Father Virginio Rotondi and Maria Valtorta

This Jesuit journalist and founder of Church movements is among the readers and promoters of the work of Maria Valtorta. It was on RAI, in February 1968, that he confessed, during one of the shows he hosted:

"I would like to share with my fellow listeners what has been filling my Soul for quite some time now, to the point of overflowing. [Some] reflections that have occupied my Soul for some time: they stem from an ever more attentive, ever more astonished reading of a work bearing this fascinating title: 'The Poem of the Man God'."

Father Virginio Rotondi and his Work

Born in 1912 in Vicovaro, a town east of Rome, he became a priest at 30. Three years later, in 1945, he became director of the Apostolate of Prayer, a movement of the faithful, born in France a century earlier, whose aim is to live and spread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) shortly thereafter (1947). Appreciated for his culture, knowledge of ecclesiastical doctrine, and oratory skills, he began leading spiritual exercises and conferences.

On November 1, 1950, the very day Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary during this jubilee year, he founded the Oasis Movement. He was 38 years old. This movement, headquartered in Castel Gandolfo, was created with the goal of giving birth to, growing, and multiplying the life of God in the world, by becoming Channels fed by Christ. Pope Pius XII, then Pope John Paul II emphasized the commitment and determination of this ecclesial initiative.

On March 25, 1958, the Feast of the Annunciation, he founded the secular institute "Ancilla Domini" whose members, living in the world, aspire to perfection and commit themselves to the sanctification of the world, notably by working within it. The spirituality is that of the "Yes," meaning the "service of love."

It was in the 1950s that he collaborated with the Jesuit journal Civiltà cattolica. A journal that initially published a violent diatribe Against Maria Valtorta at the time of her being placed on the Index, then moved toward a more Homilant attitude, notably under the impetus of Father Giandomenico Mucci, another Jesuit founder of Church movements.

After the show Tre minuti per te (Three minutes for you), Father Virginio Rotondi became the host on RAI of the program Ascolta, si fa sera (Listen, it's getting late), a "historic" show broadcast continuously since April 5, 1970. He was also the protagonist of a widely-followed Sunday edition.

He died in 1990, in his Oasis community in Castel Gandolfo.

The Broadcast Series Dedicated to Maria Valtorta

For five consecutive days, from February 6 to 10, 1968, Father Virginio Rotondi decided to occupy the three minutes at his disposal—a brief time—to speak about Maria Valtorta and her Work.

Broadcast of Monday, February 6, 1968

He immediately explains "what has been filling [his] Soul for quite some time now, to the point of overflowing": The announcement of an authentic Gospel that is no longer made: "The issue of faith is certainly multiple and somewhat challenging, among other things because the critical spirit that has appeared for several centuries through a liberal (rationalist) theology greatly contributes to emptying the authority of the Divine Word, penetrating even the popular Soul and increasingly testing its trust in Holy Scripture. The problem of faith is primarily that of the proper use of reason; it is the study of the authenticity and authority of the gospel texts; it is also recognizing Christ as the Envoy of God, as the Son of God, as God himself."

In response to this, he finds that Maria Valtorta’s work: "reconstructs the life and thought of Christ as well as the historical and supernatural events within which the unknown life of the Divine Redeemer unfolded, with his preachings, his Passion, his Resurrection, and his Glorification."

Broadcast of Tuesday, February 7, 1968

Father Virginio Rotondi dedicates the brief time to describe who Maria Valtorta was He is struck by her great sensitivity: "Father Corrado Berti, who accompanied her spiritually for fifteen years, told me, to be complete and “honest,” that she had an uncommon sensitivity since childhood. She herself said that, when she was a little girl, they played this game: they would blindfold her and spin her strongly around then stop her and ask her where north was: well Good, her answer was always accurate. She shares another detail in her Autobiography: 'I feel threads coming out of my fingers that travel the world, gather the news that interests me, and bring it back.' Another disconcerting assertion dates from 1943: 'I am like a receiving antenna. It is terrible to be one; one suffers a lot'."

Broadcast of Wednesday, February 8, 1968

His airtime is devoted to presenting the content: "No corrections, as we said, no editing. And yet the many specialists who have studied these pages assert they have found no errors, important or otherwise. The archaeologist, the historian, the geographer, the geologist, the exegete, and, generally, the theologian, read these 11,000 pages of notebooks and are amazed to find the accuracy, the depth, and the precision, which goes so far as to quote the smallest details.

"Sometimes, and quite inappropriately, the events and words that make up the Gospel of Childhood have been approached. Well Good! the reader of Maria Valtorta will find nourishment not only for the speculation of the mind but, even more so, for the meditation of the Heart. The Annunciation to Mary, the dialogue between the angel and her, have an entirely oriental complexion: experts are fully convinced. The birth of Jesus in the cave and his transfer to a house present a character of evident authenticity that delights. The discussion with the doctors of the Law is extraordinarily interesting. Their names and even the responses of the Divine Child are found there. Like the doctors, one remains amazed. Before beginning his public life, Jesus, now an adult, recites the Our Father with Mary, who was to remain alone. Let us imagine how they must have said: '[Our Father 3: Thy will be done].'

"Without even speaking of a general presentation, it is impossible to offer you even a simple glimpse of the treasure of notes and Doctrine found in the account of the public life. The writing of Jesus’ dialogues appears, so to speak, completed and more understandable. Moreover, there are dialogues and miracles that none of the four Gospels reports. A simple reading — but attentive! — of this extraordinary manuscript already allows one to grasp what would be the fruit of in-depth biblical exegesis."

Broadcast of Thursday, February 9, 1968

Father Virginio Rotondi mentions five hypotheses to explain the Maria Valtorta phenomenon. All five are positive to varying degrees:

1. She was the product of an extraordinary culture.
2. She was gifted with extrasensory sensitivity.
3. Her deep mysticism meant that "Maria Valtorta lived Christ: she thought Christ, wanted Christ, acted like Christ."
4. She was “present” at the events she described. She depicted what she saw, transcribed what she heard, as if dictated.
5. The ultimate hypothesis, which encompasses all the previous ones: Maria Valtorta wrote by virtue of her excellent natural qualities, multiplied by extraordinary mystical operations, and accompanied by certain open manifestations which are not new in the Church, as they are part of its prophetic charism which reaches, in certain persons, truly extraordinary heights.

Father Virginio Rotondi, at the beginning of the broadcast, claimed not to choose but one can guess this was his way of saying he accepted all of them.

Broadcast of Friday, February 10, 1968

In this final broadcast, he chose to read the introduction to the Passion. It was indeed a Friday, the memorial day of this event.

Person who is not religious or a non-religious affair.

In a Christian sense, study concerning God and divine things in the light of Revelation.

Person who analyzes the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

Analysis of the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

Gift conferred by divine Grace for the common good.