BEST PRINTED IN "SMALLEST" SETTING ON YOUR BROWSER
ON THE RATIONALE OF
PROMOTORS OF UNAPPROVED OR FALSE MYSTICAL PHENOMENA
Comments on Replies from Apparitionists:
Ronald L. Conte of Catholic Planet
"Miguel de Portugal" of The M+G+R Foundation, and The M+G+R Foundation Site #2
Ted Flynn of MAXKOL, and Sign of the Times Apostolate
Relative to the Alleged Statement by The Virgin Mary that
"Rome Will Lose The Faith And Become The Seat Of Antichrist"
On Feb. 18, 2002 the following e-mail was sent to 34 Webmasters and sites which carry the
above La Salette alleged "message". Some responded, some did not reply, some promised amendments,
and, some others ridiculed my attempted defense of the Blessed Virgin Mary's honor. It was interesting
to examine the negative respondees:
Dear Webmaster,
This message is forwarded to you as you have a file or files on your site which promotes or supports
the false message that the Blessed Virgin Mary spoke at La Salette the words to Melanie Calvat:
"ROME WILL LOSE THE FAITH AND BECOME THE SEAT OF ANTICHRIST."
Please read my file questioning that proposition at
Rome Will Lose the Faith and Become the Seat of Antichrist - they say!
You may say that you are only reprinting from the booklet "Apparition of the Blessed Virgin at La
Salette" which carries with it the 1879 IMPRIMATUR of Bishop Zola of Leece. Never mind that the
Vatican instructed the local Bishop to suppress her writings in 1880. Never mind, also the placing
of the Melanistic writings on the Index of Forbidden Books between 1915 and 1923!
I urge you to seriously ponder the measures you ought take to mitigate the damage caused by
your stand on this matter.
With kind regards and God bless,
John Loughnan
The question must be asked: "What motivates these people who promote false apparitions,
locutions or prenomena?"
Of course, there are many answers:
- it is a case of the "gulls" working over the "gullible";
- sometimes the "gulls" ARE the "gullible";
- MONEY - there are big bucks in the game! Imagine selling ONE book to just 5% of the 20+ million USA Americans who have been to Medjugorje?
- undiscerning and disobedient seekers after visions have their agenda;
- dissidents and schismatics seek to justify their positions vis á vis a "heretic pope", or "apostate Rome";
- diabolical influences, etc.
Which leads me to recount the story of:
Magdalen of the Cross - false "visionary"
"The mystical experiences of the great St Teresa of Avila herself were the subject of much
suspicion and outright hostility on the part of many learned and holy theologians of the time,
not necessarily to the concept of private revelations, or to the charismata as manifested in
certain individuals, rather, at least in part, because of the fact that many members of the
'theological establishment' in Spain and throughout Europe had only recently been deceived
by a false mystic, the notorious Magdalen of the Cross:...Magdalen of the Cross...at the beginning
of the century of St Teresa of Avila, fooled almost the whole of
Spain...on certain days she had either the stigmata or sweats
of blood, and she announced the defeat and imprisonment of Francis I by the Spanish army at
Pavia... Hence, the tide of enthusiasm of which he was the cause. Common people, parish priests,
emperors, many venerated her, and consulted with her. However, an apostolic visitor from Rome
was shocked by some detains he saw in her convent. He spoke to each of the sisters and,
especially with the Mother Abbess, Magdalen of the Cross, who eventually confessed that, while a
young shepherdess, she had sold her soul to the devil in return for his giving her the power of
performing prodigies. Thus she deceived everybody for thirty years. (2) The footnote is
from "Rev. Ludovic-Marie Barrielle, C.P. C.R. V., Rules for the Discerning of Spirits in the Spiritual
Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Angelus Press, Kansas City, MO. 1992."
Extract from "Medjugorje,
The Facts and Logic", by Brian Hughes"
Further information may be gleaned from Volume 1 ~ the collected works of St Teresa of Avila,
translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D., Institute of Carmelite Studies,
Washington, D.C., 1976:
"Another visionary, Magdalena de la Cruz, a Poor Clare with a reputation for
holiness, severe fasts, and long vigils, also bearing the stigmata,
let it be known that she no longer required any food except the consecrated Host in daily
Communion. In an investigation by the Inquisition she confessed to being a secret devil
worshipper. Inspired by two incubuses with whom she had made a pact, she became very
skillful at all sorts of legerdemain, Through her success in fooling both bishops and kings, she
brought the fear of being deceived to all of Spain."
From the Introduction to the above book, by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D., p.8
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this of "private revelation"
"67 Throughout the ages, there have been so-called 'private' revelations, some of which
have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the
deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's
definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium
of the Church, the sensus fidelium, knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever
constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.
"Christian faith cannot accept 'revelations' that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ
is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions, and also in certain recent sects which base
themselves on such 'revelations.' " (Emphasis added.)
Watch and pray!
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