While
still on the subject of the commissionerate, a letter written by a Herald is
circulating and has been published in Italy. For those interested in learning
more about its contents, we have obtained a translation into our language,
which follows. We congratulate him for being inspired by the desire for authenticity
rather than subject to institutional formality, and for demonstrating that the
situation of high alert remains.
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Dear Dr. Tosatti,
I am a celibate layman,
67 years-old, with a Doctorate in Canon Law. As a member of the TFP, I was an
assistant to its founder, Prof. Plinio, for many years. Today, I continue my
journey in the Heralds of the Gospel. I do not have any executive position in
the entity, but I have been able to follow closely the whole process of the
Apostolic Visit designated by the Holy See, and have participated in the commission
of experts responsible for preparing the dossier "Response to the Final
Questions". The latter was a reply to questions raised by the Visitators,
due to unfounded accusations of a group of ex-members who are not very fond of
the charism. I am therefore well-acquainted with the facts.
I am writing this report
on my own initiative – contrary, it must be said, to the recommendation in
force among us to remain silent. Thus, after deep reflection before God, I feel
bound in conscience to defend my personal honour and that of many souls who
seek to collaborate with the fruitful apostolate of the Association for the
good of the Church.
I have been following
your work for a long time, Dr. Tosatti, and I admire your courage. For this
reason, I believe that you are the most suitable person to bring to light my
testimony, which was motivated above all by the article from the Vatican
Insider, signed by Salvatore Cernuzio (28/9/2019): "The Vatican appoints
commissioner to the Heralds of the Gospel, the Brazilian association of strange
exorcisms, under investigation since 2017."
Indeed, various news
agencies worldwide soon carried the news of the appointment of a commissioner
to the Heralds. We were already anticipating sensational or false information.
The unpleasant surprise was that the most aggressive reaction came from what
many consider to be the official organ of a certain curial sector, fervent
advocates of the winds of 'mercy'.
Why is this? Cui bono? That is, who stands to gain
from it? We are not sure, but here are some clues.
I) All those deficiencies…
Let us begin with the
opening word of Cernuzio's article: “deficiency,” referring to what the Heralds
supposedly suffer from. Any Christian knows that only God is exempt from any
kind of “deficiency” (S. Theol., I, q. 4, a. 2, co.). However, it is difficult
to see where and how the Association is "deficient" in vocations,
government or administration. Especially when we consider the Catholic panorama
of today, so full of “deficiencies”. It must
be honestly acknowledged that no one is a good judge in his own cause, but on
the other hand, we cannot deny the public truth known as such: the decline of
vocations, the serious government and administrative problems that exist in
many institutes. The Sister assisting the Commissioner appointed to the
Heralds, for example, is Superior General of the Sisters of Divine Providence,
which today has 928 nuns, compared with 1411 in 2005. We specifically mention
Divine Providence so that the Reverend Mother will guide us in such a way as to
ensure that what happened to them does not happen to us…
On the other hand, we can
sadly note a “deficiency” in Cernuzio's article, namely a basic principle of
justice, so fittingly included in the code of ethics for journalists: “Audiatur
et alter pars”[Let the other side be heard as well]. And that is not all. The
Code of Canon Law states (can. 1526): "onus probandi incumbit ei qui
asserit" - "the burden of proof falls on the accuser." In fact,
the judge has an obligation to interrogate the parties before pronouncing
judgment (can. 1530) -- "parts interrogare semper potest, immo
debet". Cernuzio proclaims himself judge, while "deficient" in
any legal competence, and did not apply to the case the proper principles of
justice, for it seems he did not attempt to speak to any of my confreres.
After repeating the reputed
“deficiencies” which, among other things, appear on Vatican News as the legal
reasons for both the visit and the commissionerate, Cernuzio attempts to resurrect
an old controversy over alleged exorcisms, already thoroughly explained to
various media outlets, several local bishops and the Vatican itself, in the aforementioned
572-page dossier - accompanied by 42 volumes, containing 75 appendices, and totaling
more than 18,000 pages of documents and publications - with detailed
explanations of these and other events. As regards the alleged exorcisms, the
case was considered closed by the judicial authority of the Diocese concerned,
without citing any violation of canonical or liturgical regulations. So why
rekindle an already closed controversy? “Res iudicata pro veritate habetur”: An
adjudicated thing is regarded as the truth.
II) “Strange exorcisms” or immemorial practice of the
Church?
The story of the said
exorcisms was simply a matter of "prayers of deliverance",
recommended even for laymen and women, and widespread in the Catholic milieu,
as provided for in the Roman Rite itself: De
exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam. In this case, it was not a
question of a "solemn exorcism", an act of public worship of the
Church, but only of invocations ad
libitum against the spirits of darkness, effective in so many cases ex virtute charismatis; as so many
Catholics have done throughout history, several of them canonized, such as St.
Frances of Rome and St. Pius of Pietrelcina.
In a situation of
diabolical vexation it is a duty of charity of every Christian – a fortiori of a priest – to seek the spiritual
healing of the soul “deficient" in supernatural assistance. This is
nothing more than mercy, or am I mistaken? The proof of the naturalness of
these facts emerges from the testimonies of gratitude – which I am inclined to
believe have been carefully archived – sent to the members of the institution on behalf of
so many people who have benefited. If the fruits are good, is not the tree also
good?
III) Worship of a kind of "trinity" or
virtue linked to justice?
In the pages of a
certain anti-Catholic Brazilian press, to which Vatican Insider has now aligned
itself, the mania for confusing the veneration or respect paid to Prof. Plinio
Corrêa de Oliveira, Dona Lucilia, his mother, and Monsignor João, with
"adoration", is becoming common.
It is well known that
the objection against any kind of veneration of men or women is of a Protestant
nature, since within these denominations, separated from the Catholic Church, any
form of veneration or respect for deserving people has been eliminated,
considering such a practice as a kind of idolatry, in favour of what they call
biblical Christo-centrism.
One does not need to be
a theologian to know the difference between the respect and honour due to
superiors (see S. Theol., II-II, q. 102-103), and the cult of latria reserved
only for God. Even the pagans paid homage to people among them who were considered
excellent. At the same time, it is not necessary to have a degree in Canon Law
to notice the difference between public and private worship. The question was
clearly elucidated by the Heralds in several publications and in the
"Response to the Final Questions" of the Apostolic Visitation,
mentioned above.
In summary, every
believer can and should, by virtue of justice and the fourth commandment of the
Decalogue, consider virtuous persons or those invested with authority as being worthy
of respect, as the Apostle says: “Reddite omnibus debita: [...] cui timorem
timorem, cui honorem honorem” (Rom 13:7).
Therefore, we must take
into account that it is not canonization that makes a person holy, but rather
it is because someone is holy that they are canonized; and, in fact, it is the
"reputation of sanctity" among the people of God that gives rise to
the canonical process. In this sense, the reputation of sanctity of Prof. Plinio
and especially of his mother, Lucilia, has extended far beyond the circles of
the Heralds of the Gospel. In fact, there are innumerable testimonies concerning
graces received, whether material or spiritual, from people of all conditions,
countries and ages.
IV) Millenarianism or prophecy?
It is also strange to label
the Heralds as adherents to a kind of "secret and extravagant cult made up
of millenary theories arising in connection with Our Lady of Fatima."
First, one cannot confuse millenarianism with prophecy. In fact, in 2007,
regarding the message of Fatima, Benedict XVI declared: "it is the most
prophetic of all modern apparitions."
On the other hand, that
same year, during his apostolic visit to Brazil, the Pontiff used the word
"millenarianism," for one of the few times in the recent magisterium.
And for what purpose? To refer to Liberation Theology as a facile
millenarianism, “an erroneous mixture of Church and Politics.” However, as is
known, the Heralds are no longer interested in political discussions. On
another occasion, St. John Paul II attributed millenarianism to movements
linked to the New Age, an empty philosophy of a Gnostic nature, which has found
a home amidst other congregations, but not among the Heralds, as is evident.
Finally, to attribute
the epithet "millenarist" to the Heralds is a contradictio in terminis. First of all, because they are part of the
counter-revolutionary movement; and secondly, because it was affirmed by
Vatican News. However, as is well known, this movement is diametrically opposed
to the "revolution of the masses", proposed as a means to attain the
supposed worldly kingdom, a typical characteristic of millenarian movements.
The Heralds were also
considered by Benedict XVI as an Association capable of stemming the advancement
of sects, many of them considered by Ratzinger himself, in the book Rapporto sulla Fede, as being
millenarian in character. And this is precisely because, according to him:
"The proper appreciation of messages such as that of Fatima can be a kind
of response [to the growth of sects, in particular those designated as
millenarian]." In conclusion, I believe that Cernuzio is truly mistaken:
according to the recent teaching of the Church, the Heralds and their devotion
to the prophetic message of Fatima are a reality opposed to millenarianism.
V) Some curiosities to conclude...
It is curious that
Cernuzio states that an "in-depth investigation involving the
Institute" was already underway on the occasion of the resignation of the
Founder, when in reality the visit had not even been announced.
It is curious that the
commission was decreed (with a fundamental error that may invalidate it, at
least partially), even though the evidence demonstrates that there is no compelling
fact to justify such a measure.
It is curious that a
newspaper that purports itself to be so up-to-date has omitted information well
known to Vatican authorities, that is, the evident bias of one of the Visitators
against the Heralds. This fact was confirmed in documents I have personally
seen.
Finally, the Vatican
News article describes the founder of the Heralds as "a former member of
the Brazilian traditionalist and counter-revolutionary Catholic association TFP."
As everyone knows, the founder of the TFP is Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, a
great Catholic leader of world renown. In the long ago year of 1979, he himself
unmasked the intention of a certain more "advanced" wing of the
Church, in a book whose title already reveals its prophetic content:
"Indigenous Tribalism, Communist-Missionary Ideal for the Church of the
21st Century".
In short, it seems
highly symbolic to me that part of this faction, heir to the chameleonic liberation
theology –
today, after a strange metamorphosis, transformed into a kind of eco-theology –, in the imminence of
the Amazon Synod, has decreed to sacrifice on the altar of "mother
earth" an institution that, both in its origin and in its spirituality,
has such a close connection with Professor Plinio.
Over and above their
intentions, there is one thing I know and believe: the works of God are
immortal!
M. Jiménez
Herald of the Gospel,
Doctor in Canon Law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas –
Angelicum (Rome)