Apparitions and Mystical Phenomena: March 2011 Archives

The Patriarch of Constantinople issued a statement yesterday warning the clergy and faithful about phony mystic Vassula Ryden, a member of the Greek Orthodox Church -- at least until he repudiated her. With her channeled messages, delivered through the occult method of "automatic writing", she has attracted a following of Catholics and Orthodox who like saccharine spiritual talk.

Here's a translation of the Patriarch's statement:

In this spirit, and for the beneficial protection of our pious Orthodox plenitude from dangerous spiritual confusion, who do not know well matters underlying the risk of delusion, rejects from the Mother Church Vasiliki Paraskevis Pentaki - Ryden, widely known as "Vassula", and her organization founded under the title "True Life In God" which rashly and frivolously proposes teachings based on the supposed "direct dialogue between her and the Founder of the Church Jesus Christ our Lord", and those conquered by her and the supporters of "True Life In God", which deviate arbitrarily from the God-given teaching of the Church, but also scandalize the Orthodox phronema of pious believers.

I know, you're all asking "what's a phronema?" It sounds like the Orthodox version of sensus fidei, more or less.

And here's the 1995 statement from the CDF:

Among other things, ambiguous language is used in speaking of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, to the point of confusing the specific names and functions of the Divine Persons. These alleged revelations predict an imminent period when the Antichrist will prevail in the Church. In millenarian style, it is prophesied that God is going to make a final glorious intervention which will initiate on earth, even before Christ's definitive coming, an era of peace and universal prosperity. Furthermore, the proximate arrival is foretold of a Church which would be a kind of pan-Christian community, contrary to Catholic doctrine.

So it's good to see that Mrs. Ryden has fostered Christian unity: she has brought the Holy See and the Patriarch of Constantinople together to condemn her heresies!

(HT: Diane K. at Te Deum Laudamus; Rorate Caeli blog)

There's been some talk about the alleged apparition at Akita, Japan, in the wake of the sad earthquake and related disasters in that country. Donal Foley has written a short article to point out that Akita remains a case of a controverted apparition: while the bishop approved it, the bishops conference examined it at his request and refused approval.