Benedict XVI and Maria Valtorta

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022) – Pontificate from April 19, 2005 to February 28, 2013

Josef Ratzinger, born April 16, 1927, in Marktl and deceased December 31, 2022, in the Vatican, was a German Catholic prelate. Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during the pontificate of John Paul II, he was elected pope on April 19, 2005, under the name Benedict XVI. He is involved in the Maria Valtorta dossier in three ways:

• As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he had to give written pronouncements twice on the writings of Maria Valtorta (1985 and 1993). An unchanged opinion to this day (2025). He recalled and explained the value and place of private revelations (2000).
• Having become Pope Benedict XVI, he codified this field (2008, 2010).
• In the last year of his pontificate, he proclaimed the beatification of two known supporters of Maria Valtorta’s work (2012).

He thus consolidated the magisterial foundation of private revelations and defined the framework within which Maria Valtorta’s work fits in the Church.

As Prefect of the Congregation

Joseph Ratzinger participated as a "peritus" at the Second Vatican Council, where he was regarded as a reformer and worked on the reform of the Holy Office (nicknamed the "Supreme" because of its importance). A congregation refounded as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, whose prefecture Pope John Paul II entrusted to him in 1981. He held the position from November 25, 1981, to May 13, 2005, the date of his enthronement as pope.

Letter of January 31, 1985, to Cardinal Giuseppe Siri

Letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to the Archbishop of Genoa in 1985, appended with an unofficial German translation

In 1985, four years after his appointment, he had to give an opinion on Maria Valtorta at the request of a religious from the Diocese of Genoa. He responded to Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, the local archbishop. In this letter, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger discouraged the dissemination of Maria Valtorta’s work based on the dossier he discovered. He considered it unhealthy not absolutely, but for the category of the "most vulnerable" faithful. It is assumed that he referred to uninformed readers who might confuse Maria Valtorta’s work with the canonical Gospel, a theme on which he would later insist.

This letter, which leaked, has been widely used by opponents as a justification for maintaining the condemnation of the work beyond the abolition of the Index, and for its harmfulness. This view can be justified by this letter alone, out of context, but later Cardinal Josef Ratzinger had the opportunity to read Maria Valtorta’s work himself over the course of a year and authorized its dissemination within the prudent reading framework advocated by the Church for all private revelations.

Text of the letter

Italian text transcribed

Indicative French translation

SACRE GONGREGAZIONE PER LA DOTTRINA DELLA FEDE 00193 Roma, 31 gennaio 1985 Prot. N. 144/58 Eminenza Reverendissima, con lettera del 18. Maggio p.p., il Reverendo Padre Umberto Losacco, Cappuccino (Via Montani, 1 - 16148 Genova) chiedeva a questa S. Congregazione una chiarificazione circa gli scritti di Maria Valtorta, raccolti sotto il titolo "Il Poena dell'Uomo-Dio"e se esisteva una valutazione del Magistero della Chiesa sulla pubblicazione in questione con il corrispettivo riferimente bibliografico. In merito mi pregio significare all'Eminenza Vostra -la quale valutera l'opportunità di informare il Reverendo Padre Losacco - che effettivamente l'Opera in parolo fu posta all'Indice il 16 Dicembre 1959 e definita da "L'Osserv tore Romano" del 6 Gennaio 1960, "Vita di Gesu malamente romanzata". Le disposizioni del Decreto vennero ripubblicato con'nota esplicativa ancora su L'Osservatore Romano del 1 Dicembre 1961, come rilevabile dalla documentazione qui allegata. Avendo poi alcuni ritenuto lecita la stampa e diffusione dell'Opera in oggetto, dopo l'avvenuta abrogazione del l'Indice, sempre su l'Osservatore Romano (15 Giugne 1966) si fece presente quanto pubblicato su A.A.S. (1966) che, benché abolito, l’"Index" conservava " tutta la sua valore morale" per cui non si ritiene opportuna la diffusionee raccomendazione di un'Opera la cui condamna non fu presa al ln leggera ma dopo ponderate motivazioni al fine di neutralizzare i danni che tale pubblicazione può arrecare ai fedeli più sprovveduti. Grato di ogni Sua cortese disposizione in proposito, profitto dell'occasione per confermarmi con sensi di profonda stima dell'Eminenza Vostra Reverendissima Dev.mo Joseph card. Ratzinger

SACRED CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH 00193 Rome, January 31, 1985 Prot. No. 144/58 Most Reverend Eminence, By letter dated May 18 last, the Reverend Father Umberto Losacco, Capuchin (Via Montani, 1 – 16148 Genoa), requested from this Holy Congregation a clarification regarding the writings of Maria Valtorta, collected under the title “The Poem of the Man-God”, and whether there existed an evaluation by the Magisterium of the Church concerning the publication in question, with the corresponding bibliographic reference. On this matter, I take the liberty to signify to Your Eminence—who will judge the appropriateness to inform Reverend Father Losacco—that indeed the work in question was placed on the Index on December 16, 1959, and defined by “L’Osservatore Romano” of January 6, 1960, as a “badly novelized Life of Jesus”. The provisions of the Decree were republished with an explanatory note again in L’Osservatore Romano of December 1, 1961, as evidenced by the documentation attached herewith. Since some later considered the printing and dissemination of the said work licit following the abolition of the Index, it was noted in L’Osservatore Romano (June 15, 1966), citing what was published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (1966), that although abolished, the "Index" retained "all its moral value," and therefore the dissemination and recommendation of a work whose condemnation was not taken lightly, but after pondered reasons aimed at neutralizing the damages such publication could cause to the most uninformed faithful, is not considered appropriate. Grateful for any kind disposition from Your Eminence in this regard, I take this occasion to renew myself with sentiments of profound esteem of Your Most Reverend Eminence, Devotedly, Joseph Card. Ratzinger

Value and basis of this letter

Cardinal Ratzinger provides only three official documents: the commentary on the placing on the Index (1960), the extension to the new edition (1961), and the decree abolishing the Index (1966). He attaches a personal authoritative opinion which can be summarized as follows: he discourages the dissemination of Maria Valtorta’s work because he feared the impact of this life of Jesus on the "most vulnerable" readers, which is a pastoral concern but not doctrinal. He does not give any judgment on the work other than full credibility to what the two articles of the Osservatore Romano reported, the second of which, a brief notice, (December 1, 1961, p. 1) judged not doctrine or morals but the scientific value of the work: "la quale non ha alcun valore scientifico (which has no scientific value)" and extends the placing on the Index for the same disciplinary reasons (but not doctrinal): canon 1398 §2 and canon 1399 §5 of the 1917 Code. Yet Cardinal Josef Ratzinger would rely (as some opponents do) on the passage of the Notification abolishing the Index which specifies that the "Index retains its moral value." But the text adds (in the omitted section): "in that sense it calls upon the conscience of the faithful—as natural law itself requires—to be cautious against writings that may endanger the faith and good morals." From the verbal imprimatur of Pius XII to the written encouragement from Pope Francis, via the cohort of saints, theologians, and exegetes—all readers—can one reasonably claim they did not see "endangerment of the faith and good morals" if it had existed even slightly?

Cardinal Josef Ratzinger found no such issue when he personally discovered Maria Valtorta’s work. One can therefore deduce that his pastoral opinion was based solely on the content of the dossier he reviewed. Indeed, the dossier opened in 1945 by the Holy Office (Prot n. 355/45) was no longer present at that time. It was replaced in 1958 by a new dossier (Prot. n. 144/58), which apparently contained only unambiguous pieces justifying the placement on the Index.

Erroneous attribution of a 1988 letter

The content of a response from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to a Canadian woman was mistakenly attributed to Cardinal Josef Ratzinger (and thus to his authority). This letter, for which no trace exists, dated September 9, 1988, written by Josef Clemens, the cardinal’s personal secretary, presented Maria Valtorta’s work from a very critical angle. The letter stated (according to the quote cited):

"It is true that Maria Valtorta’s Poem of the Man-God was put on the Index in 1959 and was described by L’Osservatore Romano (January 6, 1960) as a completely romanticized version of the life of Jesus. The Index has since been abolished, but the reasons for the original censure remain valid; this work is a collection of childish fantasies, historical and exegetical errors, all wrapped in a subtly sensual vein."

The quote attributed to Cardinal Ratzinger by Yves Chiron is neither his nor from the Osservatore Romano, but probably from Father Giovanni Caprile in Civiltà Cattolica dated July 1, 1961 (issue 2665), who wrote about the second edition:

"(This work is) a monument to childishness, fantasies, and historical and exegetical falsehoods, diluted in a subtly sensual atmosphere, due to the presence of a swarm of women following Jesus. A monument, in short, to pseudo-religiosity."

There is thus a double shift:

• presenting as a magisterial act what is only an expert opinion (would the opposite favorable opinion be equally admissible?)
• creating a confusion between official acts of the Holy See (AAS) and undocumented positions.

Regarding this letter, the website edifiant.fr notes:

"This error was introduced by Franciscan Father Benedict Joseph Groeschel (July 23, 1933 – October 3, 2014) on page 58 of his book A Still Small Voice: A Practical Guide on Reported Revelations (Ignatius Press, 1993), before being propagated by Marco Corvaglia in Italy, in the first edition of his book Medjugorie, È tutto falso (Anteprima Edizioni, 2007, 283 pages), and by Yves Chiron in France, in his religious newsletter Aletheïa no. 260 of July 17, 2017. Marco Corvaglia honestly corrected this error in the reedition of his book and on his website. It was then adopted by the news agency I.MEDIA (composed of five people covering Vatican news), in their dispatch of March 4, 2025, which was in turn duplicated by many French-speaking Christian newspapers without verification (Aleteia, Famille Chrétienne, La Croix, RCF, Cathobel, Cathberne, etc.). These articles were written within hours by people who knew neither the history of Maria Valtorta nor her texts."

1990s: discovery of the work and conditional imprimatur

On June 30, 1992, Maria Valtorta’s publisher, Emilio Pisani, had the opportunity to go to the Palace of the Holy Office where a prelate from the Secretariat of State told him that "Upstairs" they had changed their mind about Maria Valtorta and that her life of Jesus could be considered "like a good book." The fact was as unexpected as it was enigmatic: what fact motivated this turnaround and what was meant by a "good book"? The publisher reports this:

"On June 30, 1992 — that is, the same year as the letter from the Secretary of the Italian Episcopal Conference — I had the only occasion in my life to enter the Palace of the Holy Office. I was accompanying a religious from the Society of St. Paul, who was provincial superior in Canada. These Fathers were distributing there English and French editions of Maria Valtorta’s Work.

Upon arriving in Rome, this religious had arranged an appointment with one of his confreres, who was part of the Secretariat of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He received both of us and, since we were talking about Valtortian topics, he confided.

He said he himself had suggested to Mgr Tettamanzi to write the letter to the Italian Episcopal Conference following a "new position" of the Congregation regarding Maria Valtorta’s Work. These exact words were that “Upstairs” it was decided that one could read it “like a good book,” such as others like Quo Vadis and Ben Hur."

It was therefore necessary to identify what motivated this official change of attitude of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was communicated by the Italian Episcopal Conference, and within what scope Maria Valtorta’s work was now situated. It had held a vague situation since the abolition of the placement on the Index.

Correspondence with "L'Homme Nouveau"

The questioning remained all the more because Mgr Roman Danylak, stationed in Rome, claimed in his “imprimatur” letter of February 13, 2002, that Cardinal Ratzinger "in private letters, acknowledged that this work is free of errors in doctrine or morals," which equaled a "Nihil obstat" by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, heir of the Holy Office.

It was only around the 2010s that the probable cause could be located. It dated back twenty years before, to the episode reported by Emilio Pisani.

At the very beginning of the 1990s, Cardinal Josef Ratzinger could better understand Maria Valtorta through one of the periodicals he read willingly: L’Homme Nouveau, then directed by Marcel Clément. The abbé André Richard regularly published articles there on the Italian mystic. Marcel Clément one day received a letter from Cardinal Ratzinger: he wanted to verify some points on the theology of marriage that seemed jansenist to him in Maria Valtorta. Marcel Clément gathered the editorial team to suspend, pending the examination, all articles on Maria Valtorta, as well as sales in his shop. One year later, the Prefect thanked L’Homme Nouveau for its obedience and declared that, after verifications, nothing opposed continuing publications and dissemination.

This correspondence is currently (2025) in the archives of Marcel Clément (other copies are in the Congregation’s archives), and two direct collaborators have testified to the accuracy of the facts.

The letter of May 6, 1992, and its explanation in the letter of April 17, 1993

According to a member of the secretariat of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) reporting to Emilio Pisani, he suggested to the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) to write the letter of May 6, 1992, asking the publisher "in the perspective of an authentic service to the Church’s faith" to warn readers of Maria Valtorta to consider it as a literary work. But in a letter from Cardinal Josef Ratzinger dated April 17, 1993, to Mgr Raymond J. Boland, bishop of Birmingham in Alabama, it is learned that the CEI letter was of his initiative and reflected his position regarding the writings of Maria Valtorta. The secretary thus had to refer upwards, which seems normal.

Text of the letter from Mgr Raymond J. Boland

Original text

Indicative French translation

Mr. Terry Colafrancesco Caritas of Birmingham P.O. Box 120 4647 Highway 280 East Birmingham, AL 35242 Dear Mr. Colafrancesco: His Eminence, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in a letter which I received from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith this week, has asked me to inform you about the position of the Church regarding the writings of Maria Valtorta called The Poem of the Man-God. The Cardinal wants you to know that the Congregation in the past has issued certain "Notes" on this subject for the guidance of the faithful and these were published in L'Osservatore Romano. In the light of the recent recurrance [sic] of interest in the work, the Congregation has come to the conclusion that a further clarification to the "Notes" previously issued is now in order. Thus it has directed a particular request to the Italian Bishops' Conference to contact the publishing house which is concerned with the distribution of the writings in Italy in order to see to it that in any future reissue of the work "it might be clearly indicated from the very first page that the 'visions' and 'dictations' referred to in it are simply the literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus. They cannot be considered supernatural in origin." The implications of this most recent decision of the Holy See (Prot.N. 144/58 i, dated April 17, 1993) are obvious insofar as those who use, publish or sell the writings in question should know and clearly express the judgment of the Holy See as indcated in the underlined section of my previous paragraph. Hoping that this letter will serve as an authoritative response to the question which you addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger in your letter of July 21, 1992, I am, Sincerly in Christ,   (Signed) Most Rev. Raymond J. Boland, D.D. Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama

Mr. Terry Colafrancesco Caritas of Birmingham – P.O. Box 120 – 4647 Highway 280 East Birmingham, AL 35242 Dear Mr. Colafrancesco, His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in a letter I received this week from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked me to inform you of the Church's position regarding the writings of Maria Valtorta entitled The Poem of the Man-God. The Cardinal wants you to know that the Congregation has in the past issued certain "Notes" on this subject intended for the faithful, and these were published in L’Osservatore Romano. In view of the recent renewed interest in the work, the Congregation has deemed it necessary to provide a further clarification to the "Notes" previously issued. It has therefore addressed a particular request to the Italian Episcopal Conference asking them to contact the publishing house responsible for the dissemination of these writings in Italy. The aim is to ensure that in any future re-edition of the work, it is clearly indicated from the very first page that the "visions" and "dictations" mentioned are only literary forms used by the author to narrate in her own way the life of Jesus. They cannot be considered supernatural in origin. The implications of this recent decision of the Holy See (Prot. No. 144/58 i, dated April 17, 1993) are obvious: those who use, publish, or disseminate the writings must know and clearly express the judgment of the Holy See, as stated in the underlined section of the previous paragraph. Hoping this letter will serve as an authoritative response to the question you addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger in your letter of July 21, 1992, I remain, Sincerely in Christ, Signed: Mgr Raymond J. Boland, D.D. Bishop of Birmingham in Alabama (This letter of Mgr Boland is reproduced with the kind permission of Caritas of Birmingham.)

This letter reproducing a letter from Cardinal Josef Ratzinger legitimizes the CEI letter of May 6, 1992, as expressing "the position of the Church." This position was reiterated 33 years later by the Dicastery in its February 22, 2025 communiqué. The Church’s position has thus remained at this status quo that must be analyzed comparatively and in light of the texts governing private revelations.

• The Church does not forbid the dissemination or reading of this work. In doing so, it breaks with the placing on the Index and its supporters who ostracize the work and its readers.
• The Church does not demand modifications nor denounce a harmful work. It only places a limit on how it should be regarded.

The Church does not write "are not of supernatural origin" but "cannot be considered as." Why this fine semantic difference repeated in the three formulations (1992, 1993, 2025)?

In this respect, the Dicastery's communiqué (which no longer mentions the Index) provides important clarification missing from the other documents (1992 and 1993): "In its long tradition, the Church does not accept apocryphal Gospels and similar texts as normative because it does not recognize their divine inspiration, referring instead to the reliable reading of the inspired Gospels." What the Church says has therefore not been specially created but simply applied to the Maria Valtorta case.

The Church does recognize as normative and reliable only the writings contained in the canon of Scripture. Apocryphal books are not recognized as divinely inspired and therefore cannot serve as norms of faith or morals, even if they may contain historically or spiritually interesting elements. Of "long tradition," they are considered only literary forms used by their authors to narrate the life of Christ in their own way, without the Church attributing normative character to them. In other words, if the Church officially recognized the divine origin of Maria Valtorta’s work, it would make it a canonical book with universal authority. In view of its content (visions of the life and teachings of Jesus), it would leave the domain of private revelations to integrate into public Revelation, which the Church formally excludes as Jesus does in Maria Valtorta).

Does this red line, impassable, prevent Maria Valtorta’s work from having, within the Church, a place commensurate with its popularity and the benefits procured by reading it?

What place in the Church?

The contours of this place in the Church began to be outlined by Pope Francis. In his letter of encouragement to the Maria Valtorta Foundation of Viareggio (February 24, 2024), as well as in related writings which make it explicit, the Sovereign Pontiff attributes to these narratives the power to provoke an encounter with the living Jesus. A necessary condition for faith, he writes in another document and he attributes this encounter to the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis therefore does not grant it a status alternative to the canonical Gospel but a major complementary status: to facilitate encounter with the living Christ, a foundation of faith for Christianity. In doing so, he centers Maria Valtorta’s work on the same criterion of authenticity for private revelations, recalled by Benedict XVI: to bring to Christ and to public Revelation.

This pastoral line is taken up, in its own way, by Mgr Paolo Giulietti (bishop referent for the cause of Maria Valtorta): Maria Valtorta’s work cannot be confused with public Revelation (the Bible in summary) but these writings are given to the Church for its edification. Blessed Gabriel Allegra already wrote this in his time.

Maria Valtorta’s work does not substitute the canonical Gospel: It leads to it.

As Supreme Pontiff

Legislator of private revelations

Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini -1675-1758)

Benedict XVI Ratzinger is, along with his near namesake Benedict XIV Lambertini, a pope legislator regarding private revelations. Both clarified Church doctrine in an area subject to controversy in their respective times.

• For Benedict XIV Lambertini, this notably concerned the visions of Mary of Agreda, crystallizing around the Immaculate Conception she announced but was contested. Cardinal Prospero Lambertini codified private revelations, and his work, De Servorum Dei Beatificatione et Beatorum Canonizatione (On the beatification and canonization of saints), remains a reference.
• For Benedict XVI Ratzinger, it concerns rather a widespread misunderstanding illustrated by the conclusions of the synod on The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church (2008). Resolution 47 treated private revelations in a very general sentence: they are not public Revelation. What they are, the synod did not say, but drowned this general assertion in a chapter devoted entirely to sects. This is probably why Benedict XVI saw fit to develop this point in his motu proprio Verbum Domini, § 14. On this occasion, especially in the second part of this paragraph, he presented all his theological reflection on this subject built since 1992.

It is in his theological commentary on the secret of Fatima that Cardinal Josef Ratzinger recalls the prudent reading rule that applies to all private revelations, even recognized ones, and which of course applies to Maria Valtorta’s writings given the power of their content:

"Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, future Pope Benedict XIV, says on this subject in his classic treatise, later normative for beatifications and canonizations: 'No assent of Catholic faith is due to revelations approved in this way; it is not even possible. These revelations instead require an assent of human faith conforming to the rules of prudence, which present them as probable and credible in a spirit of piety.'"

Pius X, in 1907, already recalled this “long tradition” of prudent reading, even for recognized private revelations: "These apparitions or revelations have neither been approved nor condemned by the Holy See, which has simply allowed them to be believed as purely human law, on the traditions that report them, corroborated by credible testimonies and monuments."

Master of the subject, Benedict XVI could qualify the revelations of St. Bridget, co-patroness of Europe, as "divine revelations" while contextualizing them within the contributions and place of private revelations (General Audience of Wednesday, October 27, 2010). Prudent reading therefore does not prevent, when justified by spiritual fruits, connecting a private revelation to the care of Heaven. In 1948 Pius XII, in other words, said the same.

The beatifications

Tomb of Maria Valtorta – Santissima Annunziata, Florence

All this explains the stance taken by Cardinal Ratzinger once he became pope:

- The ceremonies of the fiftieth anniversary of Maria Valtorta’s death (October 15, 2011) were held under the presidency of Mgr Pier Giacomo De Nicolò, former apostolic nuncio. The commemoration took place at the Santissima Annunziata in Florence where Maria Valtorta is buried, a prominent site of the Servites of Mary.

- In the last year of his pontificate, he beatified consecutively two outspoken defenders of Maria Valtorta: Mother Maria Ines of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1904–1981), founder of the Missionaries Claresses of the Most Blessed Sacrament. She had requested that a copy of the 'The Gospel as it was revealed to me be included in each of the houses she had founded, then on September 29, 2012, Father Gabriele Allegra, biblical scholar and translator of the Bible into Chinese, openly favorable to Maria Valtorta whose divine inspiration he confirmed.

He also undertook the beatification of Mgr Luigi Novarese, completed by Pope Francis. This prelate knew Maria Valtorta whom he met and appreciated her life of Jesus, having heard about it at the Secretariat of State of Pius XII, from his friend, Mgr Carinci. It is hard to imagine that all this would have applied to a harmful or futile work, condemned irreversibly according to some.

In these beatifications, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has a preparatory and consultative role, but it is the pope who decides sovereignly. His authority is fully engaged, both spiritually and legally. Without his signature, nothing is official.