Opinions of Catholic Authorities on the Work of Maria Valtorta

Maria Valtorta and St. Peter's Basilica.

This page gathers the main authoritative opinions on the work of Maria Valtorta. This synthesis refers to the articles that develop and document them. In a dictation of January 28, 1947, Jesus specifies:

"The work which is given to men through [Maria Valtorta] is not a canonical book. But it remains an inspired book which I am giving to help you understand certain passages in the canonical ones (...)"

Opinions of Sovereign Pontiffs

Pius XII

Pius XII

Pontificate from March 2, 1939 to October 9, 1958.

On February 26, 1948, the Sovereign Pontiff received in private audience three Servants of Mary: Frs. Romualdo Migliorini, Corrado Berti, Andrea Cecchin. They came to ask him for "the grace to be able to print the volumes of the 'dictations' and 'visions' of [Maria] Valtorta." Beforehand, they had sent to the Holy Father "ten large volumes of 'dictations' and 'visions' of [Maria] Valtorta, bearing the common title 'Words of Eternal Life' or 'Gospel of Jesus Christ'."

At the end of the audience, Pius XII advised publishing the work without removing anything, not even the explicit statements reporting "visions" and "dictations"; but at the same time he did not approve the text of a preface that spoke of a supernatural phenomenon. According to the Pope's advice, all interpretation was to be left to the reader:

"Publish the work as it is. There is no need to give an opinion as to its origin, whether extraordinary or not. Those who read it will understand." - Pius XII

For publication purposes, he asked the Servants of Mary to seek the customary imprimatur, which they did.

(See more in the detailed article)

Paul VI

Paul VI

Pontificate from June 21, 1963 to August 6, 1978

He is at the origin of the suppression of the Index (1965/1966).

Previously, in 1963, Msgr. Pasquale Macchi, the Pope's private secretary, confirmed to Father Berti that the work of Maria Valtorta was indeed not on the Index (which had not yet been abolished) and mentioned that the Pope, then Archbishop of Milan, had read one of the four volumes of Maria Valtorta's work and had given the complete work to the major seminary.

On January 17, 1974, the Papal Secretariat (the highest body of the Vatican) conveyed to Father Roschini the Holy Father's congratulations for his openly favorable work on Maria Valtorta. (See more in the detailed article)

John Paul II

John Paul II

Pontificate from October 16, 1978 to April 2, 2005

Pope John Paul II did not personally express a view on the case of Maria Valtorta. He did, however, canonize Padre Pio, who recommended reading her work, and beatify Mother Teresa, a reader of this work which she took with her on her travels.

Father Yannik Bonnet, during his studies in Rome, met Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, secretary to John Paul II, on three occasions. He testifies that the cardinal confirmed having often seen the works of Maria Valtorta on the Sovereign Pontiff's bedside table.

It was during this period, however, that under the aegis of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the first pastoral decisions concerning the work of Maria Valtorta were made. (See more in the detailed article)

Benedict XVI

Benedict XVI

Pontificate from April 19, 2005 to February 28, 2013

As Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he discouraged, in a letter of January 31, 1985 to Cardinal Siri, the dissemination of Maria Valtorta's work "in order to neutralize the harm that this publication could cause to the most vulnerable faithful." This pastoral concern was based on the file left by his predecessors.

But a few years later, he had the opportunity to personally read Maria Valtorta's work in a different context. After a year of study, he wrote to the editor-in-chief of a journal of which he was a regular reader "that after study, the publication of articles on Maria Valtorta and the sale of her works could resume, on the grounds that nothing in her writings contradicted faith or morals."

Following this, he gave the instruction that Maria Valtorta's work should not be read as equivalent to Divine Revelation, but as Maria Valtorta's way of recounting the Gospel. This opinion, which neither forbids its reading nor its dissemination, was taken up by the Italian Episcopal Conference and then, 33 years later, by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

It was under the pontificate of Benedict XVI that the beatification of two prominent supporters of Maria Valtorta's work took place, and that the sixtieth anniversary of Maria Valtorta's death was celebrated at the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence, presided over by an archbishop and former apostolic nuncio. (See more in the detailed article)

Pope Francis

Pope Francis

Pontificate from March 13, 2013 to April 21, 2025.

In a letter of February 24, 2024, to the President of the Maria Valtorta Foundation of Viareggio (Don Ernesto Zucchini), Pope Francis encouraged him "to continue with the same commitment [his] mission to make known the life of Maria Valtorta and her literary work, in particular all that it can offer for the good of the Church and of society."

And he added: "Forward!" (See more in the detailed article)

Official Opinions

Italian Episcopal Conference

On May 6, 1992, Msgr. Dionigi Tettamanzi, Secretary of the C.E.I., asked the publisher for his "collaboration" in indicating clearly in his reprints of Maria Valtorta's work that the visions and dictations it contains "should be considered as" simple literary forms used by Maria Valtorta to recount, in her own way, the life of Jesus. This letter was motivated by "numerous requests" to know the Church's position on Maria Valtorta's writings. It expresses the thinking of Cardinal Josef Ratzinger and was taken up almost in its entirety by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2025. There is no longer any question of forbidding the work (1966), or even of discouraging its dissemination (1985), but of framing its reading.

(See more in the detailed article).

Synodal Motion of the Chinese Bishops

On April 27, 2007, the Chinese bishops, in preparation for a synod (lineamenta) on The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, expressed the wish that the works of Maria Valtorta continue to be translated into their language "in order to help the people of God to better understand and savor the message of the Gospel." (See more in the detailed article).

Doctrinal Commission of the Conference of Bishops of France

On September 29, 2021, this commission published a "Brief Warning" for pastoral purposes in the face of an intensification of the dissemination of Maria Valtorta's writings both at the parish level and on the internet. It recalled the negative judgment of the Magisterium (listing in the Index, Cardinal Ratzinger's letter of 1985), the distinction between the Word of God and private revelations, and the pastoral and spiritual risks of an individual approach. (See more in the detailed article).

Statement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

On February 22, 2025, the Dicastery published a statement intended to respond to the growing requests from the faithful and priests to know the Church's position on the writings of Maria Valtorta. It took up the terms of the Italian Episcopal Conference expressing Cardinal Josef Ratzinger's position on the need for a prudential reading of the work, which should not be confused with public Revelation. It clarified that the Church recognizes as authentic only the writings contained in the canon of Scripture, to which it referred. (See more in the detailed article).

Opinions of Cardinals and Prelates

Msgr. Alfonso Carinci, Secretary of the Congregation of Rites

Msgr. A. Carinci

This congregation was responsible, at the time, for the cause of saints. In this capacity, Msgr. Carinci had to supervise, during his long career, several hundred canonization or beatification files. He corresponded with Maria Valtorta, whom he met as early as 1948. As he writes:

"[He feels] a spontaneous desire to give thanks to the Lord for having given us, through the intermediary of a suffering woman bedridden, a Work so beautiful literarily, so elevated, accessible and profound doctrinally and spiritually."

(See more in the detailed article).

Cardinal Bea

Cardinal Augustin Bea, Rector of the Pontifical Biblical Institute

In 1952, he issued two successive opinions a few months apart.

In the first, he declared himself "strongly impressed by the remarkable accuracy of the archaeological and topographical descriptions" and thought that it "could do a great deal of good for Catholic families, particularly in popular circles."

He did not judge it to be of inspired origin but "as a 'Life of Jesus, recounted and illustrated for the Catholic people'."

A judgment he would amplify in a second report. In doubt, he recommended against publishing it.

(See more in the detailed article on the first report and on the second).

Card Padiyara

Cardinal Antony Padiyara, Major Archbishop (Patriarch) of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

In 1996, this Major Archbishop (Patriarch) of the Syro-Malabar Church of Kerala (India) and Council Father wrote about the works of Maria Valtorta:

"These volumes deal with the life and activities of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the minute details of daily life, revealing the personality of Jesus and of our Holy Mother, as no other book has ever done."

(See more in the detailed article).

Benoît Mar Gregorios

Mar (Msgr.) Benoît Gregorios, Metropolitan Archbishop, Primate of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church

Primate of one of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Kerala, he was, in this capacity, a Council Father in all four sessions. In 1992 he welcomed the translation of Maria Valtorta's work into the local language:

"This will allow our people to better know and love Our Lord Jesus Christ."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Soosa Pakiam

Msgr. Maria Callist Soosa Pakiam, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Kerala

Appointed head of the archdiocese (Latin Church) of Trivandrum (2004–2022) and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Kerala (2016–2019), he stated in 1992 that Maria Valtorta's work is:

"an invaluable contribution to the mission of the Church to make Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, known and loved."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Pearce

Msgr. George Hamilton Pearce, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Fiji Islands

He writes to the publisher:

"I find [the work] remarkably inspiring. I cannot imagine that anyone could read this monumental work, with an open mind, and not be convinced that the author can be none other than the Holy Spirit of God."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Danylak

Msgr. Roman Danylak, Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for Eastern Canada

Author of several articles defending Maria Valtorta's work, he also echoes the opinions from the Vatican where he resided:

"Cardinal Ratzinger has acknowledged in private letters that this work is free from doctrinal or moral error. The Italian Bishops' Conference has acknowledged the same in its correspondence with the current editor-in-chief, Dr. Emilio Pisani."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Mercati

Msgr. Angelo Mercati, Prefect of the Vatican Archives

In 1950, he wrote about Maria Valtorta's work:

"I was a professor of dogmatic theology for eighteen years, and I must acknowledge that this is a perfectly canonical work, in every respect. I was astounded."

(See more in the detailed article).

Opinions of Bishops and Founders of Church Movements

Msgr. Paolo Giuletti

Msgr. Paolo Giulietti, Reference Bishop for the Cause of Maria Valtorta

This Archbishop of Lucca (Tuscany) is the "Ordinary" for the cause of Maria Valtorta and her work, in other words the reference authority for the Church. It is he (or his successor) who will conduct the diocesan inquiry preliminary to the Church's judgment on the work.

From 2021 to 2023, he issued five pastoral letters to readers of Maria Valtorta. In the last one (April 23, 2023), he describes Maria Valtorta's visions as "narrative exegesis", comparable to sacred art, which illuminates the Gospel without replacing it.

(See more in the detailed article).

Mar (Msgr.) Joseph Kundukulam, Archbishop of Trichur

Mar Joseph Kundukulam

This Archbishop of the (Catholic) Syro-Malabar Church was nicknamed the "Father of the Poor" because of the many foundations he established. He writes:

"Pope Pius XII, after reading them, expressed his trust in these visions. Even if the Church has not officially declared them authentic, readers can read them with great spiritual benefit, and understand in detail what the Evangelists wrote succinctly."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Eric Benjamin, Bishop of Darjeeling

Msgr. Eric Benjamin

First indigenous bishop of the newly created diocese at the foot of the Himalayan foothills, he is a bishop in mission territory who, in 1992, noted:

"the initiative [the translation of Maria Valtorta's work into Malayalam] is important, but it is worth it, given the intrinsic value and popularity of these books."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Valerian D'Souza, Bishop of Pune

Msgr. Valerian D'Souza

He was nicknamed "the singing bishop" because he willingly conveyed the Word of God through song. He held several regional responsibilities and was called by Pope John Paul II to sit on the pontifical council "Cor Unum," focused on action for the needy and the afflicted. It is in Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, that the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi rest.

In 1992, he wrote:

"The 'Poem of the Man-God' (The Gospel as Revealed to Me) by Maria Valtorta has brought me a great deal, both personally and in my ministry. These five volumes deserve wide dissemination and abundant reading. I myself have made this work known to many priests, religious and laypeople, and have encouraged them to read it."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. Joseph Kureethara, Bishop of Cochin

Msgr. Joseph Kureethara

In 1992, he wrote:

"The Gospels of the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles offer us only limited accounts of the life of Jesus. Saint John himself wrote: "There are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

The Poem of the Man-God (The Gospel as Revealed to Me) by Maria Valtorta contains the richness of the experience of someone who has seen, heard and personally lived through the events of the daily life of Christ, through a special private revelation. This work is precious for clearly understanding the social, geographical and historical realities of that era.

No error is to be noted in theological or moral matters. On the contrary: I consider it the best resource for deepening, understanding and interpreting the Gospels."

(See more in the detailed article).

Sister Maria Veronica Algranati (Nonna Susanna)

Nonna Susanna

Known as "Grandma Susanne (Nonna Susanna)" on the radio, this journalist was also editor of a column in the magazine "Vita Femminile." She wrote in 1972 to the publisher that, at the express request of Padre Pio, she published excerpts from Maria Valtorta's work, which she eventually read herself. She is the founder of the religious community "Figlie di Madre Umilissima, serve della Redenzione," whose members lead a life of prayer and service in the Church.

(See more in the detailed article).

Father Giandomenico Mucci

Père Giandomenico Mucci

He was "one of the most prestigious writers of La Civiltà Cattolica," a publication considered a semi-official journal of the Holy See. In 1986, he wrote:

"We believe, however, that more time will be needed before a definitive, fair and serene judgment can be passed on the totality of Valtorta's works, even though we note therein, with perplexity and dissatisfaction, the essence of pure adherence to written Revelation, that simplicity of language, that mastery of feeling and imagination, which is the glory and the mark of true Catholic mysticism."

Father Mucci was also, for 30 years, spiritual director at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See's school for diplomats. He is one of the founders of the movement of the Useless Servants of the Good Shepherd (SI).

(See more in the detailed article).

Opinions of Authoritative Theologians

Msgr. Ugo Emilio Lattanzi

This Dean of the Pontifical Faculty of the Lateran was taken aback by the wealth of detail in Maria Valtorta's work. He considered it "absolutely impossible that the woman who authored it, a woman of below-average education, could have written such a quantity of pages in pen without having been under the influence of a preternatural power." He noted that "these volumes contain splendid pages in thought and form" even if he found some "unusual" opinions or statements that left him "perplexed" alongside pages "of extraordinary theological depth." He concluded by delivering his nihil obstat for which he had intervened:

"I am indeed convinced that the reading of these volumes, thus revised, could lead more than one indifferent soul to drink from the source of living water: Holy Scripture."

(See more in the detailed article).

Msgr. René Laurentin

Msgr. R. Laurentin

This theologian, exegete, historian and former expert at Vatican II wrote several works on the case of Maria Valtorta. He defines the specific place her work occupies as follows:

"Maria Valtorta led a holy life, a victimal gift that commands esteem. Among 'revealed lives,' it commends itself on the many grounds below: it contains a minimum of marginal marvel in keeping with the sobriety of the Gospel [...] What it says is convergent and in constant conformity with the Gospel. This is all the more striking in that she recounts so many marginal episodes unknown elsewhere. [...] It is the most harmonious with the countless discoveries of current exegesis."

(See more in the detailed article).

Father Gabriel M. Roschini

P. G. M. Roschini

Philosopher, theologian, hagiographer, mariologist, this consultor of the Holy Office and founder of the pontifical Marian university notes:

"Whoever wishes to know the Blessed Virgin in perfect harmony with the Second Vatican Council, Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the Church, must draw from Valtorta's mariology [...] No other Marian writing, not even the sum of all those I have read and studied, had been able to give me about Mary, God's masterpiece, such a clear, vivid, complete, luminous and fascinating idea, at once simple and sublime, as the writings of Maria Valtorta."

(See more in the detailed article).

Testimonies of Saints or Those on the Path to Sainthood

Saint Padre Pio

Padre Pio

This celebrated saint did more than recommend reading Maria Valtorta's work — he asked for its promotion. He manifested himself to Maria Valtorta on several occasions.

To one of his penitents who wondered whether she could read Maria Valtorta, he replied: "I do not advise you to, I order you to." Shortly before his death, he asked Nonna Susanna (see above) to publish excerpts from the work in the magazine Vita Femminile and to read it herself.

(See more in the detailed article).

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Father Leo Maasburg, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Austria and confessor of Mother Teresa for 4 years, testifies that Mother Teresa always travelled, at that time, with three books: the Bible, her Breviary and a third book. When Father Leo asked her about it, she told him it was a book by Maria Valtorta. When he asked about its contents, she simply said: "Read it."

(See more in the detailed article).

Blessed Gabriel M. Allegra

Bl. Gabriel M. Allegra

This accomplished biblical scholar, author of the first translation of the Bible into Chinese, concluded his analysis of Maria Valtorta's work as follows:

"I hold that the work (of Maria Valtorta) requires a supernatural origin [...] It is the characteristic of charisms to be lavished by the Spirit of Jesus for the good of the Church, for the building up of the Body of Christ, and I do not see how it can be reasonably denied that The Gospel as Revealed to Me builds up and enchants the children of the Church [...] Now, without anticipating the judgment of the Church, which I already accept with absolute submission, I allow myself to affirm that since the principal criterion for discerning spirits is the word of the Lord: "By their fruits you will know them"… (Matthew 7:20), and The Gospel as Revealed to Me producing good fruits in an ever-growing number of readers, I think that this comes from the Spirit of Jesus."

(See more in the detailed article).

Blessed Mother Maria Inés of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Mother Maria Inés of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Founder of six religious congregations and institutes, this Mexican woman, in a letter of May 22, 1978 to the publisher, described herself as an avid reader of Maria Valtorta's work, which had become "one of the most beautiful sources of spiritual reading."

One of her religious sisters, Sister Maria Uranga, confirmed on July 19, 2001 to the publisher that their foundress had distributed Maria Valtorta's work in each of the 35 houses she had founded, "because she loved it very much." She had also distributed it to priests and bishops.

(See more in the detailed article).

Venerable Luigia Sinapi

Ven. Luigina Sinapi

This mystic, familiar with Pius XII and who had foreknowledge of his future election to the pontificate, challenged the Holy Office over the obstacles it was placing in the way of the work. These facts were reported to Maria Valtorta by witnesses:

"In January [1950], Our Lord Jesus Christ gave her the order to go to the Holy Office to reproach those ... gentlemen for the harm they had done to souls by refusing to allow the Work to be printed; the harm they had done to the Holy Father, whom everyone accused of being the author of the blockage when in fact he believed the Work approved and published, approved in accordance with his directives; the harm they had done to me, who had been deceived by them; finally, the harm done to a religious order that would have derived prestige and benefit from the use of its work for its missions ravaged by war."

(See more in the detailed article).

Preliminary stage to canonization recognizing that a deceased person can be called Blessed because of their holiness.

Assembly of Church leaders (mostly bishops), convened to give opinions on matters of faith, morals, or organization.

Authority in matters of faith and morals exercised over the Catholic faithful by the pope and all bishops in communion with the pope.

Official declaration that a person is holy and may be universally venerated.

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

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.

Extraordinary assembly of representatives of the Catholic Church, convened to discuss and collectively decide on important issues.

Fellowship of the Church who are not part of the clergy or religious orders.

Second part of the Bible, from the coming of Jesus Christ until the Apocalypse.

Manifestation of the Holy Spirit after the Bible to a person or particular group. It is individual and relative.

In-depth research on God, faith, religious Doctrine.

(University) Responsible for the quality of teaching, management of faculty and students. (Institution) Head of the corporation.

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.

Author who writes about the life and deeds of saints.

Gift conferred by divine Grace for the common good.