[Update: For information on the subsequent laicization of Fr. Vlasic, see this post from July 2009. –RC]
Slowly, the corruptions surrounding the Medjugorje case are being dealt with.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has investigated charges and imposed sanctions against Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, OFM. Perhaps you’ve never heard of him.
Here’s the background. In 1981, Fr. Vlasic, a friar and parish priest in Yugoslavia, was distressed at having fathered a child by a Franciscan sister and having sent the mother away from Herzegovina to live and work in Germany. Struggling with his conflicting duties, he attended a Charismatic conference in Rome. There he was given a consoling “prophecy” of a Marian visitation. When he got home to Herzegovina and found that a bunch of teenagers was claiming an apparition, he stepped into the role of their spiritual advisor, got himself assigned to their parish, and shortly became an international religious celebrity.
Undeterred by his earlier co-ed religious experience, he felt inspired to try another one in 1987: together with a German laywoman, he founded a would-be religious community in Italy for young men and women all living together, called “Queen of Peace, we are totally yours”. He claimed that our Lady had approved the idea, and he kept it going even after the bishops of the place had rejected it and the Medjugorje seer who supported him confessed publicly that the heavenly endorsement was a falsehood.
Coming forward to 2008, it seems he’s been continuing the group all these years, as the CDF’s sanctions order Fr. Vlasic to have no contact with it or its members. Complaints to the CDF have accused him of “the diffusion of dubious doctrine, manipulation of consciences, suspected mysticism, disobedience towards legitimately issued orders and charges contra sextum.”
Perhaps it is the last point, charges of violating the sixth commandment, that caused CDF to take up the case, as particularly grave offenses against the sixth commandment — involving the abuse of minors or involving the misuse of the sacrament of penance — are reserved to CDF for judgment.
In perhaps the easiest matter to adjudicate, Fr. Vlasic has apparently incurred the penalty of interdict because of his refusal to return to the Franciscans and reside with them.
Moreover, CDF indicates there is a “suspicion of heresy and schism, as well as scandalous acts contra sextum, aggravated by mystical motivations” — so CDF has forbidden him to hear confessions, to preach, to conduct financial business; and has ordered him to undergo some theological training and be evaluated on his teaching.
At the request of CDF, the diocese of Mostar has published the Congregation’s statement on the case, and it follows here.
Category: Apparitions and Mystical Phenomena
Kook watch: I’m sure our Lady appreciates the Jacuzzi
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| Mrs. Gallagher’s title for our Lady: “The Matrix” |
The followers of phony mystic Christina Gallagher occasionally drop by to post comments denying all charges of wrongdoing against her. This is helpful to me, ’cause I don’t follow the case very often, and it serves as a reminder to check out the Irish papers for the latest flap involving Mrs. Gallagher and her international House of Prayer franchise, which is disapproved by the authorities of the Church and the Inland Revenue.
Here are some recent bits of news about the case:
January 2008: The Sunday World tabloid posted splashy photos (pdf) of Gallagher’s posh lifestyle: residing in a mansion (not in her name, of course), tooling around in a BMW, etc., and reported on the fundraising campaign (pdf) that appears to have paid for the house.
RTE radio’s Liveline show spent a couple of segments talking with callers and with Mrs. Gallagher’s laughably evasive spokesman Fr. Gerard McGinnity about Gallagher’s lifestyle: an mp3 podcast is online. When asked about the house’s wide-screen TV and a Jacuzzi bath for paying guests, the priest explained that Mrs. Gallagher wanted the place to be made as nice as possible for our Lady.
(In a second segment (mp3), a director of the House of Prayer doesn’t seem to know much about the HOP’s finances.)
February 2008: Abp. Michael Neary (Tuam) issued a letter to all parishes reiterating no Church approval for Gallagher’s activities.
March 2008: Irish primate Cardinal Brady was holding “ongoing discussions” with Fr. McGinnity.
For background, here’s a 2006 post on the subject.
UPDATE: Thanks to jerry for reminding me to update!
June 2008: While police and tax authorities investigate the House of Prayer, the HOP offers to refund money to dissatisfied donors.
Update: Irish bishop reviews Gallagher case
Zenit reports a statement from the Archbishop of Tuam on the phony mystic Christina Gallagher:
Irish Prelate: “House of Prayer” Not OK’d by Church
Achill Center Founded by Woman Who Claims to Hear Virgin Mary
TUAM, Ireland, MARCH 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The archbishop of Tuam clarified that the “House of Prayer,” founded by a woman who claims to have been visited by the Virgin Mary, does not have Church approval.Archbishop Michael Neary released a public statement last week clarifying the Church’s stance on the Achill Island prayer house, founded by Christina Gallagher, with other sites in the United States and Mexico.
Archbishop Neary explained the situation of the House of Prayer, saying that since 1996, he had established a diocesan commission to “investigate certain claims regarding and emanating from this work.”
Gallagher claims to receive regular messages from Our Lady and to have the stigmata.
In 1997, the archbishop noted, “acting on foot of a report from the commission, I issued a lengthy public statement to the effect, in essence, that no evidence of supernatural phenomena had been observed but that the persons involved gave every evidence of good faith. Arising from that, I proposed a basic canonical structure that would gradually integrate the work of the house into the life of Achill Parish and the archdiocese.”
However, Archbishop Neary stated: “While this was then attempted by the archdiocese, I became increasingly perturbed by an apparent absence of enthusiasm on the parts of Mrs. Gallagher and her associates.
“The relationship deteriorated to the extent that Mrs. Gallagher, in July 1998, closed the House of Prayer at Achill, expressing to the media at the time a sense of having been harshly treated by the archdiocese. In order to clarify the issue for the faithful I issued another statement, regretting the development and expressing grave misgivings as to the wisdom with which Mrs. Gallagher had been advised and had acted in the matter.”
The 61-year-old prelate clarified that diocesan efforts to integrate the work ended in 1998, when Gallagher closed the house.
“Celebration of the sacraments and reservation of the Blessed Sacrament at the House of Prayer are not permitted,” he continued. “Any work carried on since then has been entirely of a private nature and has no Church approval whatever. Neither, for reasons given above, does such work enjoy the confidence of the diocesan authorities. Nothing has been brought to my attention to indicate that I should change from this position in the future. Over the years since then, the Tuam Diocesan Office has clearly and consistently replied to enquiries in respect of this work, which Mrs. Gallagher recommenced.”
“I respect the faith and devotion of many people who have been impressed by this work in the past, some of whom have expressed their sadness at my stance,” the archbishop acknowledged. But, he concluded, “The House of Prayer has no Church approval and the work does not enjoy the confidence of the diocesan authorities.”
Link: A timeline of previous events related to Mrs. Gallagher (Catholic Light, December 2006)
Kook watch: Christina Gallagher
Fr. Sibley asked me today if I knew anything about the phony mystic Christina Gallagher of Ireland, so I checked around the net to find out whether her bishop had made any statement about her claims of messages from our Lord and our Lady. Now that she’s opened a new branch operation in Texas, I suppose we may be hearing more of this.
As it happens, Mrs. Gallagher’s from the Archdiocese of Tuam, and the archbishop there has been fairly circumspect, aiming to keep her activities within the modest limits his predecessor permitted, while not banning them outright.
December 1997:
Archdiocesan committee finds no proof of supernatural phenomena.
Abp. sets conditions for establishing a Private Association to bring her activities under closer archdiocesan supervision, including financial.
January 1998:
Bishop orders that confessions and sermons at the House of Prayer cease.
May 1998:
Sunday Masses at her House of Prayer on Achill Island are stopped, though not all Masses.
July 1998:
Gallagher announces she’s closing the House; local tourism businesses complain.
Archbishop surprised by closure announcement.
August 1998:
Rick Salbato’s newsletter on the closure and Mrs. Gallagher’s lifestyle.
September 1998:
House to reopen, Gallagher promises compliance.
September 2002:
Interview, photos: 1, 2
(I tend to believe that real seers don’t give interviews, let alone whine like this one.)
July 2003:
10th anniversary gathering.
June 2006:
Austin, TX bishop warns of “House of Prayer” opening without permission, denies faculties to priest supporter.
September 2006:
Layman Ron Conte (FL) points out theological errors, bizarre statements.
Of course, it’s harder to do something more bizarre than making a supposedly Catholic religious medal that calls our Lady “The Matrix“.
CDF caution about “Lady of All Nations” prayer
A case of alleged supernatural messages in Amsterdam in the 1950s reportedly had our Lady presenting herself to the faithful under the title of “the Lady of all Nations” and asking the Pope to make a declaration of dogma about her as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate. These titles are already well established in Catholic thought, and have an interesting application to the role of the Church as a means of grace and salvation, but with so many cases of false mysticism about, one has to be careful about signing on to some particular movement’s proposals for the Church.
This May, the CDF (the Vatican’s doctrinal office) has given a warning about one aspect of that “Lady of All Nations” devotion: a prayer associated with the messages, and found on Catholic sites such as EWTN’s, raises the CDF’s caution and is not to be used.
Abp. Angelo Amato, SDB, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote on May 20:
With regard to the devotion known as ‘Lady of All Nations’ and the Marian apparitions experienced by the late visionary Ida Peerdeman, I wish to advise Your Excellency that although the said apparitions have received approval from His Excellency the Most Rev. Joseph Maria Punt, Bishop of Haarlem (Holland), in his Communications of 31 May 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has expressed concern regarding one particular aspect of that devotion whereby official prayers invoke the Blessed Virgin as Lady of All Nations ‘who was once Mary’…..[The CDF] does not permit any Catholic community of Christ’s Faithful to pray to the Mother of God under the title of ‘Lady of All Nations’ with the added expression ‘who was once Mary’.
(Thanks to Mark Waterinckx for the tip.)
PS (2020): Since the original posting is no longer on the net, here’s a copy of the text:
Vatican rejects prayer to “Lady of All Nations”
SAN PABLO CITY – The Vatican City’s Congregatio Pro Doctrina Fidei (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) [CPDF] does not permit any Catholic community of Christ’s faithful in the country and throughout the world “to pray to the Mother of God” under the title of ‘Lady of All Nations’ with the added phrase ‘who was once Mary’.
This was the response received by the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the entire People of God, in the country concerning the “form of devotion being promoted in our country known as ‘Lady of All Nations'”, a copy of which the Barangay obtained.
“With regard to the devotion known as ‘Lady of All Nations’ and the Marian apparitions experienced by the late visionary Ida Peerdeman, I wish to advise Your Excellency that although the said apparitions have received approval from His Excellency the Most Rev. Joseph Maria Punt, Bishop of Haarlem (Holland), in his Comunications of 31 May 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has expressed concern regarding one particular aspect of that devotion whereby official prayers invoke the Blessed Virgin as Lady of All Nations ‘who was once Mary'”, wrote Most Rev. Angelo Amato SDB, the CPDF secretary.
Amato, the Titular Archbishop of Sila, Italy added: “In fact, this Dicastery, in a letter to His Excellency, The Most Rev. Francois Bacque, Apostolic Nuncio to the Netherlands, has indicated that Marian devotion must be nourished and developed in accordance with the indications given by the Holy Father in “Redemptoris Mater” and “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” and not according to private apparitions nor according to a ‘new’ name of Mary, such as “Lady of All Nations who was once Mary”.
“Your Excellency,” the CPDF said, “is requested to take into consideration the above mentioned advisory and inform the members of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines that the CPDF does not permit any Catholic community of Christ’s Faithful to pray to the Mother of God under the title of ‘Lady of All Nations’ with the added expression ‘who was once Mary’.
Arch. Amato said: Regarding the “Messages of God the Father” to Mother Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio, “I wish to inform you that it is not the usual practice of this Congregation to give official approval to presumed supernatural messages. Mother Ravasio, who passed away in 1990, was the Superior General of the “Soeurs Missionaries de Notre-Dame des Apotres”.
The religious Institute founded in Lyon (France) in 1876 by Augustine Planque, was initially recognized by the Bishop of Grenoble and later became an Institute of Pontifical Right. The Generelate is now located in Rome and its members are active in many countries, especially in Africa.
The CBCP’s Chair of the Commission on the Doctrine of the Faith, Most Rev. Luis Antonio Tagle, Bishop of Imus, issued a copy of the CPDF’s letter dated 20 may 2005 to San Pablo Diocesan Bishop Leo M. Drona, DD, which the prelate in turn reproduced and endorsed in a circular dated July 15, 2005 for about 150 priests and religious in the diocese for them to instruct the entire People of God in Laguna concerning the devotion in question.
Courtesy of The Barangay.