Pope Francis and Maria Valtorta

Pope Francis in 2014

According to Professor Liberato Di Caro, Pope Francis personally expressed himself in a letter of thanks for the receipt of two copies of The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me. This sending was suggested by a nun from Rome and carried out by the Maria Valtorta Foundation (Viareggio). At the end of the conference on October 12, 2024, Don Ernesto Zucchini, its president, announced the receipt of this letter.

In its press release of February 23, 2025, commenting on the Statement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on Maria Valtorta of 22 February 2025, it reiterates this information:

"Finally, we gratefully recall the reply letter received last year (i.e. February 24, 2024) from Pope Francis, in which he wrote: "I encourage you to continue with great commitment your work to make known the life of Maria Valtorta and her literary work, especially all that she can offer for the Good of the Church and society." Therefore, we will continue our activities using Valtorta’s work, which we consider as an "illustration" of the mysteries of Salvation as an effective tool for the New Evangelization."

The Vatican Letter

Copy of the letter received from the Vatican by Don Ernesto Zucchini, president of the Maria Valtorta Foundation (Viareggio)

"From the Vatican, February 24, 2024 | Dear Don Zucchini, | Thank you very much for your letter, sent on behalf of the Maria Valtorta Foundation, which I received with great pleasure. Thank you also for the book and for your prayers. | I encourage you to continue with the same commitment your Mission to make known the life of Maria Valtorta and her literary work, especially all that she can offer for the Good of the Church and society. Go forward! | I willingly pray for all of you and I ask you, please, to commend me to the Lord in your prayers, especially for my pastoral ministry. | May Jesus bless you and may the Holy Virgin keep you. | Fraternally, | Francis"

In accordance with the official Doctrine of the Church, the letter of thanks does not speak of a supernatural origin of the writings, which it calls "literary," but implies their beneficial reading "for the Church and society." It adds "Go forward!" referencing the research work and media activities carried out by the Maria Valtorta Foundation of Viareggio, which he blesses and assures of his prayers.

Context Element

This text comes three months after the encyclical Evangelii gaudium in which Pope Francis notably points out the dynamism and theological value of "popular piety":

"126. In popular piety, since it is the fruit of the inculturated Gospel, there is an actively evangelizing force which we cannot underestimate: it would be like misunderstanding the work of the Holy Spirit. Rather, we are called to encourage and strengthen it to deepen the process of inculturation, which is a never finished reality. The expressions of popular piety have much to teach us, and, for those who know how to read them, they are a theological place to which we must pay attention, especially when we think about the new evangelization."

These reflections of the pope can be put in parallel with the writings of Maria Valtorta. Don Ernesto Zucchini, at the conclusion of his statement, also expresses his conviction that these writings constitute an effective tool for the New Evangelization.

This period also marks the preparation of new procedural norms intended to guide the Church's discernment. These will prioritize the examination of the adequacy of the content of private revelations rather than certifying their origin, as is evident here.

In this context, the letter from Pope Francis on the role of literature in formation, published shortly thereafter, emphasizes in its § 14 the importance of living flesh, a fundamental aspect of Maria Valtorta's work:

"The urgent task of proclaiming the Gospel in our time therefore demands from believers, and priests in particular, a commitment so that everyone may encounter a Jesus Christ made flesh, made man, made history. We must all take care never to lose sight of the “flesh” of Jesus Christ: this flesh made of passions, emotions, feelings, concrete stories, hands that touch and heal, looks that free and encourage, hospitality, forgiveness, indignation, courage, fearlessness: in a word, love."

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