Bishop Williamson & Maria Valtorta (Again and again!)

Catholic Candle note: The false visions of Maria Valtorta have become a contagion infecting a small number of Traditional Catholics. But this number could grow because of misguided recommendation of these false “visions”, by influential persons in Tradition. To attempt to head-off the spread of this evil, we present a short analysis of these false visions, to warn people to stay far away from them. In the original version of this article, Catholic Candle inadvertently gave the wrong citation for a quote. We have now corrected this error.

The false visions of Maria Valtorta

Condemned by the (pre-Vatican II) Catholic Church; Beloved by many conciliars

Although these visions themselves are objectively evil, we do not (and should not) judge the subjective, interior culpability of anyone connected with them, just as we must not judge the subjective culpability of anyone else committing evil. 
Summa, IIa IIae, Q.60, a.4, ad 1-2; see also our treatment of rash judgment.


The book’s countless evils begin with its title

The disturbing features of Valtorta’s (false) visions, begin with the title itself: The Poem of the Man-God. This title is not traditional, fitting or reasonable! Catholics refer to our Lord’s natures in order of their dignity—and the Divine nature is infinitely greater in dignity, than the human nature. Catholics refer to our Lord as the “God-man”, not as the “man-God”. However, this title accurately reflects the books “earthy”, humanistic focus, which fits well with conciliar humanism.

Note about the title: the book originally was published anonymously over a several year period (one volume per year). The first volume was originally published under title “The Poem of Jesus”. The subsequent volumes were published under the title “The Poem of the Man-God”. (See the Wikipedia article.) For the rest of this article, we will refer to the entire book as “The Poem of the Man-God”.

Pre-Vatican II condemnation by the Church

The Holy Office (which was in charge of safeguarding the Catholic Faith) condemned The Poem of the Man-God before Vatican II and placed the book on the Index of Forbidden Books.

Shortly after the book was first compiled, it was condemned (in 1949) by Holy Office commissioners, Msgr. Giovanni Pepe and Father Berruti, O.P.. (Source: catholicculture.org.)

The Holy Office examined a new edition of the Poem and again condemned it, on December 16, 1959. The book was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books, with the decree published in the January 6, 1960 edition of the L’Osservatore Romano(reproduced below).






Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office


Decree
Proscription of Books
Wednesday, December 16, 1959

The Most Eminent and Reverend Cardinals of the Supreme Congregation of the Holy Office, to whom the safeguarding of things of the Faith and Moral is confided, after receiving the previous opinions of the Consultors, have unanimously condemned and ordered that the books by an anonymous author, in four volumes, be inscribed in the Index of Forbidden Books, the first of those books being:

Il Poema di Gesù [The Poem of Jesus] (Tipografia Editrice M. Pisani);

followed by,

Il Poema dell’Uomo-Dio [The Poem of the Man-God], (Ibidem).

On Friday of that same month and year, the Most Holy and Dignified Lord John XXIII, Pope by the grace of Divine Providence, in an audience given to the Most Eminent and Reverend Cardinal Secretary of the Holy Office, after hearing the report of the Most Reverend Fathers, approved this resolution and commanded that it be published.

Given in Rome, in the seat of the Holy Office on January 5, 1960. Sebastian Masala, Notary
[Permanent volume: Acta Apostolicae Sedis LII (1960), p. 60].

This Holy Office condemnation was accompanied and explained by a front-page article in the L’Osservatore Romano, entitled “A Badly Fictionalized Life of Jesus”. (Source: catholicculture.org.)

Enthusiasm of conciliars

After Vatican II, the Index of Forbidden Books was abolished. The Poem of the Man-Godbegan to acquire conciliar advocates, who liked the book for its “earthy”, chatty, approachable, humanistic style.

For example, one conciliar advocate was Fr. Gabriele Allegra, who has been (supposedly) “beatified” by the conciliar church, and who was a collaborator and co-author with the Arch-heretic Teilhard de Chardin. See their book: My conversations with Teilhard de Chardin on the primacy of Christ, by Gabriele Maria Allegra and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Franciscan Herald Press, 1971, p.8. Fr. Allegra loved The Poem of the Man-God and wrote about it often. (Source: valtorta-maria.com.)

Another conciliar advocate is (false) “visionary” of Medjugorje, Vicka Ivankovich, who declared:
Our Lady says The Poem of the Man-God is the truth. Our Lady said if a person wants to know Jesus he should read Poem of the Man-God by Maria Valtorta.

1988 Vicka Ivankovich interview.

Evil and scandalous contents

Perhaps no more need be said beyond that the book was condemned by the pre-Vatican II Church, was on the Index of Forbidden Books, and is beloved by many prominent conciliars.

Further, The Poem of the Man-God is riddled with banalities, vulgarities, blasphemies and doctrinal errors. There is continual idle talk between Our Lord, Our Lady and the Apostles.

However, we include (below) a very few examples from this shocking book, demonstrating beyond any doubt that it is evil and not from God. All citations are from the online book (to allow the reader to confirm the quotes).

Valtorta portrays Our Lord joking with St. Peter about committing impurity with His Most Pure, Ever-Virgin Mother.

Valtorta writes:


Jesus stands up and calls out loud: “Simon of Jonas, come here.”



Peter starts and rushes down the steps. “What do you want, Master?”

“Come here, you usurper and corrupter!”



“Me? Why? What have I done, Lord?”

“You have corrupted My Mother. That is why you wanted to be alone. What shall I do with you?”

Jesus smiles and Peter recovers his confidence. “You really frightened me! Now You are laughing.”

Vol. 2, p. 185.

Valtorta slanders Our Lady’s knowledge of her own sinlessness.

Valtorta (falsely) quotes Immaculate Mary as saying “I did not know I was without stain!” Volume 1, p.50.

Valtorta asserts that Our Lady thought (like the Arch-Heretic Luther) that it is good to sin out of love of God.

Luther declared: Sin boldly, but believe more boldly. Letter #99, Saemmtliche Schriften.

Valtorta (falsely) has Our Lady uttering the similar blasphemous thought that God loves us more for sinning:


[supposed BVM]: “Tell Me, mummy, can one be a sinner out of love of God?”

[supposed St. Anne]: “What are you saying, my dear? I don't understand you.”

[supposed BVM]: “I mean: to commit a sin in order to be loved by God, Who becomes the Savior. Who is lost, is saved. Isn’t that so? I would like to be saved by the Savior to receive His loving look.”

Vol. 1, n. 7, p. 23.

Valtorta falsifies the sin of our first parents.

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had original justice and innocence, and their passions could not be aroused to act against reason. Summa, Ia, Q.95, a.2.

Contradicting this Catholic dogma, Valtorta writes that Our Lord gave this erotic description of Eve’s first sin when she sees the snake:


With his venomous tongue Satan blandished and caressed Eve’s limbs and eyes… Her flesh was aroused … The sensation is a sweet one for her. … And “she understood.” Now Malice was inside her and was gnawing at her intestines. She saw with new eyes and heard with new ears the habits and voices of beasts. And she craved for them with insane greed. She began the sin by herself. She accomplished it with her companion.

Vol. 1, n. 17, p. 49.

Valtorta’s heretical opinion about the essential joy of heaven

The Church teaches that the essential joy of heaven is the intellectual vision of God in His Essence. Summa Supp., Q.90, a.3. Any other joy of heaven is an “extra” which is merely accidental. Id.

Contradicting this, Valtorta declares that half the joy of heaven is being with Our Lady:


the joy of Paradise would be halved … if Paradise in future should not have the living Lily [Our Lady] in whose bosom are the three pistils of fire of the Divine Trinity— the light, perfume, and harmony …

Vol. 3, p. 367.

Valtorta falsely says Our Lady is second, below St. Peter, in the Church hierarchy.

Valtorta (falsely) has “Our Lord” tell His mother that she will “be second to Peter with regard to ecclesiastical hierarchy”. Vol. 4, p.146.

This is utterly false! Although Our Lady surpasses St. Peter (and all other creatures) in holiness, she has never had any part in the hierarchy of the Church. 

Valtorta’s scandalously portrays Our Lord as taking revolting, unnatural liberties with the Apostles.

Valtorta becomes especially disgusting in her false portrayal of Our Lord’s relationship with His Apostles.

Let one disgusting incident suffice:


Valtorta describes Our Lord as kissing St. John while he is “half-naked”, lying on his bed. She says St. John is “panting”, “inflamed by his love” and “exhausted by his ardor”. She says Our Lord “caresses him, burning with love Himself.”

Vol. 2, pp. 57-58.

Of course, the book’s blind defenders will say that all of this was meant in a (supposed) “spiritual” sense. We trust you (the reader) will not be blind and not be led by the blind, because we don’t want you to fall with them, into the pit.

Conclusion

Stay far away from this evil book and this false visionary!

"Poema do Homem-Deus", de Maria Valtorta.......... (E de Dom Williamson!)

Reproduzimos aqui algumas passagens do Livro de Maria Valtorta, tirem suas próprias conclusões se devemos ler este livro todas as noites para nossas crianças, como recomenda Dom Williamson.
Para ver mais do original, clique aqui.

Poema do Homem-Deus (Maria Valtorta)

Resenha do livro "Poema do Homem-Deus" de Maria Valtorta, 10 volumes, edição on-line.

Recentemente um amigo me enviou um e-mail perguntando sobre Maria Valtorta e seu Poema do Homem-Deus. Ela recebeu uma edição recente do Comentário Eleison do Bispo Richard Williamson intitulado "Home Reading" - "Leitura Domiciliar" (20 de outubro de 2012). Nesse Eleison, o bispo recomenda os pais lerem  selecionados capítulos do Poema do Homem-Deus para as crianças todas as noites.

Ele admite que o poema é controverso e que possui muitos inimigos, mas ele defende o enorme livro de Valtorta (4.000 páginas em 10 volumes de supostas visões que ela recebeu da vida de Cristo). O Bispo apoia-o apesar das objeções que ele lista: que contém vários erros doutrinais, que humaniza Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, e que o trabalho foi colocado na lista de livros proibidos da Igreja na década de 1950.

Ele rejeita levemente todos os argumentos contra o livro e conclui que as crianças vão aprender muito sobre Nosso Senhor e Nossa Senhora no poema, que ele irá "fortalecer a sua casa." (...)

Um Cristo humanizado

Creio que minha amiga deva seguir o bom senso Católico dela. O próprio título, Homem-Deus, expressa o espírito da obra. É Jesus como um homem que Valtorta apresenta: um bebê amamentando avidamente os seios de sua mãe, um jovenzinho que parece nem ter consciência de Quem Ele seja, um Homem que ri e brinca com os seus Apóstolos, beijando-os na boca constantemente e abraçando-os bem apertados. Parece ser difícil não suspeitar que esse "aparecido" Jesus, retratado de forma tal, tenha tendências homossexuais.(...)

Jesus de Valtorta

O Poema do Homem-Deus, eu creio, está repleto de banalidades, vulgaridades, blasfêmias e até mesmo erros doutrinários. Há conversas ociosas intermináveis ​​entre Nosso Senhor, Nossa Senhora e os Apóstolos, tudo em um nível natural. Eu acho que a melhor maneira de confirmar estes pontos é simplesmente citar alguns textos, que são tão repugnantes que eles falam por si.

As citações que se seguem são retiradas de uma edição on-line do poema do Homem-Deus. Uma crítica de 48 páginas escrito na década de 1980 (...).

Uma criança concebida com o pecado original

Valtorta retrata o Menino Jesus como uma criança gulosa de Mãe sentimental. É difícil encontrar o respeito que devemos a Nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo nesta imaginária e imodesta descrição de uma cena de amamentação:

Jesus e Maria

O Poema do Homem-Deus apresenta uma visão naturalista de Nossa Senhora e o Menino Jesus:

"Jesus abre os olhos, vê sua mãe, sorri e estende as mãozinhas para seu peito."

"[Maria] 'Sim, amor da mamãe. Sim. O seu leite. Antes da hora habitual. Mas você está sempre pronto para mamar no peito da Sua Mamãe, meu pequeno Cordeiro santo! '

"Jesus ri e joga, chutando seus pés para fora dos cobertores, movendo os braços alegremente em um estilo típico infantil, tão bonito de ver. Ele empurra seus pés contra o estômago de sua mãe. Ele arqueia as costas inclinando a cabeça justo ao peito, e depois atira-se para trás e ri, segurando com as mãos os laços que amarram o vestido de Maria no pescoço, tentando abri-lo...

"Maria amamenta Ele e Jesus avidamente chupa o bom leite de sua mãe, e quando Ele sente que apenas um pouco de leite sai do seu seio direito, Ele olha para a esquerda, rindo ao fazer isso e olhando para a  sua mãe. Então Ele adormece novamente em seu peito, Sua redonda e rosada bochecha descansando no branco e redondo peito Dela." (Vol 1, n. 35, p. 106).


Um adulto com tendências homossexuais

O Jesus de Valtorta apresenta suspeitas tendências homossexuais, pois ele está constantemente beijando e abraçando os Apóstolos. Quando Jesus diz á Tiago sobre Sua Paixão estar se aproximando, Tiago reage com grande emoção. Jesus conforta-o assim:

" 'Venha, eu vou te beijar então, vou ajudá-lo a esquecer o fardo do meu destino como Homem. Aqui, eu beijo seus lábios, que terão de repetir as minhas palavras para o povo de Israel e o seu coração que terá de amar como eu te disse, e ali, em seu templo, onde a vida irá cessar. '... Eles permanecem abraçados por um longo tempo e Tiago parece cochilar na alegria dos beijos de Deus que o fazem esquecer seu sofrimento".



Quando Valtorta descreve João, o Apóstolo "favorito", como tendo um rosto de uma jovem mulher com o "olhar de uma amante," dificilmente podemos evitar a impressão de que eles têm uma relação homossexual. Aqui Jesus está beijando João para despertá-lo:

"Jesus se inclina e beija a bochecha de João, que abre os olhos e fica pasmo ao ver Jesus. Ele se senta e diz: "Você precisa de mim? Aqui estou.' …

"João, semi-nu em sua sub-túnica, pois ele usou a sua túnica como manto, como colchas, abraça o 'pescoço de Jesus e coloca a cabeça entre Seu ombro e a bochecha."

Depois João professa sua crença e amor em Jesus como Filho de Deus, "ele sorri e chora, ofegante, inflamado pelo seu amor, relaxando no peito de Jesus, como se ele estivesse esgotado pelo seu ardor. E Jesus o acaricia, ardendo de amor Ele também. "

João implora Jesus para não contar aos outros [Apóstolos] sobre o que se passou entre eles. Jesus responde: "Não se preocupe, João. Ninguém vai estar ciente de seu casamento com o Amor. Se vestir, venha. Temos de sair. "(Vol. 2, n. 165, pp. 57-58)

Jesus sugere um caso de amor entre São Pedro e Nossa Senhora

O próprio Jesus brinca com impropriamente com seus apóstolos. Aqui, Jesus se levanta e grita em voz alta e com raiva a Pedro:

" 'Vem cá, seu usurpador e corruptor!'
"'Eu? Por quê? Que fiz eu, Senhor?
" 'Você corrompeu minha mãe. É por isso que você queria ficar sozinho [com ela]. O que vou fazer com você?"
(...)
"Jesus sorri e Pedro recupera sua confiança. 
"Você realmente me assustou! Agora você está rindo. "(Vol. II, n. 199, p. 185)

Como Lutero, Maria pensa: Vamos pecar para ser perdoado

Algumas passagens são equivalentes a heresia. Por exemplo, Valtorta apresenta a criança Maria como se expressando desejar ser uma grande pecadora, a fim de merecer a graça da Redenção:

"[Maria]: 'Diga-me, mamãe, pode-se ser um pecador por amor de Deus?
"[Ana]: 'O que você está dizendo, minha querida? Eu não entendo você.
"[Maria]: 'Eu quero dizer: cometer um pecado, a fim de ser amado por Deus, que se torna o Salvador. Quem está perdido, está salvo. Não é mesmo? Eu gostaria de ser salva pelo Salvador para receber o olhar amoroso ". (Vol. 1, n. 7, p. 23).


Uma Eva sensual tendendo a bestialidade

O trabalho também não é desprovido erros doutrinais, Ex. quando Valtorta afirma que o pecado de Eva não foi de desobediência, mas de um ato sexual. Há, também, uma insinuação de tendência para a bestialidade de Eva. Esta descrição erótica foi supostamente feita por Jesus:

"Com sua língua venenosa Satanás mandou a lábia e acariciou os membros de Eva ... Sua carne ficou excitada ... A sensação é de prazer para ela. E 'ela entendeu'. "Agora a Malícia estava dentro dela e foi roendo seus intestinos. Ela viu com outros olhos e ouviu com novos ouvidos os hábitos e as vozes dos animais. E ela ansiava por eles com uma cobiça insana. "Ela começou a pecar consigo mesma. Ela conseguiu isso com seu companheiro. "(Vol. 1, n. 17, p. 49)

Estes são alguns trechos que eu ofereço aos meus leitores para avaliar a obra de Valtorta. Eu acredito que eles são suficientes para o leitor a fazer um julgamento como um todo.

É, portanto, compreensível que o Santo Ofício tenha colocado o trabalho no Index de Livros Proibídos, que é reproduzida abaixo. É compreensível, também,  que o Salesiano Irmão James tenha concluído sua crítica dos dois primeiros volumes com estas palavras: "O Poema do Homem-Deus é tão demoníaco que, sem uma graça especial de Nosso Senhor Jesus, podemos ser enganados pelas declarações aparentemente inofensivas do Jesus de Valtorta, mas elas incluem mentiras e heresia, contrárias aos ensinamentos da Una e Santa Igreja Católica ".

_____________________

E o pior é constatarmos que ainda existem muitos defendendo este bispo... Blasfêmias contra Nosso Senhor, Nossa Senhora? Tudo bem. Criticar "nosso bispo"? Bravata! Causadores de divisão! Fanáticos!

Pois eu agradeço a Deus por dividir, por não me deixar ter parte alguma com um bispo que indica tão insaciavelmente (todas as noites, e quando terminar, começar novamente) estas leituras para nossas crianças.

Algo de muito podre se esconde nisso tudo...

Aqueles que tiverem olhos para ver, que vejam!

What should we make of the book The Poem of the Man God by Maria Valtorta? (by the Dominicans of Avrillé)

To answer to questions which were asked of us about Maria Valtorta, we publish here a text coming from Le Sel de la terre n° 7 (doctrinal review of the Dominicans of Avrillé).

For more details, you can consult the book of Fr Herrbach: “Des visions sur l’Évangile” on the website:http://www.clovis-diffusion.com/

Maria Valtorta died in 1961 “in an incomprehensible physical isolation” (in an insane asylum).

Her principal work The Poem of the Man God, which was written in the years from 1943 to 1947, took up 10,000 pages of note-books.

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.  The first four volumes were however published without Imprimatur from 1956 to 1959.  On the 16th of December 1959, the edited books were put on The Index [Editor: The Index of Forbidden Books].   The Osservatore Romano (official newspaper of the Vatican) published the placement on The Index accompanied with an article justifying the condemnation.  Here are some extracts:

“The four Gospels present us with a Jesus humble and full of reserve; His speaking is sober, incisive but supremely efficacious.  On the contrary in this sort of romantic History [Editor:  i.e. The Poem of the Man God], Jesus is excessively loquacious and resembles a man of propaganda, always ready to proclaim Himself the Messiah and Son of God, and to give out lessons of theology, using the same terms that a professor of theology would use today. 

In the Gospel narratives, we admire the humility and the silence of the Mother of Jesus.  On the contrary for the author of this work, the most blessed Virgin Mary with the talkativeness of a modern lawyer, is always present everywhere and always ready to give lessons of Marian theology, perfectly up to date with the latest current studies of specialists on the matter…

Some scenes are rather indecent and make us think of scenes from a modern novel.  We will only give a few examples, such as the confession made to Mary by a certain Aglae, a woman of ill-repute (1st volume, p.790 and after1);  the not very edifying narrative from pages 887 and onwards in the first volume;  a ballet executed in an immodest fashion before Pilate at the pretorium (volume 4, p. 75) etc…

To finish let us point out another strange and imprecise affirmation where it is said of the Madonna, “You, all the time that you will be on this earth, you will be the second after Peter, in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. [It is we who underline, says the review]”

Here are some examples of the errors and improprieties of this book: 

• Our Lord thinks that words tire now and we must have recourse to visions… of Maria Valtorta;  
• The tree of life in the terrestrial paradise is only a symbol;  
• The sin of Adam and Eve consisted in the use of marriage in a spirit of lust;  
• Saint Anne gave birth without pain;  
• Our Lady brags of her humility and her calm;  
• She says that she redeemed women through her maternity;  
• She said that she saw God at her creation;  
• Satan became flesh in the form of Judas. 

One can note numerous contradictions with the Gospel, for example:

• Our Lord is supposed to have sucked with avidity the vinegar given by the soldier; 
• On the Cross Our Lord did not cease to cry out “Mommy!” and she replied: “Yes, my treasure, I am here”;  
• Our Lady gets angry, cries out and becomes “almost” delirious after the death of her Son; 
• and this is not to mention the numerous sensualities which are spread throughout the work. 

Let us finish by citing a talk by Archbishop Lefebvre at a retreat, where he expresses his reserve regarding Maria Valtorta:

“It is better for us […] not to spend too much time on the material details of the life of Our Lord. […] These books which present themselves as revelations of the Life of Our Lord, in my opinion, can be a danger, precisely because they represent Our Lord in a too concrete manner, too much in the details of His life. I am thinking of course of Maria Valtorta. And perhaps for some this reading can do good, it can bring them close to Our Lord, to try to imagine what would have been the life of the Apostles with Our Lord, the life at Nazareth, the life of Our Lord as the visits of the cities of Israel.

But there is a danger, a great danger; that is to humanize too much, to concretize too much, and to not sufficiently show the face of God, in this Life of Our Lord. This is the danger. I do not know if we should recommend so much to people the reading of these books, if they are not forewarned. I do not know if that would raise them up and make them know Our Lord, such as He was, such as He is, such as we should know Him and believe Him to be.2

Last advice : Rather than read these novels where errors abound, it would be better to read Holy Scripture with good commentary based on the Fathers of the Church3, or even good lives of the saints4.

(From Le Sel de la terre, n° 7)

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1. These references correspond to the edition published at that time in Italian. 
2. Retreat preached in september 1986, fourth instruction. Father Emily cites, at the end of his work, a part of this testimony, as well as an extract of a letter of Archbishop Lefebvre which goes along the same lines. 
3. For example, The Great life of Jesus Christ, by Ludolphe le Chartreux or the commentaries of Bossuet. 
4. The lives of the Saints, except in the case of a bad biography, make us remain in the real rather than depart into the imaginary, as is the case of these “visions” . The lives of Saints have what is needed to nourish the imagination, the heart and the intelligence of all Christians, even the most simple. Even today, one can find good illustrated lives of the saints.