Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani and Maria Valtorta

Portrait of Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Saltvaggiani (1871-1951)

Cardinal Francesco Marchetti-Saltvaggiani (1871-1951) is mentioned three times by Maria Valtorta in her correspondences. She refers to him as a powerful "enemy" of the work. At the time of his intervention, he was at the peak of a brilliant ecclesiastical career: holder of several honorary titles, he was also Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome (1931-1951) where he stood in for the Sovereign Pontiff, Bishop of Rome. He was also Secretary of the Congregation of the Holy Office (1939-1951). In this capacity, he held a key position within the Roman Curia.

An influential figure

He was indeed the one who ensured the functioning of the Congregation of the Holy Office and the interface with the Sovereign Pontiff and the cardinals. In the management of disciplinary and doctrinal matters, he supervised the examination of books, teachings, or practices suspected of heresy or doctrinal errors, in collaboration with notaries and censors. He was close to Pius XII (whom he represented in the Diocese of Rome for 20 years) and, apparently, to Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani. He had supervised Mgr Giovanni Pepe when the latter held the position of notary.

In the work of Maria Valtorta

December 16, 1948

In a letter to Mother Teresa Maria, Maria Valtorta notes:

"Why do His Eminence Mgr Siri as well as Mgr Raffa, Mgr Crovella, and Mgr Carinci, etc., not give their support? Because they all have a great fear of the Holy Office and of Their Eminences Marchetti-Saltvaggiani and Ottaviani, who call the shots there, even disregarding the will of His Holiness. They are not the only ones, by the way. In the Pope’s circle, many cancel, on their own authority, the will of the supreme head of the Church."

Maria Valtorta nominates those she thinks are responsible for the blockage and mentions opposition from them to "the will of His Holiness."

February 18, 1950

In a letter (still unpublished) to Mr. Arturo Bottai, Maria Valtorta identifies him as the author of the sanction against Father Romualdo Migliorini that led to the opening of the Holy Office file in 1945:

"Yes. Marchetti Saltvaggiani was the first enemy. He was the one who had Father Migliorini punished by the Holy Office, sending him to Rome and forbidding him to set foot in Tuscany again, 'flagging' him, according to the terms of the Holy Office, as dangerous, fanatical, agitator of Souls, etc., etc. Consequently, he also opposed me."

The harsh judgment of Cardinal Francesco Marchetti, echoed by the Holy Office, targeted Father Romualdo Migliorini and not Maria Valtorta’s work, which was indiscriminately lumped together with other mystics’ cases that Father Romualdo Migliorini was handling. Indeed, at that time (1945/1946) Maria Valtorta’s work was not completed nor submitted to the Holy Father: only excerpts were circulating sporadically.

January 26, 1951

Article from Il Tirreno of January 14, 1951, archives of the Maria Valtorta Heritage Foundation.

In an unpublished letter to the same Arturo Bottai, Maria Valtorta comments on the sudden death of the prelate:

"I also read the news of the death of Marchetti Saltvaggiani, the unjust torturer of Father Migliorini. You wouldn’t think so, but these people all had rather unpoetic deaths!"

On Saturday, January 13, 1951, at 8:05 in the morning, his valet found Cardinal Francesco Marchetti struck down by a cerebral thrombosis in his bathroom. He had started shaving. Mgr Luigi Traglia, who shared the same apartment in the Palace of the Holy Office, was absent. He had gone to say Mass in that octave of the Epiphany, when at the time the Baptism of Jesus was celebrated. Cerebral thrombosis makes calling for help difficult, and death occurred within minutes. Cardinal Ottaviani, who arrived quickly, probably administered the last rites conditionally and recited the prayer for the deceased.

Remarks

The report of Mgr Giovanni Pepe from the February 2, 1949 notes the sanction imposed on Father Romualdo Migliorini, which, according to Maria Valtorta, was initiated by Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Saltvaggiani. He notes that this sanction was approved by [[Pius XII and Maria Valtorta|Pius XII]: "The following day, Friday, March 14, 1946, the Holy Father approved this decision." This suggests that Pius XII shared the negative judgment of the Holy Office on Father Migliorini and on the "dictations" and "visions" of the hysterical Maria Valtorta of Viareggio." This is incompatible with the fact that he accepted to receive in audience, on February 26, 1948, a religious "dangerous, fanatical, agitator of Souls, etc., etc." to approve a highly negative publication. It is also highly unlikely that the head of the Catholic Church personally concerned himself with the assignment of religious persons. Thus, if the Pope’s services were doubtlessly informed of this disciplinary matter, it does not reflect Pius XII’s personal opinion as the dossier demonstrates.

Maria Valtorta's remark on the circumstances of the Cardinal’s death should be linked to a "dictation" from Jesus dated March 10, 1949, shortly after the Holy Office’s attempted condemnation:

"None of those who rejected me or acted wrongly Against the Work will escape severe punishment. [...] You will know the name of your main adversaries: first, their death and the manner of death will indicate them to you, then you will see them there where they will expiate their sin."

Later, in a "dictation" of May 30, 1953, Jesus remarks: "Why so much hatred and blindness Against my great gift of love and Against my beloved instrument? Has the sudden death of the seven not been enough to warn my new Enemies?"

Among the "sudden deaths" of the "main adversaries," only those of Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Saltvaggiani and Father Mariano Cordovani have been documented to date.