, it is obvious that the subject matter of this papal audience was Valtorta and her writings. What events led up to this papal audience?

Fr. Corrado Berti, Secretary of the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty in Rome from 1950 to 1959, relates in a signed testimony that he wrote on December 8, 1978:

"Since the writings of Maria Valtorta present themselves as emanating from supernatural visions and dictations, [in 1946] I took council with two very experienced persons, that is, with his Excellency Msgr. Alphonsus Carinci, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and vicar for the Causes of the Saints; and with Rev. Augustin Bea, S.J., confessor of Pope Pius XII, and rector and professor of the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome. Both [who approved her writings] advised having typewritten copies of such writings conveyed to his Holiness Pope Pius XII, through a prelate of the Secretary of State. Pius XII became personally acquainted with these writings, as I was assured by the bearer himself of the typescript."14

A high-ranking prelate personally handed Pope Pius XII a 12-volume typewritten copy of the Poem of the Man-God in 1947. In the following months, the priest who was in charge of postal delivery directly to Pope Pius XII's desk saw the bookmark in Valtorta's writings on his desk moving forward day by day.15 After these volumes were evaluated by the Pope, he granted a special audience with the three Servites of Mary in charge of this work: Fr. Corrado M. Berti, O.S.M. (professor of dogmatic and sacramental theology at the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty in Rome from 1939 onward, and Secretary of that Faculty from 1950 to 1959), Fr. Romualdo M. Migliorini (Prefect Apostolic in Africa), and Fr. Andrew M. Cecchin (Prior of the International College of the Servites of Mary in Rome). At this audience, as Bishop of Rome and the Vicar of Christ, Pope Pius XII commanded them to publish it, saying: "Publish it just as it is. There is no need to give an opinion as to whether it is of supernatural origin. Those who read it will understand."16 Father Berti testifies: "I asked the Pope if we should remove the inscriptions: 'Visions' and 'Dictations' from The Poem before publishing it. And he answered that nothing should be removed."17 Frs. Berti, Migliorini, and Cecchin documented the Pope's words immediately afterwards. Fr. Berti's signed testimony is located in Isola del Liri, Italy (and is also viewable online). Pope Pius XII's audience with these three priests was also historically documented the next day, February 27, 1948, in the Vatican's newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. These three ecclesiastical eyewitnesses were of distinguished repute, and it may be worth mentioning that in a court of law in the United States, only two eyewitnesses are necessary to convict someone with the death penalty. This command of Pope Pius XII in front of three witnesses made it just as binding as a command in writing, according to the 1918 Code of Canon Law, which was in force in 1948.18 Cardinal Edouard Gagnon (who had a Doctorate in Theology and taught canon law for ten years at the Grand Seminary) writing to the Maria Valtorta Research Center from the Vatican on October 31, 1987, referred to Pope Pius XII's action as: "The type of official Imprimatur granted before witnesses by the Holy Father in 1948."19 It is also of significance that Cardinal Gagnon was known as a specialist of censorship, a theme for which he had written a reference book in 1945: The Censorship of Books (Éditions Fides, Montreal, 222 pages).20

The word imprimatur merely means "it may be printed" (in Latin: "let it be printed"). Here the Pope went further: he commanded them, "Publish this work just as it is." Furthermore, the contents were deemed acceptable and very good to his judgment, for he said: "Publish this work just as it is." Pope Leo X stated at the Fifth Lateran Council: "When it is a question of prophetic revelations, the Pope is the sole judge!"21

The Pope has the right to command a work to be published. Though this should be obvious, let us illustrate this principle with a published quotation from Cardinal Gagnon, who is an expert in this field. In 1944, the future Cardinal Gagnon wrote in his doctoral thesis on book censorship:

"Since the Supreme Pontiff is vested with the fullness of power and is the immediate pastor of all the faithful (canon 218 [in the 1918 Code of Canon Law]), he could, before anyone else and with his supreme authority, approve a book and grant it the Imprimatur. As far as we know, he has not yet done so" --- [remember, this was written in 1944] --- "since the modern [ecclesiastical] laws of preventive censorship." (Translated from Fr. Edouard Gagnon. La censure des livres. Sainte-Foy (Quebec), Université Laval, Faculté de Droit canonique, 1944. p.178)

Prof. Leo A. Brodeur, M.A., Lèsl., Ph.D., H.Sc.D., wrote:22

It is important to know that Pope Pius XII was not content giving no more no less than an order by saying: "Pubblicate" ("Publish"). He also went so far as to hint at the work's extraordinary origin. Referring to the great number of alleged visions and revelations which people were claiming to receive in those years, he declared that they were not all true, but that some were. Now if Pope Pius XII, a man of profound intelligence, had not believed in the authenticity of Valtorta's writings, he would not have spoken in such words that could have been misinterpreted. So then when he said, during the special audience revolving around Valtorta's writings, that among all the alleged revelations of that time some were true, he was implying that Valtorta's were true. And two of the three Servite Fathers whom he had summoned, Fr. Berti and Fr. Migliorini, knew Valtorta's work very well and were undoubtedly among the most competent men in the world to understand the implications of such words by the Pope. And Fr. Berti referred to them several times.

Prof. Leo A. Brodeur, M.A., LèsL., Ph.D., H.Sc.D., wrote:23

On February 26, 1948, Pope Pius XII, during an official special audience mentioned in the Osservatore Romano the following day, had much to say about The Poem of The Man-God.

"Pubblicate quest'opera così come sta, senza pronunciarvi a riguardo dell'origine straordinaria o meno di essa: chi legge, capirà. Si sente parlare di tante visioni e rivelazioni. lo non dico che tutte siano vere; ma qualcuna vera ci può essere."

"Publish this work just as it is, without giving an opinion about its origin, whether it be extraordinary or not. Who reads it, will understand. [Nowadays] one hears of many visions and revelations. I do not say they are all authentic; but some of them can be authentic."

Pope Pius XII was a very strict conservative who did his utmost to destroy heresies. Also, he had been a Church diplomat and had mastered the art of prudent understatement. Therefore, when he said, in the context of a special audience whose purpose was to discuss the future of The Poem of The Man-God, that some visions and revelations in his day and age could be said to be authentic, he was very diplomatically, very guardedly letting on that he deemed the visions described in The Poem of The Man-God to be authentic.

During that special audience, Pope Pius XII spoke as a superior to someone in front of two other witnesses. By the canon law in force then, such an oral statement carried as much weight as a signed document. The fact that he said to publish a typescript just as it is, thus constituted more than an imprimatur. That is because the word imprimatur merely means "it may be printed." Here the Pope did not merely say that The Poem of The Man-God may be printed; he said: "Publish this just as it is."

Everyone should respect such an initiative by a Pope, the supreme visible authority in the Church, especially when he was known to be unflinchingly traditional. Un-traditional people do not like Pope Pius XII precisely because he was such a bastion of tradition.

For all his efforts as a good practicing Catholic and Vicar of Christ on earth from 1939 to 1958, the beatification procedures for Pope Pius XII were begun by Pope Paul VI on March 12, 1964.

Pope Pius XII was a serious, scholarly man who always double-checked everything personally before signing anything or saying anything. He was a pillar of the Church, a staunch defender of Catholic doctrine. If the contents of The Poem of The Man-God were fine by such a great Pope, how come we still find people opposing The Poem of The Man-God?

These documented words of Pope Pius XII are considered by many leading scholars, journalists, and dozens of bishops to be a fact. For example, Antonio Socci is a leading Italian journalist, author, and public intellectual in Italy. He had his own television show, which he hosted, and is a prominent media personality, especially for topics on the Catholic Church. He has regularly held press conferences for cardinals (including Cardinal Ratzinger and Cardinal Bertone).

He is well known among many Catholics because of his book The Fourth Secret of Fatima, which is one of the most prominent books about Fatima (in particular, the Third Secret of Fatima) in recent times. Recently, Antonio Socci wrote an article about the Poem of the Man-God that was originally published in an Italian newspaper and which he also published on his blog on April 7, 2012, in which he highly praises the Poem, saying:24

These are exceptional pages, which practically contain all four Gospels and fill in missing periods, solving so many enigmatic points or apparent contradictions.

Reading these pages is not only an extraordinary adventure for the mind since it reveals everything you would want to know and illuminates every truth, but it also changes your heart and changes your life.

Above all, it confirms the veracity of all the dogmas and teachings of the Church, of St. John, St. Paul, and of all the Councils.

For twenty years, after having laboriously stumbled through trying to read hundreds of biblical scholars' volumes, I can say that -- with the reading of the Work of Valtorta -- two hundred years of Enlightenment-based, idealistic, and modernist chatter about the Gospels and about the Life of Jesus can be run through the shredder.

And this perhaps is one of the reasons why this exceptional work – a work which moved even Pius XII – is still ignored and “repressed” by the official intelligentsia and by clerical modernism.

In spite of that, outside the normal channels of distribution, thanks to Emilio Pisani and Centro Editoriale Valtortiano, the Work has been read by a sea of people -- every year, by tens of thousands of new readers -- and has been translated into 21 languages. [emphasis added]

Notice what he said about Pope Pius XII above.

Bishop Johanan-Mariam Cazenave, the Secretary of the Syrian-French Synod, wrote a preface for Jean-François Lavère's 339-page book entitled (in Italian) L’Enigma Valtorta (The Valtorta Enigma), (in French) L´énigme Valtorta, Une Vie de Jésus Romancée? (The Valtorta Enigma, a Fictionalized Life of Jesus?), and (in German) Das Rätsel Valtorta: Das Leben Jesu in Romanform?. Jean-François Lavère's book was released in June 2012. The English translation of this book has been completed and will be released soon. In this preface, the Bishop writes:25

This remarkable work could not have been done fifty years ago. Maria Valtorta died in 1961; it was during the blackest years of the War that she was inspired with l’Evangile tel qu’il m’a été révélé [The Gospel as it was Revealed to Me]. Pope Pius XII, Sovereign Pontiff reigning at that time, issued on this publication a positive discernment: "Publish this work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion as to its origin, whether it is extraordinary or not; those who read will understand." The word of a Pope is not without value and is based on the sentiment that the Pontiff shared with his contemporaries, that this text is orthodox. Pius XII, better than anyone, is the guarantor that the Work [of Valtorta] does not betray in any way the Canonical Gospels and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church; he therefore recommends this reading.

Honest scholars recognize that there is far more evidence that Pope Pius XII said these words than there is evidence that he never said these words or evidence that the three priests (of distinguished repute) in audience with the Pope were all lying.

The Pope commanded them to publish her writings. I also consider his oral command to publish her writings as equivalent to or better than an imprimatur, because the word imprimatur merely means "it may be printed" (in Latin: "let it be printed"). Here the Pope went further: he commanded them, "Publish this work just as it is." Furthermore, the contents were deemed acceptable and very good to his judgment, for he said: "Publish this work just as it is."

If the Resistance Dominicans refuse to believe that his command to publish her work constitutes something equivalent to an imprimatur, Valtorta supporters really don't care. Valtorta supporters would take a command to publish any day over an imprimatur (mere "permission to publish").

Furthermore, Valtorta supporters do not need merely the affirmation of Pope Pius XII to know that her work has been determined by competent ecclesiastical authorities to be free from error in faith and morals. Why? For the following reasons:

1. After Fr. Giraudo, O.P., Commissioner of the Holy Office, was handed the signed certifications of three Consultors to the Holy Office, was informed about Pope Pius XII's previous audience concerning Valtorta's writings, was given the second critical edition of Valtorta's work with more than 5,675 scholarly footnotes and appendices by Fr. Berti to explain potentially difficult passages, and after reviewing everything and consulting his superiors, he gave permission for the publication of the second edition of Valtorta's work in 1961, according to the testimony of Fr. Berti who dealt directly with the Holy Office. Fr. Gabriel Roschini, Consultant of the Holy Office, stated in 1961 that the new critical second edition

".. was not to be considered to be on the Index, because it was totally renewed, conformed in all to the original, and provided with notes that removed any doubt and which demonstrated the solidity and orthodoxy of the work."26

2. The official letter of endorsement of Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D., Titular Bishop of Nyssa, for the English translation of The Poem of the Man-God is available here: Official Letter of Endorsement of Bishop Roman Danylak (Dated June 24, 2001). The conclusion of his letter states:

"This major work of Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the Man-God, is in perfect consonance with the canonical Gospels, with the traditions and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church."

Bishop Roman Danylak also stated:

"I have studied The Poem in depth, not only in its English translation, but in the original Italian edition with the critical notes of Fr. Berti. I affirm their theological soundness, and I welcome the scholarship of Fr. Berti and his critical apparatus to the Italian edition of the works. I have further studied in their original Italian the Quaderni or The Notebooks of Maria Valtorta for the years from 1943 to 1950. And I want to affirm the theological orthodoxy of the writings of Maria Valtorta."27

It is to be noted that Bishop Danylak has a License in Sacred Theology and Doctorates in both Canon Law and Civil Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

3. The Malayalam translation of Maria Valtorta's work The Poem of the Man-God was granted an imprimatur by Bishop (later Archbishop) Soosa Pakiam M. of Trivandrum, India, on March 17, 1993. A photocopy of this signed imprimatur letter is available here: Official Letter of Imprimatur of Bishop Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam (Dated March 17, 1993).

4. In 1992, seven bishops sent warm letters of congratulations to the publisher of the Malayalam translation of The Poem of the Man-God, all of them heartily approving The Poem of the Man-God and its translation and dissemination. These seven bishops include:

• Cardinal Antony Padiyara of Ernakulam-Angamaly
• Archbishop Gregorous, D.D., of Trivandrum
• Bishop Benjamin of Darjeeling
• Bishop D'souza of Pune
• Bishop (later Archbishop) Kundukulam of Trichur
• Bishop Kureethara of Kochi
• Bishop (later Archbishop) Soosa of Trivandrum

Computer-scanned signed original letters of each of these seven bishops' approvals are downloadable and viewable online here: Maria-Valtorta.net Document Library. In his signed letter, Bishop Kureethara wrote,

"No flaws in theological or moral matters are seen. On the contrary, I see this as the best work to study more deeply, understand, and interpret the Gospels." In his signed letter, Bishop Kindukulam wrote, "There is nothing contrary to faith and morals in this work. Blessings for an extensive circulation of the Malayalam translation of this work."

5. Archbishop Alberto Ramos of Belem, Brazil, granted the imprimatur to an anthology of The Poem of the Man-God that was published in 1978.28

6. In 1992, Cardinal Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gave permission for her work to be published. In a letter dated May 6, 1992 (Prot. N. 324-92), addressed to Dr. Emilio Pisani (the publisher of Maria Valtorta's works), Monsignor Dionigi Tettamanzi, secretary to the Italian Episcopal Conference, gave permission for the work to continue to be published for the "true good of readers and in the spirit of the genuine service to the faith of the Church."29 Dr. Pisani relates concerning this letter:30

Our comment immediately points to the conclusion that the Work of Maria Valtorta does not contain errors or inaccuracies concerning faith and morals; otherwise Monsignor Tettamanzi would have asked the Publisher to correct or eliminate such specific errors or inaccuracies "for the true good of readers."

Monsignor Tettamanzi did not even ask that any form of expression that declares the supernatural origin of the Work be corrected, because he maintained that the only declaration that the Publisher had to make at the beginning of the volumes would be enough "for the true good of readers," and to act "in the spirit of an authentic service to the faith of the Church": thereby signifying that the content of the Work is sound. In fact, the Church has condemned books that are contrary to faith and morals and which did not claim to be a revelation or even inspired at all.

Approved in content and exonerated in its form. This is how we can sum up the latest position taken by the Ecclesiastical Authority on Maria Valtorta's Work.

Such a position was confirmed verbally to the publisher, Emilio Pisani, in the Palace of the Holy Office at the Vatican, 30 June 1992. On that occasion, he learned that the letter of the Secretary General of the CEI had been suggested by an office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as it had been decided "on High" that the Work of Maria Valtorta could be read by everyone "like a good book."

Everything had returned to where it first started, in essence, to the views expressed unofficially by Pope Pius XII before the Holy Office blocked attempts to publish the Work without any prior accurate examination. In the Audience granted 26 February, 1948 to three Religious of the Order of the Servants of Mary, the Pope, who had previously had the typewritten documents, advised him to publish the work without a preface that would illustrate the nature of this Work and without any formal editing. He concluded: "The reader will understand." (We refer to the chapter on p. 61). [...]

Note that in each country, it was the secretary of the episcopal conference who transmitted the official position of the Church on such works. Regardless of the reason that the first edition was placed on the Index, the placement of the first edition on the Index of Forbidden Books was effectively nullified by those who approved the second and subsequent editions. See endnote 31 for more details.31 Her writings cannot be considered condemned or forbidden for contemporary Catholics.

Archbishop Nuncio Apostolic Monsignor Pier Giacomo De Nicolò said in his homily on October 15, 2011, for the 50th anniversary of Maria Valtorta's death in the Basilica of the Annunciation in Florence, Italy:32

...the work of Maria Valtorta -- which is free from error of doctrine and morals as noted by multiple parties -- recognizes for more than half a century, a wide and silent circulation among the faithful (translated in about 30 different languages) of every social class throughout the world and without any publicity in particular. The grandeur, magnificence, and wisdom of the content has attracted numerous good fruits and conversions: even people immersed in the whirlwind of life and far from the Christian Faith, but nevertheless yearning to get in touch with solid truths, have opened their hearts to a meeting with the Absolute, with God-Love, and they have found full confirmation of the 2,000-year-old teaching of the Church. [emphasis added]

For the most in-depth examination of all things concerning Maria Valtorta and her work I recommend the e-book A Summa and Encyclopedia to Maria Valtorta's Extraordinary Work, which can be downloaded here: A Summa and Encyclopedia to Maria Valtorta's Extraordinary Work.

So if the Resistance Dominicans deny the words of Pope Pius XII which were documented by reputable, trustworthy eyewitnesses, one of whose signed letter we have available, then that is their own issue of not wanting to be "confused with the facts" and their arguments about the canonical status of Maria Valtorta are still refuted because her work has received numerous imprimaturs and episcopal endorsements since then and the latest pronouncement by the Holy Office (a.k.a., the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) includes the granting of permission to the publisher to publish it and the faithful to read it (something the Holy Office would not do if it were still "forbidden"). The original placement of the first edition of her work on the Index is now outdated because the latest pronouncement by the Holy Office (a.k.a. CDF) is that the publication of her work is allowed, thus effectively nullifying any moral binding force of the original placement of the first edition of the work on the now suppressed Index.

For a very good overview of why Valtorta's work cannot any longer be considered forbidden for Catholics to read, see Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D's (Doctor of Sacred Theology) article: In Response to Various Questions Regarding "The Poem of the Man-God".

It is very interesting to note that the Resistance Dominicans don't hesitate to look at all sorts of qualifiers and factors when analyzing the case of Archbishop Lefebvre and the founding of the SSPX to explain why the excommunication of Archbishop Lefebvre by the Pope was invalid, why his suspension a divinis was invalid, why he was right in disobeying certain commands of the Pope, why and how he was unjustly treated by Rome, etc., but they seem to be quite unwilling to adequately investigate qualifiers and necessary factors in the analysis of the case of Maria Valtorta's work, thus betraying a notable level of inconsistency (some might even say hypocrisy). They -- like many of Valtorta's critics -- like to present an erroneous over-simplification of the true reality and all the necessary factors and qualifiers that need to be considered, similar to the case with anti-SSPX organizations like EWTN who say, "The Holy Father has declared Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX to be in schism: case closed" (The Resistance Dominicans are a traditional Catholic religious order who highly reveres Archbishop Lefebvre and the position he took and considers that the Pope's excommunication of him was invalid. What a poignant situation that shows how, if they want to avoid hypocrisy, they cannot claim the Hierarchy made a mistake with Archbishop Lefebvre -- an assertion they defend by pointing to technicalities and qualifiers -- while at the same time refusing to consider all the necessary factors and qualifiers in the case of Valtorta's writings).

The Resistance Dominicans believe her work has been condemned. How has her work been supposedly condemned? To what degree? Is it still binding? Did the Magisterium ever pronounce a "Constat de non supernaturalitate" or a "Non-constat de supernaturalitate" judgement, and if so, which one? If what the Dominicans say is true, why and how has her work received multiple imprimaturs from bishops and favorable statements from several Popes (one of whom was pre-Vatican II), and was granted approval for publishing in 1992 by Monsignor Dionigi Tettamanzi, secretary to the Italian Episcopal Conference? People who are not capable or interested in doing scholarly work or who want to merely discredit something prefer to hide relevant facts in oversimplified, sweeping, generalizing statements. Many anti-Valtorta critics usually maintain: "The Holy See has officially condemned the Poem; this condemnation is still in force." This statement betrays a notable level of ignorance.

I want to address the current canonical status of Valtorta's writings in terms of the Index of Forbidden Books in further depth.

To start out, I recommend readers check out the article of Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology) where he succinctly explains why The Gospel as Revealed to Me / The Poem of the Man-God cannot any longer be considered forbidden to Catholics and why every Catholic is free to read it. He also refutes some of the most popular (flawed) objections to Valtorta's work. His article can be read here: In Response to Various Questions Regarding "The Poem of the Man-God".

Throughout the history of the Church, many times books that were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books were later removed from the Index. Even the works of St. Thomas Aquinas were condemned on January 18, 1277 by Pope John XXI, and the condemnation later annulled.33 Venerable Mary of Agreda's Mystical City of God was examined for fourteen years and afterwards placed on the Index of Forbidden Books for three months, before it was later vindicated by Pope Clement XI who strictly prohibited the Mystical City of God from ever being put on the Index of Forbidden Books again in two decrees of June 5, 1705 and September 26, 1713. Her Mystical City of God was furthermore vindicated by two Popes of the past century who went so far as to give an Apostolic Blessing to readers and promoters of the Mystical City of God, much in contrast to the actions of the Hierarchy which once put this work on the Index of Forbidden Books.34

The placement of a work on the Index was not an infallible act, and, contrary to popular belief, was not always done because a book had an error against faith or morals or was obscene. Other reasons for why books were placed on the Index of Forbidden books were for disciplinary reasons, or simply because a book requiring prior Church approval before publishing was published without prior approval (not necessarily because of harmful content), or because it was judged that the book might be dangerous for groups of people at that time in history (and when the conditions changed such that such dangers were no longer present, these books could be removed from the Index).35 During the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, the pontiff revised the Index of Forbidden Books and dropped about a thousand books from it.36 He also overhauled the rules at that time, something done by Popes multiple times during the history of the Index, with the last one being the abolishment of the Index by Pope Paul VI in 1966.

In the case of the first edition of Maria Valtorta's main work, The Poem of the Man-God, it is clear from the explanatory letter which accompanied the notification of its placement on the Index that the reason for its placement on the Index was not due to any errors against faith or morals, but because of a disciplinary matter due to allegedly grave disobedience by an unspecified person (presumably Fr. Berti).

Fr. Berti gives details of relevant events and facts in his signed testimony. The charge of disobedience is untrue and perhaps represents a misunderstanding on the part of some individuals. The explanatory letter did not tell the whole story nor did it even mention a name of who was supposedly disobedient. The facts are that Fr. Berti chose to obey the order of Pope Pius XII who had commanded him to publish the work in 1948. The two officials in 1949 called him to a private meeting the year after the Pope had commanded him (in front of two other eyewitnesses) to publish it. They refused to let him speak so that he could tell them the Pontiff's command to publish it. The Pope had higher authority and jurisdiction than these two officials. He was given contradictory orders and so he obeyed the orders of the highest authority (the Pope). Regardless, what is relevant for this present discussion is his testimony of how Fr. Giraudo, O.P., Commissioner of the Holy Office, later gave permission to continue publication of the second edition in 1961.

First, let's give some details about Fr. Berti. Fr. Berti was a professor of dogmatic and sacramental theology of the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty in Rome from 1939 onward, and Secretary of that Faculty from 1950 to 1959. He is one of the three priests who had an audience with Pope Pius XII about the Poem of the Man-God wherein Pope Pius XII commanded him to publish the Poem of the Man-God "just as it is". Fr. Berti is also the one who supervised the editing and publication of the critical second edition of the Poem and provided the extensive theological and biblical annotations that accompany that edition and all subsequent editions. Fr. Berti wrote in his signed testimony on December 8, 1978:

"I read and annotated (by myself from 1960 to 1974; with the help of some confreres from 1974 on) all the Valtorta writings, both edited and unedited."37

Fr. Berti was an extremely learned and traditional/orthodox scholar who thoroughly analyzed Maria Valtorta's writings and provided more than 5,675 scholarly footnotes and appendices for her work, including for difficult passages that critics have or could potentially criticize. This averages about 568 footnotes per volume and averages slightly more than one footnote per page throughout the whole 5,264 printed pages. In 1961, the second critical Italian edition of the Poem of the Man-God, published by Knight Michele Pisani's son Emilio Pisani, contained these scholarly footnotes and appendices by Fr. Berti. The subsequent editions, including the current fourth edition released in 2001, have many of these footnotes.

Below is an excerpt from his signed testimony on December 8, 1978 (note that Fr. Berti refers to himself in the third person):38

8. SECOND EDITION OF "THE POEM OF THE MAN-GOD"

Sir Michael Pisani was not impressed by the aforesaid Life of Jesus being placed on the Index. But feeling somewhat aged and suffering, he instead entrusted the task of publishing the Valtorta writings to his son, Doctor Emilio Pisani, a doctor of jurisprudence and at that time in the prime of life.

It was then that the Pisani Publishing House, with full confidence in God's help and in the future, conceived and decided on the publication of a second edition of The Poem, with a better cover and better paper, with newer and cleaner type, and in less thick volumes. Moreover, Dr. Emilio asked Fr. Berti to provide the new edition with explanatory notes of difficult passages, and to point out the biblical substrata of the Work. The edition was provided also with illustrations redacted by professor Lorenzo Ferri, under the personal guidance of Maria Valtorta.

Thus this Work on the Gospel came out in ten fine volumes, provided with an introduction and notes, and was pleasing to all. The previously mentioned Fr. Gabriel M. Roschini, consultant of the Holy Office, customarily repeated that such a new edition was not to be considered to be on the Index, because it was totally renewed, conformed in all to the original, and provided with notes that removed any doubt and which demonstrated the solidity and orthodoxy of the Work.

9. ATTEMPTED INTERVIEW WITH HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI

Fr. Berti was nevertheless always worried and very anxious because of the placing of The Poem on the Index, though it was only of the first edition; and, in his confidence of having the decision revoked and obtaining security for the Second edition, he began by asking for an audience with Msgr. Pasquale Macchi, the faithful and dynamic private secretary of Pope Paul VI. (1963).

Msgr. Macchi engaged in an amiable dialogue with Fr. Berti for about an hour during which, with lively astonishment, he was heard to repeat that the Work was not on the Index and that the Pope [Paul VI], when he was Archbishop of Milan, had read one volume, had appreciated it and sent the whole Work to the Seminary [of Milan].

The secretary accepted the various volumes of the Second edition, which had meanwhile come out, but after a few days, he diplomatically had them returned to Fr. Berti with a note in which he suggested that [Fr. Berti] direct himself to the Secretary of State, in the event he wished to approach His Holiness in person. And thus evaporated the desire and project of an interview with Paul VI.

10. THE HOLY OFFICE AUTHORIZES THE SECOND EDITION

In December of 1960, Fr. Berti was called to the Holy Office and was received by Fr. Mark Giraudo, O.P., Commissioner of that Congregation, who was very amiable. Fr. Berti, seeing that this time he could handle it calmly, related to the Commissioner the words ("Publish [it]") given in audience by Pope Pius XII in 1948, and brought to him photostats of the certifications on the Life of Jesus [i.e., The Poem...] by Maria Valtorta ---three of these certifications turned out to be drawn up by the consultants of the Holy Office, that is, those by Fr. [later, Cardinal] Bea, S.J., by Msgr. Lattanzi and by Fr. Roschini, OSM.

Fr. Giraudo, who knew nothing of the words of Pius XII and of the certifications of these three personages of the Holy Office itself, after having received Fr. Berti many times, after having himself consulted with his Superiors and having pondered on the certifications, spoke these words: "Continue to publish this second edition. We will see how the world receives it."

And thus The Poem came out, and continues to come out, not only by order of Pius XII, but also with the approval of the Holy Office. (1961).

11. SUPPRESSION OF THE INDEX OF FORBIDDEN BOOKS

But in 1966, Pope Paul VI, who carried the II Vatican Ecumenical Council forward, as well as to its completion, who effected the reform of the Roman liturgy, who brought about the renewal of the Curia, including the Holy Office, also accomplished the courageous act of suppressing the Index of Forbidden Books on which The Poem written by Maria Valtorta had strangely been placed. And thus, from 1966 on, The Poem... found itself free of any ecclesiastical sanction.

Perhaps it was of this [Papal] act, already known only to him, that Msgr. Macchi was thinking, when in his interview he asserted to Fr. Berti that The Poem was not on the Index. [...]

12. VALTORTA WRITINGS EDITED THROUGH 1978

The first work published was the Life of Jesus. [...] Two editions, quite different, of this life of Jesus [The Poem...] have been published. The first, printed in the years 1956-59 [as stated above in #6], was very modest: four overly thick volumes, without an introduction, unprovided with even the most prudent notes. It was imperfect even as regards the text, because it did not directly reproduce the Valtorta manuscript, but a typewritten copy very unfaithful and incomplete. And this was the edition that met the difficulties described in their place (#7 above).

The second edition, instead, under the editorship of Dr. Emilio Pisani, printed in the years 1960-67 in ten manageable volumes, was redacted on the basis of a strict comparison with the original Valtorta manuscript and was provided with thousands of theological notes, especially biblical, prepared with years of intense labor by Fr. Corrado M. Berti of the Order of the Servites of Mary, professor in the Pontifical "Marianum" Theological Faculty at Rome. And this second edition is the one which has met with no trouble, but had been authorized in 1961, even by the Holy Office, now called the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as was related above in these pages at the proper place (#10 above).

Because the placement of the first edition of The Poem of the Man-God on the Index was not due to any errors against faith or morals, the reasons for why it was placed on the Index were deemed by the Holy Office in 1961 as no longer applicable and they approved its publication. In more recent times, in a letter dated May 6, 1992 (Prot. N. 324-92), addressed to Dr. Emilio Pisani (the publisher of Maria Valtorta's works), Monsignor Dionigi Tettamanzi, secretary to the Italian Episcopal Conference, gave permission for the work to continue to be published for the "true good of readers and in the spirit of the genuine service to the faith of the Church." Dr. Pisani relates concerning this letter, "Our comment immediately points to the conclusion that the Work of Maria Valtorta does not contain errors or inaccuracies concerning faith and morals; otherwise Monsignor Tettamanzi would have asked the Publisher to correct or eliminate such specific errors or inaccuracies 'for the true good of readers.'"39 Note that in each country, it was the secretary of the episcopal conference who transmitted the official position of the Church on such works.

Even if critics wanted to pretend or try to argue that the placement of The Poem on the Index was due to an error against faith or morals, approval for publication of the second and subsequent editions implicitly negates the placement of the first edition of the work on the Index.

These points may help illustrate the above facts more clearly:

1. Normally, in the days that the Index was maintained, after the first edition of a work had been condemned due to an error against faith or morals, the approval of the second edition of that work did not automatically reverse the condemnation of the first edition: that statement of normality assumes the normal functioning of the index used for its purpose of forbidding the reading of something heretical or immoral. If the condemnation of the first edition of something had been validly done because of proven heresy or immorality, there is nothing that could ever be done afterwards to exonerate that first edition from condemnation.

2. In the case of Valtorta's Work, however, it has been demonstrated that the putting on the Index of its first edition was not done for heresy or immorality, because even the article in the Osservatore Romano purporting to explain why the work had been put on the Index failed to list even one heresy or one passage that promoted immorality. The end of the article revealed the real reason for the putting on the Index: it was a "punishment" due to allegedly grave disobedience. However, the article did not tell the whole story nor did they even mention a name of who was supposedly disobedient. The facts are that Fr. Berti chose to obey the order of Pope Pius XII who had commanded him to publish the work in 1948. The two officials in 1949 called him to a private meeting the year after the Pope had commanded him (in front of two other eyewitnesses) to publish it. They refused to let him speak so that he could tell them the Pontiff's command to publish it. The Pope had higher authority and jurisdiction than these two officials. He was given contradictory orders and so he obeyed the orders of the highest authority (the Pope). Even in that meeting with those two officials, besides silencing him, they tried to get him to hand over the typescripts and manuscripts of the work to them so that they could bury them forever. Fr. Berti testified that Msgr. Pepe even verbally admitted that this was his intention, when the latter exclaimed, "Here they will remain as in a tomb." But, even if Fr. Berti had been guilty of disobedience, the putting on the Index of the work on merely the grounds of disobedience, even grave disobedience, would not have been because of any error against faith or morals and thus is easily overturned by subsequent authorities in the Holy Office. When all of the facts (especially concerning Pope Pius XII's command to publish the work) are brought to light, even the pretext of punishment for alleged disobedience could not justify the putting of the first edition on the Index, but even this question is a moot point at this point in history because the work has since been permitted for publication.

3. Now, what is very interesting is that the text of the first edition was not modified in any substantial way in the second, third, or fourth editions of the work. The only changes were fixes of very minor typographical mistakes or misreadings of very secondary words that had no theological or moral impact on the text. The second edition did see the addition of many footnotes and some appendices, but the underlying text was not changed as far as the theological or moral meaning went.

4. The second edition was approved for publication, which meant that the Holy Office did not consider that it contained any theological or moral errors in either the underlying text (which was substantially the same as in the first edition) or the added footnotes or appendices.

5. Because the text of the second edition contained all the contents of the first edition with no alterations that might have impacted the Faith or moral contents of the work, that means that if the text of the second edition was approved for publication, the text of the first edition was implicitly approved by the officials who approved the second edition.

6. Thus the approval of the second edition, in the particular case of Valtorta's work, amounted to an implicit discreditation of the placement of the first edition on the Index.

7. For those who claim the placement of the first edition on the Index was due to a demonstrated error against faith or morals (which a careful examination of the explanatory letter shows it was not), were it not for the fact that no change in wording between the first and second editions of the work had an impact on its Faith and moral meaning, then one could not say that the approval of the second edition had implicitly reversed the alleged condemnation due to faith or morals of the first edition. Had there really been heresy or immorality in the first edition, then the second edition would not have escaped condemnation, because no changes had been made to the passages that would have been heretical or immoral. But because no changes with a theological or moral impact were made and the second (and later in 1992, even a newer than second) edition was approved for publication, then the first one, logically, should have been approved for publication as well (if the true reason for its placement on the Index was because of errors against faith or morals). The only other possible reasons why the first edition could have been placed on the Index would be due to disciplinary reasons, publication without prior required permission to publish (which it had in Pope Pius XII), or because it was judged that the book might be dangerous for groups of people at that time in history. By allowing publication of the second edition, these reasons are no longer considered an issue. Thus, regardless of the reason that the first edition was placed on the Index, the placement of the first edition on the Index of Forbidden Books was implicitly repealed by those who approved the second and subsequent editions.

For a deeper and more complete analysis of this topic, see the chapter of my e-book entitled "Statements and Actions of the Popes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Holy Office), and the Vatican Newspaper on Maria Valtorta's Primary Work".

The Resistance Dominicans wrote:

how would the Pope have found the time to read these 10,000 pages?

First off, it is very misleading and ignorant to claim that the Pope was handed 10,000 pages. Valtorta wrote her writings on notebooks. Her total writings that comprised The Poem of the Man-God / The Gospel as Revealed to Me constituted approximately 9,000 handwritten notebook pages (8,972 handwritten pages to be exact). When these were typed up and printed, the number of typewritten pages was significantly less. Fr. Berti testifies that the Pope was handed typewritten copies, not the original handwritten notebook pages. For example, in the modern printing of the first English edition of The Poem of the Man-God, the total summation of her work came out to approximately 4,175 pages (less than 42% the length that the Dominicans quoted). Pope Pius XII was not handed 10,000 pages. At most, he was probably handed something around 4,200 typed pages.

Second, Pope Pius XII possessed a brilliant mind and was a very capable reader and scholar. We can't presume that he was incapable of reading all of the typewritten pages handed to him. There is no evidence to suggest that he didn't read everything handed to him. In fact, you can look into what scientific studies have shown for how long it takes the average person to read a certain number of pages. There is a very handy website called www.readinglength.com, where you can enter in a book title, and it will estimate how many hours it would take the average person (based on the averaging reading speed of most people) to read that book. I typed in "The Poem of the Man-God". The results showed Maria Valtorta's Volume 1 and it stated:40

The average reader will take 16 hours, 9 minutes to read "Poem of the Man-God, Vol. 1" at a speed of 250 WPM.

The website says that this work is 782 pages (242,420 words). This comes out to about 1 minute, 14 seconds per page. Given the size of the font and from my own experience reading it, this seems reasonable. If we total up the total printed pages of all five volumes, it comes out to about 4,175 pages (I actually included all the indexes and introductory materials and copyright pages of all five volumes to be conservative, all of which probably wasn't in the typewritten manuscripts handed to the Sovereign Pontiff). So, taking the average of 1 minute, 14 seconds per page, it would take him approximately this long to read her entire work if he read at the average reading speed of most people: 90 hours, 19 minutes, 10 seconds.

Since the evidence suggests that he was reading it over the course of about three or four months, this would be approximately 90-120 days. This means that to read her entire printed work (assuming that he read at the average reading speed of most people), he would have to have spent 45-60 minutes per day reading her work to finish it in three to four months.

To put 45-60 minutes per day into perspective to modern readers: studies say that the average American spends more than five hours per day (300 minutes per day) watching television.41 I have also heard that Pope Pius XII was among those people who do not need as much sleep each night and that he only slept five hours or less most nights (see the schedule from My Catholic Faith further below). If this is true, this would afford additional explanation for how he might have found time to devote 45-60 minutes on average each day to personal spiritual reading (such as Valtorta's work) during those months. I also contacted the Centro Editoriale Valtortiano and they informed me that they know that the priest who was in charge of postal delivery directly to Pope Pius XII's desk saw the bookmark in Valtorta's writings on his desk moving forward day by day.

Daily Schedule of Pope Pius XII as reported in My Catholic Faith, 3rd edition, p. 115, by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow. (As republished from the 1954 edition by Sarto House -- Kansas City, MO [6th printing: August 2007]. ISBN-13: 978-0963903266)

If the Pope were interested enough in reading Valtorta's work based on the recommendation of renowned theologians like Archbishop Carinci (see Fr. Berti's testimony), it is reasonable to conclude that he would be able to find 45-60 minutes per day on average to read her work (obviously, some days more and some days less, depending on his schedule). Maybe he chose to make it part of his daily required spiritual reading for all we know, and for those three to four months, he read her work instead of something else that he was reading beforehand. To me -- and to many others I've asked this question -- they don't think this is unreasonable or unrealistic.

Furthermore, for those skeptics who would claim that he might not have been handed all 4,175 typed pages to read and that he was handed less, then this would substantially reduce the amount of time per day it would take him to read them. Furthermore, these estimates are based on the average reading speed of the general population. I think most biographers would agree that Pope Pius XII was of undoubtedly above-average intelligence and that his reading ability was also probably above average. It is very likely that he read faster than 250 words per minute (the average), which would also reduce the amount of minutes required each day for him to have finished reading all of the typescripts handed to him.

Therefore, considering that there is no evidence that he did not read all the typescripts handed to him, and considering that mathematically and practically it was very reasonable and possible for him to read all of them, there are no grounds to suggest that he didn't read all of the typescripts handed to him. Besides, as Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology), wrote:42

Speculations on "how much was read" by Pius XII whether in "whole or in part" posed to undermine the oral statement of Pius XII, as faithfully transmitted by the Prior of the Order of the Servites of Mary, would represent speculation without factual foundation.

Personally, I don't really consider it a big concern if he never read all of her work or if he was not able to finish reading all of the typewritten manuscripts handed to him. He still said what he did and I consider his judgement as reliable. Besides, since the time of Pope Pius XII's audience, there have been many renowned, highly learned theologians who have affirmed Valtorta's work is in line with faith, morals, truth, realism, and the teaching of the Church, including those who have combed through every single sentence of Maria Valtorta's work in the original Italian for years (in some cases, more than a decade), among them Fr. Corrado Berti, O.S.M., a professor of dogmatic and sacramental theology of the Pontifical Marianum Theological Faculty in Rome from 1939 onward, and Secretary of that Faculty from 1950 to 1959, who thoroughly analyzed Maria Valtorta's writings and provided more than 5,675 scholarly footnotes and appendices for her work, including for difficult passages that critics have or could potentially criticize. This averages about 568 footnotes per volume and averages slightly more than one footnote per page throughout the whole 5,264 printed pages of the Italian edition --- and some of those footnotes and appendices are quite lengthy.

These scholars and theologians also include Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M. Fr. Gabriel Roschini was a world-renowned Mariologist, decorated professor and founder of the Marianum Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome, professor at the Lateran Pontifical University, and a Consultant to the Holy Office and the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints. An article on Gabriel Roschini relates:43

During the pontificate of Pope Pius XII, he worked closely with the Vatican on Marian publications. In light of the encyclopedic accuracy of his work, Roschini is considered as one of the top two Mariologists in the 20th century. His first major work, a four-volume Mariology, Il Capolavoro di Dio, is judged to be the most comprehensive Mariological presentation in the 20th century. Several theologians called him "one of the most profound Mariologists" and "irreplaceable".

He was highly esteemed by all the Popes during his priestly life (especially Pope Pius XII). Fr. Roschini has written over 790 articles and miscellaneous writings, and 130 books, 66 of which were over 200 pages long. Most of his writings were devoted to Mariology. Lest someone automatically think he's a modernist whose writings can't be trusted, it is good to note that he was born in 1900, became a priest in 1924, and spent most of his priestly life prior to Vatican II and the revolution in the Church that has broken out during the past 50 years. All of his writings on Mariology are completely traditional/orthodox. An article relates, :

"During the pontificate of Pius XII, 'the most Marian Pope in Church history,' Roschini worked closely with the Pontiff, arranging his own publications parallel to Papal Mariological promulgations... Together he published over 900 titles, mostly on Mariology, in addition to his encyclopedic works, reviewing the Mariological contributions of saints like Bernard of Clairvaux and Anthony of Padua. In 1950, he explained the Mariology of Thomas Aquinas. He detailed his Mariology in a major work in the year 1952."44

He was also at some time Prior General of the Order of the Servants of Mary, Vicar General, and General Director of its studies. He was also a member of several scholarly academies, and vice-president of the Pontifical Academy of Our Lady Immaculate (founded in 1847).45

Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., in his last book, The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta, outlines the greatest female Marian mystics of all time:46

III. THE GREATEST FEMALE MARIAN MYSTICS

The greatest female Marian mystics in ancient and modern times are:

• St. Hildegarde of Bingen, Benedictine (1098-1179), known as "the Sibyl of the Rhine";

• St. Mechtildis of Helfta (St. Matilda), Cistercian (1241-1299);

• St. Gertrude the Great, Cistercian (1256-1302 or 1309), the greatest mystic of the 13th century;

• Blessed Angela of Foligno, secular Franciscan (1246-1309);

• St. Bridgèt of Sweden (Birgitta) (1309-1373), "the Northern Mystic";

• St. Catherine of Siena, tertiary Dominican (1347-1380), Doctor of the Church;

• St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi, Carmelite (1566-1607);

• Venerable Maria de Agreda, Franciscan (1602-1665);

• St. Veronica Giuliani, Capuchin (1660-1727);

• Blessed Mary-Magdalen Martinengo, Capuchin (1687-1737);

• Servant of God Mary of St. Theresa Petit, Third Order Carmelite (1623-1677);

• Venerable Mary-Archangel Biondini, of the Handmaids of Mary (1641-1712);

• Servant of God Cecil Bay, Benedictine (1694-1766);

• Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, Augustinian (1774-1824);

• Servant of God Marie Véronique of the Heart of Jesus, founder of the Institute of the Victims of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1825-1883);

• Guglielmina Ronconi (1864-1936);

• Servant of God Lucia Mángano, Ursuline (1896-1946);

• Maria Valtorta, tertiary of the Order of Servants of Mary (1897-1961).

Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., then writes in the preface of this same book, The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta:47

I have been studying, teaching, preaching, and writing Mariology for half a century already. To do this, I had to read innumerable works and articles of all kinds on Mary: a real Marian library.

However, I must candidly admit that the Mariology found in all of Maria Valtorta's writings -- both published or unpublished -- has been for me a real discovery. No other Marian writings, not even the sum total of everything 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.

It seems to me that the conventional image of the Blessed Virgin, portrayed by myself and my fellow Mariologists, is merely a paper mache Madonna compared to the living and vibrant Virgin Mary envisioned by Maria Valtorta, a Virgin Mary perfect in every way.

...whoever wants to know the Blessed Virgin (a Virgin in perfect harmony with the Holy Scriptures, the Tradition of the Church, and the Church Magisterium) should draw from Valtorta's Mariology.

If anyone believes my declaration is only one of those ordinary hyperbolic slogans abused by publicity, I will say this only: let them read before they judge!

Fr. Roschini has written over 790 articles and miscellaneous writings, and 130 books, 66 of which were over 200 pages long. Most of his writings were devoted to Mariology.

For a theologian, such as Fr. Roschini, O.S.M., to be so well-read and so learned as to have written 130 totally orthodox books about Our Lady, and to be a decorated professor at the Marianum Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome (which he founded), an advisor to the Holy Office, and to be called by a Pope "one of the greatest Mariologists who ever lived", it is not presumptuous to assume that he has probably read every single great work ever written about Our Lady -- including Venerable Mary of Agreda's Mystical City of God, the revelations of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the revelations about Our Lady given to St. Bridget of Sweden, and almost every single other major work about Our Lady. Yet -- even so -- Fr. Roschini declared: "No other Marian writings, not even the sum total of everything 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." Such a declaration from such a theologian as he carries a lot of weight!

In fact, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., had personally met Valtorta, but admitted that, at first, like many others, he was a respectful and condescending skeptic. But after carefully studying her writings for himself, he underwent a radical and enthusiastic change of heart, later declaring Valtorta to be "one of the eighteen greatest mystics of all time."48 As material for a course which he taught at the Marianum Pontifical Theological Faculty in Rome on the Marian intuitions of the great mystics, Fr. Gabriel Roschini used both Maria Valtorta's The Poem of the Man-God as well as her other mystical writings as a basis for his course.49

There are also other renowned theologians who have affirmed her writings are free from error in faith and morals.

Archbishop Alfonso Carinci (1862-1963) was the Secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites from 1930 to 1960 (which was later renamed the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 1969). Archbishop Carinci was in charge of investigating causes for pre-Vatican II beatification and canonization. He was conversant in recognizing true and false sanctity and was of distinguished repute. He was master of ceremonies for Pope Leo XIII and a confidant of Pope St. Pius X. He was also rector of the Almo Collegio Capranica from 1911 to 1930, where Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (the future Pope Pius XII) was formed. Many prelates considered him to have passed away in the odor of sanctity.

He praised Maria Valtorta and The Poem of the Man-God (now entitled The Gospel as Revealed to Me), writing in 1952:50

"There is nothing therein which is contrary to the Gospel. Rather, this work, a good complement to the Gospel, contributes towards a better understanding of its meaning... Our Lord's discourses do not contain anything which in any way might be contrary to His Spirit."

Archbishop Carinci also stated:51

"...it seems impossible to me that a woman of a very ordinary theological culture, and unprovided with any book useful to that end, had been able on her own to write with such exactness pages so sublime."

He visited Maria Valtorta three times, said Mass for her, read her writings in depth, wrote many letters back and forth with her, and analyzed her case. He was so convinced that her writings were inspired by God, that eyewitnesses report he would say to Maria Valtorta: "He is the Master. He is the Author," and in his letters to Maria Valtorta, he wrote "Author" with a capital "A".52 Archbishop Carinci was one of two prominent authorities who advised Fr. Corrado Berti to deliver typewritten copies of The Poem of the Man-God to Pope Pius XII, which led to his command to publish it in 1948.53 In January 1952, Archbishop Carinci also wrote a thorough certification and positive review of Valtorta's work (four pages long when typed), which has been published.54 That same year, he also wrote a letter on behalf of himself and eight other prominent authorities (among them, two Consultants to the Holy Office, three professors at pontifical universities in Rome, a Consultant to the Sacred Congregation of Rites, and the Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archive) to be delivered to Pope Pius XII in an audience, although the audience wasn't able to be arranged.55 Archbishop Carinci is also one of the authorities whose favorable certifications about Maria Valtorta was given to the Holy Office in 1961 by Fr. Corrado Berti, which led the Holy Office to grant their approval of the publication of the second edition of her work.56

The book Lettere a Mons. Carinci (Letters to Archbishop Carinci) is a collection of letters that Maria Valtorta and Archbishop Alfonso Carinci exchanged between January 9, 1949 and December 23, 1955. The book contains 39 letters in full written by Maria Valtorta to Archbishop Carinci and 21 letters in full written by Archbishop Carinci to Maria Valtorta, including photoscans of some of the original handwritten letters. In the book Pro e contro Maria Valtorta, on page 92 is a photocopy of the original signed handwritten letter of Archbishop Carinci, written on behalf of himself and eight other prominent authorities, to be delivered to Pope Pius XII in an audience and which is dated January 29, 1952. It also has a very positive certification and review of her work (four pages long when typed) written by Archbishop Carinci on January 17, 1952. In this letter, Archbishop Carinci wrote:57

"Judging from the good one experiences in reading it [i.e., The Poem], I am of the humble opinion that this Work, once published, could bring so many souls to the Lord: sinners to conversion and the good to a more fervent and diligent life. [...] While the immoral press invades the world and exhibitions corrupt youth, one comes spontaneously to thank the Lord for having given us, by means of this suffering woman, nailed to a bed, a Work of such literary beauty, so doctrinally and spiritually lofty, accessible and profound, drawing one to read it and capable of being reproduced in cinematic productions and sacred theater."

Prof. Leo A. Brodeur, M.A., Lèsl., Ph.D., H.Sc.D. relates more details about Archbishop Carinci:58

We could list several Church personalities who highly esteemed Valtorta's work. Let us mention only Archbishop Alphonso Carinci, Secretary of the Congregation of Rites, where he was in charge of the causes of beatification. He was also the confidant of Pope Pius XII. Born in 1862, Most Rev. Carinci outlived Maria Valtorta (1897-1961), whom he knew. He was over 100 years old when he died. He began reading some of her writings before 1948, and corresponded with her. Three times he traveled from Rome to Viareggio and visited her: in April 1948, June 1952, and January 1958. In 1952, since Valtorta was paraplegic and bedridden, he said Mass, with two Servite priests, in her bedroom. He wore the ornaments for a great feast, having borrowed them from the Santissima Annunziata basilica in Florence. Marta Diciotti, Maria Valtorta's homemaker, knew Most Rev. Carinci, and said that he "entertained no doubts as to Maria Valtorta and her writings." Diciotti says that he used to comfort Valtorta with these words: "He is the Master. He is the Author." And Diciotti explains: "He used to say 'the Author' and write 'the Author' with a capital A." Such is the witness of a great archbishop, who knew in depth the discernment of spirits, since its role is fundamental in the beatification procedures.

In fact, as a result of the findings of my research, I can provide you with the following facts (there are undoubtedly more but these are only the ones I have been able to document so far):

--

At Least 28 Bishops Have Approved, Endorsed, or Praised the Poem

(Bishops Representing 11 Different Countries)

Those who have approved/endorsed/praised the Poem of the Man-God include:

• Pope Pius XII
• 4 Cardinals
• 14 Archbishops
• 10 Regular Bishops
• 24 Extremely Learned Clerics or Doctors of Theology/Divinity/Canon Law
• 7 Members or Consultants of the Holy Office/Congregation for the Causes of Saints
• 7 Saints/Blesseds/Venerables/Servants of God
• 28 University Professors

--

Therefore, Valtorta supporters don't even need Pope Pius XII's approval to maintain, argue, and prove the true reality that Maria Valtorta's work is free from error in faith and morals and is perfectly acceptable and highly recommended for Catholics to read for generations to come. Pope Pius XII's approval and command to publish her work is just a cherry on top; a bonus as it were. If the Dominicans don't want to be "confused with the facts" and if they want to reject the evidence of his approval, then that's their problem. Valtorta supporters don't really care what the Resistance Dominicans do or don't believe. They care about objective facts and reality.

Nor do traditional Catholic Valtorta supporters need to rely solely on what Pope Pius XII said to demonstrate that her work is free from error in faith and morals and not only acceptable, but highly recommended for traditional Catholics to read (just as Fr. Ludovic-Marie Barrielle, FSSPX, whom Archbishop Lefebvre called "our model spiritual guide," affirmed when he declared to the SSPX Econe seminarians, "If you wish to know and love the Sacred Heart of Jesus, read Valtorta!").59 Fr. Barrielle's position is also shared and substantiated by leading pre-Vatican II theologians who are more learned than most priests and layman (including the Resistance Dominicans), especially in the areas needed to judge mystical writings, and who furthermore studied it in much further depth (not to mention that many of them actually personally knew, investigated, and communicated at length with the author of the work in question). These theologians also exhibited a healthy open mind free of presumption and prejudice, humility, and a healthy understanding of and balance in the area of emotions and affections, all of which served to make their theological examination of the author and her work all the more credible, trustworthy, and objective.

The Dominicans wrote:

This authorisation appears even less credible when the Holy Office forbade the work definitively (with no possible correction) one year later in February 1949.

First off, it is very apparent from the Resistant Dominican's article that they are highly ignorant of even basic elementary facts and historical events regarding the history of Maria Valtorta and her work. They are far from being a Valtorta scholar. If they can't even get basic facts straight and if they have never consulted primary sources and other reliable sources, how can they expect to understand or to reliably speak on the more complicated events and issues?

Probably the #1 objection or argument raised against the Poem of the Man-God is that it was put on the Index of Forbidden Books at a certain point in time. For many uninformed Catholics, they read that and immediately throw out the Poem of the Man-God without any further consideration or research (which I did, in fact, years ago when I first encountered this bit of information).

They neglect the fact that there is significant historical evidence of many works of authentic private revelation and writings of saints being put on the Index of Forbidden Books, and then later taken off of the Index and approved and promoted by Popes. Between 1923 and 1931, Saint Padre Pio was hit with five decrees of condemnation by the Holy Office that were later reversed.60 Pope Pius XI, who reversed the ban on Padre Pio, stated, "I have not been badly disposed toward Padre Pio, but I have been badly informed."61 St. Faustina Kowalska's writings were put on the Index of Forbidden Books before she was later canonized. In fact, Saint Faustina's Divine Mercy writings were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books the very same day as Maria Valtorta's writings, and the former were vindicated by Pope John Paul II. Even the works of St. Thomas Aquinas were condemned on January 18, 1277 by Pope John XXI, and the condemnation later annulled.62 Venerable Mary of Agreda's Mystical City of God was examined for fourteen years and afterwards placed on the Index of Forbidden Books for three months, before it was later vindicated by Pope Clement XI who strictly prohibited the Mystical City of God from ever being put on the Index of Forbidden Books again in two decrees of June 5, 1705 and September 26, 1713. Her Mystical City of God was furthermore vindicated by two Popes of the past century who went so far as to give an Apostolic Blessing to readers and promoters of the Mystical City of God, much in contrast to the actions of the Hierarchy which once put this work on the Index of Forbidden Books.63 During the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, the pontiff revised the Index of Forbidden Books and dropped about a thousand books from it.64

The Index of Forbidden Books does not participate in the infallibility of the Magisterium as such. Throwing out the Poem of the Man-God simply because it was once placed on the Index, without researching the matter further or seeking for the truth, would be equivalent to someone saying that Saint Padre Pio wasn't holy because he was hit with five decrees of condemnation by the Holy Office in the past. That is foolish because the Holy Office was wrong and ended up saying the exact opposite later on when they reversed their condemnations and eventually went so far as to declare him a canonized saint and approved the miraculous phenomena of his stigmata and other miracles which they once erroneously declared was of no supernatural origin.

When you read the accounts of what had happened with Fr. Berti and Pope Pius XII and the Holy Office, as well as why the Poem of the Man-God was put on the Index of Forbidden Books in the first place, as well as understand the authority of Pope Pius XII's order to publish the Poem of the Man-God, you will see that the fact that it was once put on the Index of Forbidden Books does not in any way mean it is officially condemned by the Church, or that it is declared as not inspired by God, or that it contains any errors against faith or morals.

To the contrary, the Poem of the Man-God enjoys the approbation of Pope Pius XII, whose authority supersedes the Holy Office, which the latter, in contradiction to his command to publish this work, put this work on the Index of Forbidden Books due to spurious reasons after he died (and then officials in the Holy Office/CDF later allowed the second edition to be published in 1961 and even newer editions to be published in 1992); the English translation of the Poem has received a letter of endorsement of Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D. (titular bishop of Nyssa); the Malayalam translation of the Poem has received the imprimatur of Archbishop Soosa Pakiam M. of Trivandrum, India; and the Poem has received the approbation and approval of Blessed Gabriel Allegra, many high-ranking clerics in Rome (both before and after Vatican II), and the approbation and approval of many cardinals, archbishops, bishops, theologians, and Scripture scholars (not to mention Saint Padre Pio). On top of all of this, the Index of Forbidden Books was suppressed by Pope Paul VI in June 1966, which the "issue of the Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, announced that, while the Index maintained its moral force, in that it taught Christians to beware, as required by the natural law itself, of those writings that could endanger faith and morality, it no longer had the force of ecclesiastical positive law with the associated penalties."65

As if that were not enough, the Commissioner of the Holy Office, Fr. Giraudo, O.P., effectively repealed the 1959 censure of the Poem on the Index when he stated to Fr. Berti, in 1961: "Continue to publish this second edition. We will see how the world receives it."66 (An explanation of how the approval of the second edition effectively repealed the 1959 censure of the first edition is given in endnote 31 of this article).

In fact, even before Fr. Giraudo's statement, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, Consultant of the Holy Office, stated in that same year that the new critical second edition of the Poem "was not to be considered to be on the Index, because it was totally renewed, conformed in all to the original, and provided with notes that removed any doubt and which demonstrated the solidity and orthodoxy of the work."67

Furthermore, Pope Paul VI had a letter of endorsement sent to this same world-renowned Mariologist, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., for his last book entitled The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta, which says: "The Holy Father thanks you wholeheartedly for this new testimony of your respectful regards and wishes you to receive from your labor the consolation of abundant spiritual benefits."68 You can view this letter (dated January 17, 1974) from the Secretary of State at the following link: Letter of Appreciation from Pope Paul VI to Gabriel Roschini for His Book The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta. An English translation is on this page (scroll down a little to see it): Fr. Gabriel Roschini's Strong Approval of Valtorta and Her Work (Greatest Mariologist of the 20th Century).

An article relates:69

This letter, penned by the Secretariat of State and authorized by the Pope, undoubtedly conveys a positive tone, praising the author for his "piety and his zeal, for which this publication is the obvious result". It is illogical to conclude that the Pope would authorize such a letter, if he thought the writings were condemned or contained error. The Secretariat of State is the highest ranked curial official next to the Pope, and is considered the Popes' "right arm". Those who question whether the letter was written with the Pope's authorization are advised to look up the job description for the Secretariat of State, for this is what he does. Even though the Pope may not have put the pen to the paper, the implication is the same. This event falls naturally in line with the Holy Father's action decades earlier of sending the complete writings [of Maria Valtorta] to the Milan seminary library.

Of course, the Resistance Dominicans distrust virtually almost everything Pope Paul VI did and would not hesitate to call almost everything he did modernist (and he did do very many bad things), but they must remember that he did do some good things, such as condemn contraception in Humane Vitae, which many traditional Catholics praise him for doing. Not everything he did was harmful. I consider the above action as one of the good things that Pope Paul VI did during his pontificate, analogous to the command of Pope Pius XII to publish her writings. I only include the above information about Pope Paul VI to show that, even as far back as the reign of Pope Paul VI, the Magisterium did not consider Valtorta's writings as forbidden for reading to Catholics or else the Sovereign Pontiff would not have issued such a letter praising a publicly available 395-page Mariological study of her writings by one of the world's leading and most learned Mariologists.

Furthermore, Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D. (who issued an official letter of endorsement of the English translation of the Poem in 2001) wrote:70

Cardinal Ratzinger [later Pope Benedict XVI] in private letters has acknowledged that this work is free from errors in doctrine or morals. The Conference of Italian Bishops has acknowledged the same in its correspondence with the current editor, Dr. Emilio Pisani.

Bishop Roman Danylak also wrote:71

"I have studied The Poem in depth, not only in its English translation, but in the original Italian edition with the critical notes of Fr. Berti. I affirm their theological soundness, and I welcome the scholarship of Fr. Berti and his critical apparatus to the Italian edition of the works. I have further studied in their original Italian the Quaderni or The Notebooks of Maria Valtorta for the years from 1943 to 1950. And I want to affirm the theological orthodoxy of the writings of Maria Valtorta."

Fr. Kevin Robinson, FSSPX, relates:72

I received a letter from Cardinal Gagnon in Rome (Jan 3, 1992) assuring me that many good people are benefiting from Valtorta's works...

Given the genuine approval, widespread growth, and immense spiritual fruit of The Poem of the Man-God, it would be rash to deny, refuse, or fight against this great gift of God (see Gamaliel's advice, Acts 5: 38-39).

Let us not forget that even the works of St. Thomas Aquinas were at first condemned, as were the person of St. Athanasius and the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska. Truth will find its way in the end, and the judgement of Pope Pius XII will be clearly vindicated. In 1978 an anthology [of the Poem] was published in Portuguese with the imprimatur of the Archbishop of Belem, Brazil. In India seven bishops have sent warm letters of congratulations to the publisher of the Malayalam translation. One of these bishops gave his imprimatur in 1993. Don't forget, the approval of Pope Pius XII was more than an imprimatur (permission to publish). It was an instruction to publish, given at the Vatican before official witnesses on February 26, 1948.

It is more than evident that the Holy Office/Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, starting as far back as 1961 (according to the testimony of Fr. Berti), and more certainly in recent times, does not treat or consider Valtorta's work to be in any way forbidden for Catholics to read or to be considered on the Index any longer (which is now decommissioned anyway). Therefore, the whole issue of the Index is now outdated and a moot point.

It tends to be a sort of naive over-simplification of some uninformed traditional Catholics who are lazy researchers who conclude that the Index of Forbidden Books was somehow infallible or always correct, that the pre-Vatican II Holy Office (which condemned Padre Pio multiple times) was somehow always right and infallible, and that there were no such things as politics going on in the Vatican prior to Vatican II. This is a wrong attitude and set of beliefs. Both common sense and history thoroughly disprove such naive beliefs. The Holy Office made terrible mistakes, even long before the 20^th century started (many of which were listed earlier in this article). Furthermore, Cardinal Ottaviani, the head of the Holy Office at the time, did do some good things during his time in the Holy Office on other subjects/topics, but he was certainly not infallible in his judgements, as confirmed by the fact that he avidly campaigned to have St. Padre Pio condemned multiple times by the Holy Office because "he was sure" Padre Pio was a fraud. That goes to show how infallible and reliable his judgements were on mystics and saintly souls.

For anyone interested in further information about the issue of Valtorta's work and the Index, I recommend checking out the following chapters of A Summa & Encyclopedia of Maria Valtorta’s Extraordinary Work:

• Statements and Actions of the Popes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Holy Office), and the Vatican Newspaper on Maria Valtorta's Primary Work

• An Analysis and the Full Details Regarding the First Edition of the Poem Being Placed on the Index of Forbidden Books

• A Detailed Analysis of Maria Valtorta and Her Writings According to the Traditional 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia's Thorough Criteria for Assessing Private Revelations.

The subchapter in the e-book entitled "The Position of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Holy Office)" will also give further details about how and possibly why some officials in the Holy Office worked so hard against Valtorta's work, about an illegal proceeding, a gag order put on Fr. Berti when summoned to a "kangaroo court" type meeting of a few officials, as well as other issues which shows how and why certain members in the Holy Office succeeded in having the first edition of her work temporarily put on the Index for unjust and spurious reasons and why many of the other Holy Office officials were uninformed of the momentous contents of what Pope Pius XII said during his papal audience and were possibly misled by certain "less than honest" officials. Understanding these events helps explain to those who find it hard to reconcile the contents of the Pope's audience with the act of the Holy Office placing the first edition of the work on the Index (after Pope Pius XII died); which, by the way, was done without giving valid and convincing reasons for doing so that can hold up to serious scrutiny apart from a non-binding highly flawed anonymous explanatory letter in L’Osservatore Romano (which has since been thoroughly refuted, and which even world-renowned Mariologist, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., openly criticized when discussing the topic of original sin in his 395-Mariological study of Valtorta's writings which was praised by the Sovereign Pontiff at the time).

Now, I want to point out that even if you totally disagree with me and think that the Holy Office's condemnation of the first edition of Valtorta's work was completely valid and licit, and you think that Fr. Berti was objectively guilty of true disobedience, then the fact still remains: it is now irrelevant because the latest pronouncement by the Holy Office (a.k.a. the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) is that the publication of her work is allowed, and they admit that it does not contain any heresy or anything against faith or morals. The Index of Forbidden Books is dissolved and Canon 1385 was suppressed in 1966 by Pope Paul VI (not that this canon was breached in the first case with Maria Valtorta's work anyway), so now it is doubly undeniable that every Catholic is completely free to read it without any fear of it being an act of canonical or ecclesiastical disobedience. So, the opponents' arguments regarding the original condemnation of the first edition of the Poem are already defeated.

Furthermore, for traditional Catholics, they have more than enough traditional, trustworthy, highly learned, renowned theologians who have reviewed her entire work in the original Italian who have confirmed it is free of error in faith and morals for us to trust her writings completely. In more recent times, numerous SSPX priests (among those who have actually put forth the effort and time to adequately study her writings and the relevant issues at hand), and notably, Fr. Barrielle, FSSPX, have affirmed her writings are free of errors in faith and morals and highly recommend her writings. Even the leader of the traditional Catholic Resistance, Bishop Williamson, has written multiple articles praising Valtorta's work and has recommended people to read it.

As Camillo Corsánego (1891-1963) said, who was national president of Catholic Action in Italy, Dean of the Consistorial Lawyers, and a professor at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome:73

Throughout my life, by now fairly long, I have read a very large number of works in apologetics, hagiography [saints' lives], theology, and biblical criticism; however, I have never found such a body of knowledge, art, devotion, and adherence to the traditional teachings of the Church, as in Miss Maria Valtorta's work on the Gospels.

Having read those numerous pages attentively and repeatedly, I must in all conscience declare that with respect to the woman who wrote them only two hypotheses can be made: a) either she was talented like Manzoni or Shakespeare, and her scriptural and theological learning and her knowledge of the Holy Places were perfect, at any rate superior to those of anyone alive in Italy today; b) or else "digitus Dei est hic" ["God's finger is here"].

Obedient as I am (and as, with God's grace, I intend being all my life) to the supreme and infallible Magisterium of the Church, I will never dare take its place. Yet, as a humble Christian, I profess that I think the publication of this work will help to take many souls back to God, and will arouse in the modern world an apologetic interest and a leavening of Christian life comparable only to the effects of the private revelation [of the Sacred Heart] to St. Marie Alacoque.

It has been said that the Work lowers the adorable Person of the Saviour. Nothing could be more wrong: Christians, I believe, usually after having affirmed faith in Jesus Christ, God and man, always forget to consider the humanity of the Incarnate Word, Whom He is regarded as the true God, but rarely as true Man, frustrating the invitation to many ways of sanctification, which is offered to us by the exemplary human life of the Son of God.

Anyone who reads [even] a limited number of these wonderful pages, literally perfect, if he has a mind free of prejudices, cannot not draw from them the fruits of Christian elevation.

As Fr. Kevin Robinson, FSSPX, said:74

The work continues to bring about conversions and vocations and deeper insight into the Holy Word of God. It is another weapon in our fight against Modernism... The holiest and most learned clergy I know are those who appreciate Valtorta... they continue to edify the Church resulting in many conversions and vocations... [Maria Valtorta's writings] reveal the truth of the Gospel in a special way. They fill in the gaps. They put you in the picture. They amplify the sacred text, e.g., the Passion may be five pages in your Gospel, it is 100 pages in The Poem... It is a masterpiece of sacred literature, unlike anything ever written.

I have read about a 1,000 pages a year of Valtorta for 20 years, since Fr. (now Bishop) Williamson appointed me to run the seminary bookstore. He was led to read it by the great Retreat Master of Econe, Fr. Barrielle.

I have in my office a huge file "pro", and a small file "con" of the works of Maria Valtorta. I have the 10-volume Italian edition for reference with its many profound footnotes. The pros far outweigh the cons.

The holiest and most learned clergy I know are those who appreciate Valtorta, including two Rome-trained Pre-Vatican II Doctors of Canon Law who only say the Tridentine Mass.