Mgr Alfonso Carinci and Maria Valtorta

Mgr Alfonso Carinci (1862-1963) - Secretary of the Congregation for Sacred Rites (currently for the cause of saints)

Alfonso Carinci was born in Rome on November 9, 1862, under Pius IX (1846-1878). Ordained a priest in 1885, he became master of ceremonies of Leo XIII (1878-1903) and confidant of Pius X (1903-1914). On August 4, 1903, he was already present in this role at the election of Pius X, of whom he was one of the confidants, as he would also be, forty years later, that of Pius XII.

Mgr Carinci was a regular at Vatican institutions. He directed the movement ADoratio Quotidiana et Perpetua Sanctissimi Eucharistiae Sacramenti inter Sacerdotes (Perpetual and daily adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament among secular priests).

From 1911 to 1930, he was rector of the Almo Collegio Capranica (Venerable Capranician College), where Eugenio Pacelli, the future Pius XII, trained before taking office. The Capranica College was indeed the oldest major seminary (pontifical college) in Rome.

From 1930 to 1960, he held the position of secretary of the Congregation of Rites, which dealt with the cause of saints. In this capacity, he supervised 64 canonization processes, including that of St. Pius X, to whom he was close, "and the beatification of about 500 Blesseds", thus acquiring great expertise in this field. This gives particular authority to his opinion given in his 1952 attestation on the work of Maria Valtorta and the support he showed her in the correspondence he maintained with her from January 9, 1949, to December 23, 1955. Mgr Carinci also corresponded with Thomas Merton, the monk who came from Anglicanism whose spiritual teachings and commitment to the world marked generations of Christians.

It was in [[Father Corrado Berti: quotes in the work#June 17, 1946 : Fr. Berti had excerpts of dictations read to Mgr Carinci who advised him|June 1946]] that Father Corrado Berti had excerpts of the dictations of Maria Valtorta (on Purgatory, Hell and the Bread of Life) read to Mgr Carinci. Mgr Carinci was struck, especially by the one on Purgatory. Father Berti had been regularly visiting him for several years, since the day he met him at the Augustinian convent on the slopes of the Janiculum.

Mgr Carinci met Maria Valtorta twice in Viareggio: on Sunday, April 11, 1948, a month and a half after the papal audience (proof of the positive impact of Pius XII's opinion) and on Sunday, June 29, 1952, when he came to say Mass in the very room of the bedridden woman.

A titular archbishop, he had wished to renounce the cardinalate. He bore the title "titular of Salteucia of Isauria", today in Turkey. Bishops without dioceses were called in partibus because they were assigned an ancient diocese that had generally fallen into Muslim hands.

After his death, Mgr Carinci was forgotten, although he was considered to have an "Odor of sanctity". Paul VI, the eighth pope he knew, described him, with an Italian pun, as “honor of the Roman clergy (Decoro del Clero romano)”, instead of the title of “dean of the Roman clergy (Decano del Clero romano)” which was his. Emilio Pisani, in Pro and Con Maria Valtorta testifies having seen this praise from the Pope engraved on his tombstone, in the third chapel on the right of the church Santa Maria del Suffragio, via Giulia. But the Silent Workers of the Cross, who keep this church, erased the memory of Mgr Carinci by sinking his tomb to superpose that of their founder, Luigi Novarese, who died in 1984.

The 1952 Attestation

When he wrote his attestation on January 17, 1952, he was ninety years old. For nearly six years he had been following the case of Maria Valtorta but also the actions of the Holy Office and the reactions of Pius XII, whom he informed. He was fully aware of the attempt of destruction of the work, as probably also of the tumultuous intervention of Luigina Sinapi. One will read attentively the attestation of Mgr Carinci because it landed on the desk of the Holy Office. The same office that eight years later wrote in the Osservatore Romano : "despite illustrious personalities (whose unquestionable good faith was noted) who supported the publication, the Holy Office deemed it necessary to put it on the Index of Forbidden Books. The reasons are obvious for those who have the patience of a Carthusian to read these nearly four thousand pages." Such a barb was aimed, among others, at Mgr Carinci who had left his position the day before the publication. To accuse a close associate of the recently deceased Pius XII, whose responsibility had exercised over hundreds of canonizations and beatifications, was nothing less than trying to brand him as senile and thus discredit his stances. Here they are:

"A few years ago I read parts of the work “Words of eternal life,” written by Miss Maria Valtorta. To some extent, we also owe it to her. I say “to some extent” because trustworthy witnesses have assured me multiple times that the narrative part of the work is due to the writer, who claims to have reported as best as possible what she saw or heard. Regarding its doctrinal part, on the other hand, she would have only written, as if dictated, what she heard or was told, with all the precision possible for a human instrument.

The narrative—or literary—part is very beautiful, written in a refined language, without corrections, as is evident from the manuscripts I have seen. This part is the personal work of Miss Valtorta; it truly bears a more feminine imprint in certain details, for example when she dwells on the meticulous description of clothing. However, considering the moral qualities of the person who writes, it must be considered that she does not lie when she assures that she did not report anything she did not see or hear. Indeed, the substance of what she described—for example the characters, their attitudes, clothing, etc.—either corresponds to the truth if these are details at least known to specialists, or is plausible, because it accords with what is known.

The topography of Palestine corresponds so well to reality, as confirmed by Reverend Father Bea, that no one, even having lived long in those regions, could describe them with such accuracy, down to the smallest details. This can only surprise us, bearing in mind that the writer has been bedridden for nearly twenty years, never moving except during the evacuation and for elections. Moreover, she does not have books, except the Holy Scripture and the Catechism, and has never studied the configuration of holy places. Competent people and even engineers with a deep knowledge of Palestine who went there for work found the places described precisely in the work and experienced with deep emotion the accuracy of the descriptions.

I have noted some flaws in this narrative part which, I recall, is the composition of Miss Valtorta. For example, I do not much appreciate the description of the incorrect attitude of Magdalene, still a sinner; she certainly must have been so, but perhaps it could have been left out without harm to the whole work. It is possible that similar faults occur in other parts of the work, but they must be rare because these pages are all of great elevation. I consider, moreover, that these faults should be attributed to the personal action of the writer and are correctable.

The doctrinal part is not separate from the narrative: it is artistically interwoven. It contains many discourses of Our Lord, the Apostles, or other characters. I have found nothing contrary to the Gospel. It rather complements it well by emphasizing its meaning.

These discourses correspond wonderfully to those reported by the Gospel and harmonize with them. The discourses already in the Gospel are not quoted as is, but are completed and clarified so that each is limpid, clear, and so well conceived that it seems to have sprung in one flow from the same source. The parts added in complement or as explanations are of the same nature as the evangelical sermons and as sublime as them. I recall in this regard the dialogue of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, complemented and clarified in an incomparable way, without noticing the slightest break between what is in the Gospel and the additions, and without doctrinal level difference. As for the discourses not in the Gospel but present in the work, they are consistent in form and doctrine with those already known and with the doctrine deepened and proposed by the Catholic Church under the influence of the Holy Spirit. By way of example, in the mouth of Our Lord one finds affirmations concerning the total exemption from original sin in Mary, the primacy and infallibility of Peter and his successors, or also Purgatory.

If I go into details, I can say that the Apostles' discourses express their character: Peter, Andrew, Philip, Judas are, throughout the pages I have read, always consistent. The discourse of Saint John, delivered when the Lord sent his Apostles to preach for the first time, perfectly reflects the writer's style of “In the beginning was the Word...”

As for those of Our Lord, they contain nothing contrary to his spirit, although many of them teach a Doctrine that presupposes theological knowledge unknown to Miss Valtorta: she only studied the catechism of Blessed Pius X.

Reading the work enabled me to admire the divine economy used by Our Lord for the conversion of the Samaritan woman and Mary Magdalene, as well as in all love attempts to obtain Judas's repentance.

Judging by all this, it seems impossible to me that a woman of mediocre theological culture, deprived of all books suitable for her purpose (she has neither life of Jesus, nor atlas, etc., but only the Holy Scripture) could have written alone and with such exactness pages so sublime.

I have been told that the work presents a too diminished figure of Our Lord. Obviously, if, as in the gospels by the way, it contained only descriptions of episodes such as birth in a cave, the rushed flight into Egypt, Jesus' humble work in Joseph's workshop, fasting, hunger and temptation by the devil in the desert, the moments when he was expelled from the synagogue of Nazareth or the region of Gerasa, the scourging, spitting, thirst on the cross, the abandonment by the Father, etc., omitting everything else, one would not see the divine and royal majesty of Jesus, Voice of God and doer of unprecedented miracles, as other descriptions present. Since this work is more extensive than the gospels, it increases the length of episodes or details which, at first glance, might give the impression of diminishing the figure of the Lord; but conversely, the passages where the divine and royal majesty of Jesus shines are also longer.

The episodes seeming to reduce it, in this work as in the holy gospels, should not make an impression if one considers what Saint Gregory the Great wrote about the devil's temptation Against Jesus. It was not unworthy of Our Lord to be tempted by the devil, considering that he came to be killed. Thus, I can affirm that the divine greatness of Our Lord is well visible in the work. The parts in which he appears humiliated are balanced by the others. “He humbled himself unto death, even death on the cross.”

Judging by the good feeling that reading it produces, I am fully of the opinion that this work, once published, could lead many souls to the Lord: sinners to conversion and the good to a more fervent and active life.

At a time when immoral press invades the world and representations corrupt the youth, we spontaneously feel the desire to thank the Lord for having given us, by means of a suffering woman bedridden, a work so beautiful literarily, so elevated, accessible and profound doctrinally and spiritually, of pleasant reading, and suitable to be represented in cinema and theater. I also know that artists have been able, by reading the work and following the author's indications, to admirably reproduce the Face of Jesus by painting and sculpture, as well as that of the Virgin and the twelve Apostles by drawing, and finally the features of the Body of Jesus by painting, identical to what can be seen on the Shroud.

I have expressed my opinion, and I know it is shared by theologians and valuable exegetes who have also read volumes I have not had at hand. I think of the Reverend Father Bea, Mgr Lattanzi, and many others. Nevertheless, I remain, as can be easily understood, ready to correct myself if the Holy Father judged otherwise.

Rome, January 17, 1952

+ Alfonso Carinci, archbishop. Tit. of Salteucia of Isauria"

Correspondence with Maria Valtorta

The context

April 11, 1948, just a few weeks after the papal audience, Mgr Carinci personally went to Viareggio. During this first meeting, Maria Valtorta asked him to take care of the Work's approval, which Jesus was urging.

Summer 1948, Parole di Vita eterna is published with the imprimatur of Mgr Barneschi. It is a mock-up of what would become The Gospel as It Was Revealed to Me.

October 25, 1948, Maria Valtorta announces the probable release of the first volume "end of November".

November 11, 1948, Father Gargiani, Procurator General of the Servites of Mary (the order's secretary general), received a request from the Pope: "through Mgr Montini and Mgr Tardini, the Holy Father made known to Father Gargiani, Procurator General of the Servites of Mary (O.S.M.), that he should address the bishop of Aquino to obtain a second more valid approval, then print and hold conferences in printing houses and rooms not belonging to Vatican City, so that hostile prelates could not harm the Work."

November 29, 1948: The presses were about to start turning "when the Holy Office called the Procurator General of the Servite order and ordered him to tell Father Berti and Father Migliorini to no longer deal with the work if they did not want to fall under the decrees of the Holy Office, for having abusively taken (?) Mgr Barneschi's approval". Several prelates, including Mgr Carinci, advised continuing publication but refrained from intervening directly.

December 23, 1948, Maria Valtorta receives a grave appeal addressed by God the Father Himself to Pope Pius XII. He is invited to defend with authority and firmness a work that will be the "future glory of his pontificate".

The exchanges

(The text of this section is partially taken from "Facing Maria Valtorta", volume 2, pp. 225-241.)

January 9, 1949, under the pressure of alarming events, Maria Valtorta took the initiative to address Mgr Alfonso Carinci directly. She informed him that “continuous and increasingly growing difficulties come from certain prelates to prevent the successful completion of the Work”.

In her long introductory letter, Maria Valtorta expresses her concern, but above all her bewilderment and pain: everything is collapsing. Not because of the distrust of "certain prelates," for Jesus had already warned her of this, but because the Pope's opinion was so openly flouted. She is deeply upset.

She argues by referring to Christ. She thus shows astonishing boldness considering she addresses a high-ranking figure of the Curia whom she barely knew. What she writes sometimes takes a modern tone.

"The Divine Master taught me that Wisdom, otherwise called the Holy Spirit, cannot give contradictory inspirations about the same thing, being the only Spirit who inspires, and this too: woe to that kingdom divided within itself by the Contradiction of points of view among its principal components, for effective action perishes there and disorientation arises which disturbs the smallest in the troop. And again, He taught me that for this reason, in constituting His Church, He took Peter and made him chief, and wished that this would continue until the end of the ages, so that the word of the head, in case of dispute, would be pronounced to end all disputes. Finally, He told me, and repeats constantly, that he whom the election to the chair of Peter (the pope) made another Christ can only recognize the Christ who speaks in the doctrinal pages of the work."

In other words, the Pope, having become Vicar of Christ by his election, could only recognize the divine Author in the teachings of the Work, which was indeed the case when he encouraged its publication. And Maria Valtorta continues:

[…] What is happening today is in open opposition to all this, and it feels as if a whole world, the world of my absolute faith in the Church's teachings, is collapsing and a painful astonishment arises in my soul which remains disturbed.

She continues in a tone that reveals surprising audacity and unwavering energy:

"How can this be? For me, I say that in this battle, there is true proof that the Work is really from God, for, like all things of God, it is ‘a sign of Contradiction.’ But God regrets that the content of His gift remains inert, while it would be so necessary to be read by so many who are lost… Your Excellency, on April 11 (1948), I asked you one thing: the approval of the work in the supreme interest of the Holy Father. I ask you the same now.

Carry my cry of supplication to His Holiness! All my hopes rest on him.

Help me to please the Lord who wants the Work to go to the crowd that too many political Doctrines and too much worldly permissiveness lead to a terrifying paganism, and more than paganism: to a hatred against God and His Church, which scares and pains all Catholics and the just of spirit, and me, among them, who would at all costs put an end to what makes the Holy Father and all Christianity suffer, and offends the Lord."

Mgr Carinci replied amicably on January 17. He reassured her: it was only a matter of verification and not prohibition. He concluded:

Continue to write calmly under the usual dictation until the Dictant or the legitimate ecclesiastical authority forbids you to write further.

On January 20, 1949, Maria Valtorta rejoiced to have found a listening ear. She even went further: the verification of the writings is one of Jesus’ directives who wants a sure approval of the Work. She will continue to write, as Mgr Carinci invites her, although her work with the Work is finished, but “the divine dictation still gives the light of its word to the least of its servants.” However, she is only half reassured and calls again to the Pope:

"I wish I could have confidence in the benevolent disposition of the judges (the Holy Office). And that is why I would like to address my supplication to the supreme pastor because I am convinced that a single word from His Holiness could obtain this benevolence."

Regarding the letter Maria Valtorta had just sent him, Mgr Carinci noted:

At the audience of January 28 (1949), I read this letter to the Holy Father, who received an excellent impression from it. He praised her spirit of humility and her disposition to obedience. As for the publication of the book, he told me that the Holy Office was in charge of it, and I had the impression that his judgment might not be very favorable.

On Tuesday, February 22, 1949, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the Work was abruptly stopped. Father Berti was summoned outside all procedures by two censors, including Mgr Giovanni Pepe, in charge of book censorship. Now the conflict, however confined it may be, was openly declared. None of the Servites of Mary dared to warn Maria Valtorta. It was a layman passing through Rome who warned her the next day because the news was buzzing in Vatican corridors. But adversity mobilizes Maria Valtorta because it is not she who is in peril, but the Mission that Heaven entrusted to her.

In her letter of March 8, 1949, she informed Mgr Carinci that the Work had been condemned by the Holy Office. She became obedient and ordered the Servite Order to respect, until further notice, the decision of the Holy Office. But she counterattacked: the procedure was not in accordance with canon law. She availed herself of the services of a magistrate specialist in canon law. She listed all the irregularities committed in regard to this law. She protested her good faith, as she had no personal interest. But opposing the Holy Office head-on with arguments it probably mocks is not the right way. Upon receipt of this letter, Mgr Carinci already had his idea: he asked Maria Valtorta to rewrite her letter suppressing the passages he indicated. He retained only factual elements and the exposition of favorable reasons for the Work. His idea was simple: appeal to the Pope. For the moment, he minimized the hostile intentions of the Holy Office and reassured her.

It worked, Maria Valtorta complied and argued on the Mission entrusted to her. Mgr Carinci read the Work in detail and appreciated it more and more. This soothed the wounded heart of Maria Valtorta. They henceforth communed on the divine plan expressed through the Work.

On September 29, 1949, Mgr Carinci added a piece to the file for the Pope:

"I am convinced that your writings to the Holy Office are being examined more closely. And speaking of writings, I was told that you know where the body of Saint Peter rests. While a report is being prepared on the excavations under the Vatican grottoes beneath the central altar, I would ask you to communicate to the Holy Father what you know: I would gladly present him the text that would shed light on this very important subject for all Christianity."

On November 8, 1949, the dynamic was underway: "Reverend Father Roschini also told me, notes Maria Valtorta, that Your Excellency, as well as other reverends, began working seriously to obtain the desired unblocking of the Work." But it did not come to fruition.

On March 29, 1950, Maria Valtorta noted: "Just as I knew since December that a special audience had been requested from His Holiness, I also know that the audience was not heard at first, then it was scheduled for March 3, then for March 9, only to not be granted."

She still ignored what she would learn a few days later: the démarches of Luigina Sinapi at the Holy Office. This Venerable, since January 2025, was a seer familiar to Pius XII. On Jesus' orders, she came to question the Holy Office about the reasons for the blockage of Maria Valtorta's writings. She was threatened, including with rape, and went to report this blockage of Maria Valtorta's work to the Sovereign Pontiff who believed it had already been published.

The Holy Year of 1950 absorbed all energies. The Pope's immediate environment was not in favor of a new confrontation that would lead to facing the Holy Office directly. The audience request was postponed sine die. It never took place. The continuation of the opposition waited for the death of the Sovereign Pontiff to resume with the listing on the Index.

Meanwhile, Mgr Carinci organized a plea to the Holy Father on which appeared "the illustrious personalities" mocked later by the Holy Office, labeling them naive. Dated January 29, 1952, this plea from high persons ended on the desk… of the Holy Office.

On June 29, 1952, feast of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Mgr Carinci celebrated Mass in the very room of Maria Valtorta in Viareggio, giving her unspeakable joy. It was the second time he came to see her.

The correspondence ended in 1954. It had taken a more spiritual turn regarding Maria Valtorta's victim offering which she confirms in the last letter she wrote to him. Thereafter, she progressively became prostrate. Two brief notes from Mgr Carinci were sent in 1955 to assure her of his thoughts and prayers.

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