CV NEWS FEED // The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) recently declared that the writings of Maria Valtorta, who wrote an extensive “narrative” of Jesus’ life, are not of supernatural origin.
Valtorta, who was born in Italy in 1897 and passed away in 1961, wrote the multi-volume collection now titled “The Gospel as Revealed to Me” from 1944 to 1947. The work, which related to what Valtorta claimed was private revelation, was originally titled “The Poem of the Man-God.”
The DDF stated in a Feb. 22 press release that laity and clergy often ask the Vatican what the Church’s stance is on Valtorta’s writings.
“It should be reiterated that alleged ‘visions’, ‘revelations,’ and ‘messages’ contained in the writings of Maria Valtorta — or, in any case, attributed to them — cannot be regarded as having a supernatural origin,” the DDF stated. “Rather, they should be considered simply as literary forms that the author used to narrate the life of Jesus Christ in her own way.”
“In its long tradition, the Church does not accept as normative the Apocryphal Gospels and other similar texts since it does not recognize them as divinely inspired,” the DDF concluded. “Instead, the Church refers back to the sure reading of the inspired Gospels.”
Valtorta’s writings gained traction especially because its supporters claim that a pope and other Church leaders have endorsed it, according to Ignatius Productions founder Father Mitch Pacwa, S.J.
This claim is false, Fr. Pacwa wrote in a 1994 article, now available on EWTN’s website, originally appearing in the publication “New Covenant.”
Valtorta’s book — which Fr. Pacwa refers to as “Poem” — was included on the Index of Forbidden books from 1958 up until the index was abolished in the mid 1960s. Additionally, its very publication appeared to violate directions from two officials of the Holy Office (now the DDF) to not publish them, according to Fr. Pacwa’s article.
Valtorta had written the volumes by hand and her spiritual director, Father Romuald Migliorini, O.S.M., typed them out. Father Corrado Berti, O.S.M., had bound the typed volumes, and later presented the manuscripts to the Vatican press for publication. In 1949 two Holy Office commissioners condemned the work and ordered Fr. Berti to turn in every version of the work, and make a signed statement that he would not publish the work, according to Fr. Pacwa.
According to Fr. Pacwa, Fr. Berti turned in the typed manuscript but gave the written ones back to Valtorta. In 1952, Fr. Berti went to a different publisher, who printed the first volume in 1956.
Fr. Pacwa wrote that in 1993, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), then-head of the Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith (now the DDF), also declared that Valtorta’s “Poem” was not of supernatural nature. The statement from then-Cardinal Ratzinger is very similar to the DDF’s Feb. 22 declaration about Valtorta’s writings.
“The ‘visions’ and ‘dictations’ referred to in the work, ‘The Poem of the Man-God,’ are simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus,” then-Cardinal Ratzinger wrote. “They cannot be considered supernatural in origin.”
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