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Maria Valtorta

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• Learn more about using Wikipedia for research •Jump to: navigation, searchThis article is about Maria Valtorta's life. For her major literary work, please see the article onThe Poem of the Man God.

Maria Valtorta at age 5, 1902.

Maria Valtorta (14 March 1897 – †12 October 1961) was an Italian writer and poet, consideredby many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes. Her followers believethat she had personally conversed with Jesus Christ in her visions of Jesus and Mary[1].

Contents

[hide]

• 1 Early life• 2 Settling in Viareggio• 3 Visions• 4 Notebooks• 5 Two Popes, two opinions

• 6 Controversy• 7 Death and burial• 8 Mentions by other mystics• 9 Imprimatur• 10 References

• 11 Sources and external links

[edit] Early life

At age 15, 1912.

Valtorta was born in Caserta, in the Campania region of Italy, the only child of parents from theLombardy region. Her father, Giseppe was in the Italian cavalry and her mother, Iside, was aFrench teacher[2].

At age 7 she was enrolled in the Institute of the Marcellienne Sisters, and at age 12 she was sentto boarding school. As the family moved around Italy due to her father's military career, shereceived a classic education in various parts of Italy, and focused on Italian literature. In 1917she entered the ranks of the Samaritan Nurses, and for eighteen months offered her service at themilitary hospital in Florence.

On March 17, 1920, at the age of 23, while she was walking on a street with her mother, adelinquent youth struck her in the back with an iron bar for no apparent reason. She was confinedto bed for three months. Although she seemed to have recovered after three months, and was ableto move around for over a decade thereafter, the complications from that injury eventuallyconfined her to bed for 28 years, from 1934 onwards.

[edit] Settling in Viareggio

At age 21, in the uniform of a Samaritan Nurse, 1918.

In 1924, her father retired and the family settled in the town of Viareggio, on the coast ofTuscany in 1924[3]. After settling in Viareggio (which means "way of the kings"), she hardlyever left that town. In Viareggio Maria led a life dominated by solitude. Except for occasionalexcursions to the seaside and the pine-forest, her days mostly consisted of doing the dailyhousehold shopping and visiting the Church for the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1925 she read the autobiography of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus at one sitting. Theexperience was deeply moving to her and on January 28th 1925 she offered herself as victim tothe merciful Love. In December 1929, she was admitted to Catholic Action as youth culturaldelegate, and in 1930 took private vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.

January 4th 1933 was the last day on which Maria, walking with extraordinary fatigue, was ableto leave her house. And from the 1st of April 1934, she was no longer able to leave her bed. In1935, a year after she was bed-ridden, Martha Diciotti began to care for her.

In 1942 she was visited by a missionary priest, Fr. Rornuald M. Migliorini of the Servants ofMary, who became her spiritual director for four years. In 1943 her mother died and MarthaDiciotti became her only constant companion and listener until her death. Except for a briefwartime evacuation to Sant’ Andrea di Compito in Lucca, from April to December 1944 duringthe Second World War, the rest of her life was spent in her bed at 257 Via Antonio Fratti inViareggio.

[edit] Visions

At age 25, 1922.

Early in 1943, when Maria had been infirm for nine years, her religious advisor, FatherMigliorini, suggested to her to write about her life. After some hesitation, she agreed and, inabout two months had produced several hundred handwritten pages for her confessor.

On the morning of Good Friday April 23rd 1943, she reported a sudden voice speaking to herand asking her to write. From her bedroom Maria called for Marta Diciotti, showed her the sheetin her hands and said that something extraordinary had happened. Marta called Father Miglioriniregarding the dictation Maria had reported and he arrived soon thereafter. Father Miglioriniasked her to write down anything else she received and over time provided her with notebooks towrite in.

Thereafter, Maria wrote almost every day until 1947 and intermittently in the following yearsuntil 1951. She would write with a fountain pen in the notebook resting on her knees and placedupon the writing board she had made herself. She did not prepare outlines, did not even knowwhat she would write from one day to another, and did not reread to correct. At times she wouldcall Marta to read back to her what she had written[4].

One of Maria's declarations reads:

"I can affirm that I have had no human source to be able to know what I write, and what,even while writing, I often do not understand."

Her notebooks were dated each day, but her writing was not in sequence, in that some of the lastchapters of The Poem of the Man God were written before the early chapters, yet the text flowssmoothly between them[5].

[edit] Notebooks

Main article: Poem of the Man God

From 1943 to 1951 Valtorta produced over 15,000 handwritten pages in 122 notebooks. Shewrote her autobiography in 7 aditional notebooks. These pages became the basis of her majorwork, The Poem of the Man God, and constitute about two thirds of her literary work. Thevisions give a detailed account of the life of Jesus from his birth to the Passion with moreelaboration than the Gospels provide. For instance, while the Gospel includes a few sentencesabout the wedding at Cana, the text includes a few pages and narrates the words spoken amongthe people present. The visions also describe the many journeys of Jesus throughout the HolyLand, and his conversations with people such as the apostles.[6].

The handwritten pages were characterized by the fact that they included no overwrites,corrections or revisions and seemed somewhat like dictations. The fact that she often sufferedfrom heart and lung ailments during the period of the visions made the natural flow of the texteven more unusual. Readers are often struck by the fact that the sentences attributed to Jesus inthe visions have a distinct and recognizable tone and style that is distinct from the rest of the text.Given that she never left Italy and was bed-ridden much of her life, Maria’s writings reflect asurprising knowledge of the Holy Land. A geologist, Vittorio Tredici, stated that her detailedknowledge of the topographic, geological and mineralogical aspects of Palestine seemsunexplainable. And a biblical archeologist, Father Dreyfus, noted that her work includes thenames of several small towns which are absent from the Old and New Testaments and are onlyknown to a few experts.[7] [8][9]

[edit] Two Popes, two opinions

Maria Valtorta was at first reluctant to have her notebooks published, but based on the advice ofher priest, in 1947 she agreed to their publication. Her priest, Father Romualdo Migliorini andFather Corrado Berti, along with their Prior Father Andrea Checchin used their contacts tobypass the Vatican hierarchy to present the manuscript directly to Pope Pius XII. Among thoseimpressed by the work at the Vatican was the Pope's confessor, Msgr. (later Cardinal) AugustinBea who later wrote that he found the work "not only interesting and pleasing, but trulyedifying". The manuscript was thus delivered to Pius XII and the three priests were granted apapal audience.

At the meeting Pope Pius XII reportedly told the three priests; "Publish this work as it is. Thereis 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"[10]. Father Berti then signed an

affidavit to that effect, as did the other two witnesses, with written testimony. The three priestsunderstood this permission to publish as a Papal Imprimatur (Imprimatur being Latin for "let itbe printed"). The papal audience was documented the next day in the Vatican's newspaperL'Osservatore Romano.

The Poem of the Man God was hence offered to the Vatican Printing Office for publication in1948, because Pope Pius XII had agreed to its publication before the three Priests of the ServiteOrder. While Pius XII was alive, the Holy Office did not announce an official position on themanuscript. When Pius XII died in 1958, upon taking office, his newly appointed successor PopeJohn XXIII signed a decision by the Holy Office (then headed by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani) toplace the book on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1959, along with a number of other works,such as those of Sister Faustina Kowalska who was later declared a saint, and whose writings arenow quoted by the Vatican.

[edit] Controversy

Supporters of Maria Valtorta argue that, according to Canon Law the Roman Pontiff has fullpower over the whole Church, hence the initial approval given by Pope Pius XII effectivelynullified any subsequent ruling by the Holy Office. The detractors argue that the same CanonLaw applied to Pope John XXIII when he signed the order to place the work on the Index.However, in 1963 Pope Paul VI succeeded John XXIII and abolished the Index altogether in1965. Valtorta followers argue that this in effect nullified the suppression of 1959 since the Indexno longer existed after 1965. Those opposed to the book considered the abolition of the Index asnot reversing the Church’s opinion of the work. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope BenedictXVI) while acting as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1985 wrote that"the Index retains its moral force despite its dissolution." [11] Valtorta supporters point to the factthat the long list of books on the Forbidden Index also included writings by Jean Paul Sartre,Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, Rene Descartes, Francis Bacon, John Milton,John Lock, Galileo Galilei, Blaise Pascal and Saint Faustina Kowalska, among others. But someauthors (e.g. Charles Darwin) whose views are highly unacceptable to the Church were never puton the Index. [12][13][14]

At the moment the official position of the Catholic Church with respect to the book is less thanclear. The church does not endorse the book, yet does not ban it either, although church officialshave made occasional comments about it. The last formal action taken by the Vatican withrespect to the book was in 1992, when Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi, the Secretary General of theItalian Bishops' Conference, wrote to the publisher Emilio Pisani. In his letter, Tettamanzirequested that a paragraph be added to the first few pages of the book disclaiming anysupernatural origin for the work. The publisher assumes that the letter indicates that the ItalianBishops' Conference sees nothing in the work that contradicts the doctrines of the Church, yetsome detractors claim that the letter intended to classify the work as fiction. Since 1993 theCatholic Church has chosen to remain silent on its position with respect to the work.

The Poem of the Man God was eventually published as a 4,000 page multi-volume book and hassince been translated into 10 languages and received the imprimatur and approval of several

Catholic bishops and Cardinals worldwide. Valtorta's other literary works include historicalnotes on the early Christian church and martyrs and comments on biblical texts, as well as somereligious poems and compositions.

The Poem of the Man God has, however, also drawn criticism from a variety of theologians andskeptics, who claim internal inconsistencies[15], friction with the Holy See[16] and theologicalerrors of the Biblical account of the Gospel and Catholic dogma.[17]

Regarding the issue of internal consistency and correspondence with the Gospels, Valtortasupporters point to the fact that ever since Saint Augustine of Hippo addressed the Augustinianhypothesis in the 5th Century, religious scholars have been debating issues regarding thecomparison of various texts with the Gospels, at times with no clear resolution. Such debates stilltake place among experts even on issues regarding the Church Canons and the early Gospelsthemselves.[18][19] Valtorta supporters point to the fact that the Poem of the Man God seems toprovide solutions to some synoptic debates such as those regarding Luke 22:66[20] and Matthew26:57[21] on the Trial of Jesus by providing simple explanations that resolve the conflicts.[22]

And highly respected scripture scholars such as the Venerable Gabriele Allegra have expressedtheir support for the Poem of the Man God and its correspondence with the Gospel.[23]

As for friction with and within the Holy See, it is well documented that the Cardinals favorabletowarrds Valtorta's writings (e.g. Cardinal Augustin Bea) and those opposing it (e.g. CardinalAlfredo Ottaviani) had high levels of friction with each other on a wide range of issues beyondValtorta's work.[24] Thus in defense of Maria Valtorta, when providing his imprimatur for thePoem of the Man God, Bishop Roman Danylak recalled John 8:7[25] and referred to some of hercritics as "those who want to cast stones"[26].

[edit] Death and burial

Maria Valtorta in Viareggio.

Maria Valtorta died and was buried in Viareggio in 1961, at age 65. In 1973 with ecclesiasticpermission, her remains were moved to Florence to the Chapel in the Grand Cloister of the

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata di Firenze. Chiseled on her tomb are the words:"DIVINARUM RERUM SCRIPTRIX" (Writer of Divine Things).

Presiding over the services at Valtorta’s "privileged burial" and the relocation of her remainsfrom Viareggio to the Santissima Annunziata Basilica was Father Gabriel M. Roschini[27]. Arespected Mariologist, founding professor at the Marianum pontifical institute in Rome andadvisor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Father Roschini had studied Valtorta'swritings and her book The Poem of the Man God and was initially skeptical of the authenticity ofher work. But upon studying her work further he grew to appreciate it as a private revelation. Hewrote of Valtorta's work:

"We find ourselves facing an effect (her work) which seems to be beyond its cause (MariaValtorta)"[28].

The house at 257 Via Antonio Fratti in Viareggio, where all her messages were written, waspurchased by the publisher of The Poem of the Man God and has been preserved intact. It can bevisited by appointment in Viareggio, Italy.

[edit] Mentions by other mystics

In the 1980s, she was mentioned in the visions of two of the visionaries in Medjugorje. TheMedjugorje visions by Marija Pavlovic and Vicka Ivankovic both stated that Maria Valtorta’srecords of her conversations with Jesus are truthful. According to Ivankovic, in 1981 the VirginMary told her at Medjugorje: "If a person wants to know Jesus he should read MariaValtorta".[29][30][31][32][33] According to printed records of Medjugorje messages, MarijaPavlovic stated that she was told at Medjugorje by the Virgin Mary that it was permitted to readMaria Valtorta's book.[34][35]

Maria Valtorta's work is also mentioned in Don Ottavio's Michelini writings. He is a relativelyobscure priest from Mirandola, who reported a series of Dictations and Visions given to him byJesus Christ and the Virgin Mary from 1975 to 1979. He reported these words dictated to him byChrist:

I have dictated to Maria Valtorta, a victim soul, a marvelous work. Of this work I am the Author. Youyourself, Son, have taken account of the raging reactions of Satan.... You have verified the resistance thatmany priests oppose to this work. This also proves, Son, that he who has not sensed in the Poem the savorof the Divine, the perfume of the Supernatural, has a soul encumbered and darkened. If it were -- I do notsay "read" --but studied and meditated, it would bring an immense good to souls. This work is awell-spring of serious and solid culture.... This is a work willed by Wisdom and Divine Providence for thenew times. It is a spring of living and pure water. It is I, the Word living and eternal, Who have givenMyself anew as nourishment to the souls that I love. I, Myself, am the Light, and the Light cannot beconfused with, and still less blend Itself with, the darkness. Where I am found, the darkness is dissolvedto make room for the Light.

The particular Michelini book from which this quotation was taken is called La medida estácolmada in its Spanish version and remains in the library of The Archidiocesan Minor Seminaryof Monterrey in the city of San Pedro Garza García. It is worth noting that the first page of thebook has a seal that reads "Biblioteca Seminario Menor de Monterrey Donativo del Sr. Emmo.Adolfo Antonio Cardenal Suárez Rivera", ("Library of the Minor Seminary of MonterreyDonated by Sr. Eminentísimo Adolfo Cardinal Suárez Rivera"). He was for many years CardinalArchbishop of the Diocese of Monterrey. This Spanish edition of Michelini's writings wheresupposedly Christ himself defends Valtorta's Work , comes with a copy of two letters betweenBishops (within the first pages). The first letter is from the Bishop of León, México AnselmoZarza Bernal and is addressed to Bishop Miguel García Franco at the time Bishop of Mazatlan.The response to Bishop Zarza is the second letter. In the first letter, Bishop Zarza recommends toBishop García Franco the reading and reflection of Michelini's book (where among manysupposed dictations from Christ, there is one defending Valtorta's work), on response (secondletter) Bishop García wrote: "I received your letter...that came with the book" (Michelini's Book)"...I find all the doctrine contained in the book 100% orthodox, more yet, in whole coincidentwith the writings of Mrs. Conchita Cabrera de Armida..." (the Venerable Concepción Cabrera deArmida a Mexican mystic in the process of canonization) “... and with the book of FatherEsteban Gobbi (In Italian Stefano Gobbi), books for which we have ecclesiastic aprobation".

[edit] Imprimatur

Over the years, support for Valtorta's work grew among the mid-levels of the Vatican. Her workhas received the imprimature of Bishop Roman Danylak and Archbishop Soosa Pakiam[36][37][38]. But the official position of the Holy See with respect to the book is currently less than clear.Since 1993 the Vatican has decided to remain silent on the work[39].

Yet, support for her work continues to appear from unlikely corners of the Vatican, usually frombiblical experts who are not at the Holy Office. One such expert was the respected scripturescholar the Venerable Gabriele Allegra, who spent 40 years translating the Bible to Chinese.Allegra wrote:

"I hold that the work of Valtorta demands a supernatural origin. I think that it is theproduct of one or more charisma and that it should be studied in the light of the doctrineof charisma."[40][41]

Another expert was the respected Mariologist, Fr. Gabriel M. Roschini, professor at thePontifical Faculty of Theology in Rome, advisor to the Holy Office and founder of theMarianum (which is both the name of the pontifical school and the prestigious journal of Mariantheology[42]) who wrote of Valtorta:

"I must candidly admit that the Mariology found in Maria Valtorta's writings, whetherpublished or not, has been for me a real discovery. No other Marian writing, not even thesum total of all the writings I have read and studied were able to give me as clear, aslively, as complete, as luminous, or as fascinating an image, both simple and sublime, ofMary, God's masterpiece."[43]

Father Roschini presided over the relocation of the remains of Maria Valtorta from Viareggio tothe Santissima Annunziata Basilica in Florence in 1973.

[edit] References

1. ^ Imprimatur for the Writings of Maria Valtorta http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Imprmatur.htm

2. ^ The Life of Maria Valtorta http://valtorta.alphalink.com.au/personwork.htm3. ^ Overview of Valtorta's Life http://www.valtorta.org/about_the_author_defaultpage.asp4. ^ Maria Valtorta's Writings http://www.mariavaltorta.com/?op=view_news&type=news&id=425. ^ Introduction to Valtorta http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Valepic.htm6. ^ Poem of the Man God Excerpts http://www.valtorta.org/the_poem__selected_excerpts.asp7. ^ Tredici Quote on Valtorta http://heartofjesus.ca/MariaValtorta/M%20A%20R%20I%20A.htm8. ^ Introduction to Valtorta http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Valepic.htm9. ^ Pende Quotes on Valtorta http://heartofjesus.ca/MariaValtorta/M%20A%20R%20I%20A.htm

10. ^ Verbal Papal Authorization http://heartofjesus.ca/MariaValtorta/M%20A%20R%20I%20A.htm

11. ^ ETWN http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/poem_of_the_man.htm12. ^ Modern History Sourcebook: Index Librorum Prohibitorum13. ^ James Christian, 2005, Philosophy, Thomson Wadsworth, ISBN 053451250X14. ^ Vatican opens up secrets of Index of Forbidden Books.15. ^ Poem Of The Man-God by Fr. John Loughnan http://jloughnan.tripod.com/valtmedj.htm16. ^ Poem of the Man-God by EWTN http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/

poem_of_the_man.htm17. ^ La Reporta Valtorta by Fr. Brian Wilson, L.C. http://www.envoymagazine.com/backissues/

4.4/question.htm18. ^ Bart D. Ehrman, 2004, The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian

Writings Oxford University Press, ISBN 019515462219. ^ Lee McDonald, 2002, The Canon Debate Hendrikson Publishers ISBN 156563517520. ^ Bible Gateway, Luke 22:66 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/

?search=luke%2022:66&version=3121. ^ Bible Gateway Matthew 26:57 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/

?search=matthew%2026:57;&version=3122. ^ Valtorta on Luke 22:66 http://www.valtorta.org/synoptic_puzzle_solved_defaultpage.asp23. ^ Analysis of Valtorta's Writing http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Gablegra/Allegra1.htm24. ^ Time Magazine article http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,829504-1,00.html25. ^ Bible gateway, John 8:7 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/

?book_id=50&chapter=8&verse=7&version=31&context=verse26. ^ In defense of Valtorta http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Imprmatur.htm27. ^ Publisher’s Notice in the Second Italian Edition (1986), reprinted in English Edition, Gabriel

Roschini, O.S.M. (1989). The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta (English Edition).Kolbe's Publication Inc. ISBN 2-920285-08-4

28. ^ Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M. (1989). The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta (EnglishEdition). Kolbe's Publication Inc. ISBN 2-920285-08-4, page 7.

29. ^ http://www.semperficatholic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?start=60&t=154730. ^ Valtorta Publishing31. ^ 002_Correspondence32. ^ Valepic33. ^ Queen of Peace Newsletter (Pittsburgh Center for Peace, P.O. Box 1218, Coraopolis, PA

15108): 1988, vol. 1, no. 2.34. ^ "Words from heaven: Messages of Our Lady from Medjugorje: a documented record of the

messages and their meanings" page 145. Saint James Publishing, 1990: ISBN 187890905335. ^ Valtorta Medjugorje confirmation http://www.MariaValtortaWebRing.com/Pages/

014_1988.htm36. ^ Bishop Danylak's Imprimatur http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Imprmatur.htm37. ^ Archbishop Soosa Pakiam of Trivandrum http://mariavaltortawebring.com/Pages/

001_Correspondence.htm38. ^ Heart of Jesus http://heartofjesus.ca/MariaValtorta/M%20A%20R%20I%20A.htm39. ^ Church letter Regarding Valtorta http://www.heandi.qc.ca/mariavaltorta.net/

church_approval.htm40. ^ Gabriele Allegra on Valtorta http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Gablegra/Allegra4.htm41. ^ Gabriele Allegra on the Poem of the Man God http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/Gablegra/

Allegra1.htm42. ^ Mariology http://msa62.tripod.com/id8.html43. ^ Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M. (1989). The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta (English

Edition). Kolbe's Publication Inc. ISBN 8879870866

[edit] Sources and external links

• Maria Valtorta official webite• Bishop Roman Danylak's imprimatur• Bishop Danylak's Comments on Maria Valtorta• The Venerable Gabriele Allegra on Maria Valtorta• Valtorta Publishing• The Maria Valtorta Network• The Maria Valtorta Reader’s Group in Australia• About 20% of Valtorta's writings (in several languages) online• The Maria Valtorta Web-Ring• Valtorta Medjugorje confirmation• Father Mitch Pacwa's critical view• Response to Fr. Mitch Pacwa

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Valtorta"Categories: 1897 births | 1961 deaths | Visions of Jesus and Mary

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