Mgr Roman Danylak, refutation of EWTN (2002)

Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) is an American Catholic television network based in Birmingham, Alabama. The foundation that supports it is based in Irondale, in the same state. Created by Mother Angelica (1923-2016), a contemplative nun, it broadcasts offices, debates, reports, entertainment, etc. After Mother Angelica retired in 2001, the network evolved towards more political stances.

Bill Bilton, born in the 1940s, made his career in various Catholic media and joined EWTN where he ended up hosting Questions and Answers, a segment answering listener questions. Bill Bilton had studied and spent some time with the Eudists, which made him capable of answering "religious" questions.

Question from a Listener about Maria Valtorta[edit | edit source]

Question addressed to EWTN by D. Maanum, February 5, 2002:

Could you tell me what the status is of the private meditations of Maria Valtorta? I heard they were once on the list of condemned books, but this was lifted. Can a Catholic read them for inspiration, and what are the Church's rules regarding private meditations? Thank you.

Answer from Bill Bilton[edit | edit source]

Answer from Bill Bilton of EWTN on February 5, 2002:

The works of Maria Valtorta were condemned by the Church after a thorough and serious investigation which concluded that their contents were harmful to Catholic faithful. On December 16, 1959, the Congregation of the Holy Office ordered that the four-volume work entitled The Poem of the Man-God be placed on the Index of Forbidden Books. Pope John XXIII approved this decree and ordered the condemnation to be published. The decree was thereafter promulgated by the Holy Office on January 5, 1960. The next day, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano published an article summarizing the investigations by the Cardinals of the Holy Office, tasked with protecting the faithful in matters of faith and morals. It is important to note that none of Maria Valtorta's writings were approved by the Church.
On June 14, 1966, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith abolished the Index of Forbidden Books. Although the Index was removed in 1966, censorship and prohibition of books that appeared there still retain validity in regard to moral law, which strictly forbids the dilution of faith and morals.
Publishers who reprinted the works of Maria Valtorta deceived Catholic faithful by printing and distributing these condemned works to devoted but uninformed Catholics. They acted so despite efforts by the highest authorities of the Church to warn the faithful that the moral authority represented by the condemnation on the Index of Forbidden Books remains in effect today, and that the works of Maria Valtorta must be avoided by sincere and conscientious Catholics.
We sincerely urge you to consider the fact that the works of Maria Valtorta have been condemned by the Church as being unreliable and spiritually dangerous accounts of the life of Jesus and His Mother. Catholics who wish to learn more about either should devote their time to reading the Gospels or a good biography of Christ.

Refutation by Bishop Roman Danylak[edit | edit source]

Header: Bishop Roman Danylak - Titular Bishop of Nyssa - Parish of Saints Serge and Bacchus^[1] - 00184 Rome, Italy

To the Editorial Committee of EWTN
Birmingham, Alabama
To whom it may concern:
Your segment Questions and Answers recently caught my attention, in particular your response to a question from your listeners and readers regarding the writings of Maria Valtorta.
I do not know who Mr. Bill Bilton is nor his connection with EWTN, but I wish to inform you that his answer to your listener is a stain and a slander on the good reputation and authority that EWTN rightly holds among Catholic audiences, not to mention the absence of an investigation on the status of the matter.
Reading his response, my blood boiled at this usurpation of authority that belongs solely to the magisterium of the Church.
It is true that the first edition of The Poem of the Man-God was placed on the Index of the Roman Catholic Church. This Index was suppressed by the authority of Pope Paul VI in 1965. As explained in the accompanying document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the old Index may retain a moral authority, but not canonical, as a guide for Catholic readers^[2]. The documents of 1965/66 recognize that not all works that were placed on the Index were necessarily contrary to morals and faith.
The repeating of the opinions of the former censors and detractors of Maria Valtorta reveals that those who continue to invoke this Index ignore Cardinal Ratzinger's response to the Bishop of Birmingham, Alabama, in 1993, as well as statements by the Italian Episcopal Conference in recent years^[3]. These declarations acknowledge that there is nothing contrary to faith or morals in The Poem of the Man-God and other writings of Maria Valtorta^[4]. They also acknowledge the current legislation of the Catholic Church, according to the Code of Canon Law, which no longer requires the nihil obstat of ecclesiastical authorities for writings reporting alleged messages or revelations (CIC canons 823-4^[5], 830^[6], 832^[7]).
Continuing this defamatory witch-hunt against Maria Valtorta and her writings reminds me of the theologians and canonists who burned Joan of Arc at the stake, those who excommunicated Saint Thomas Aquinas, or detractors of the Blessed Padre Pio. It also makes me think of the great council or the Sanhedrin of the Jews who condemned Christ. Unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of Church authorities is that they do not formally retract their accusations when they are proven to be wrong. This is a common weakness among many bishops, pastors, and many people in positions of authority^[8].
This is what happened to Maria Valtorta. L'Osservatore Romano was informed of the falsehood of the insinuations of the authors slandering Maria Valtorta in their articles published in L'Osservatore in 1961. The Servite Fathers, who had presented the volume of The Poem of the Man-God to Pope Pius XII, informed them^[9]. Pope Pius XII had praised the writings by declaring: "Publish them as they are, without removing or adding anything. Those who understand will understand." L'Osservatore ceased printing negative commentary. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for others.
Fortunately, there is another recourse in the Catholic Church. Popes have canonized Joan of Arc, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and the Blessed Padre Pio. The Eternal Father resurrected His Son from the dead and seated Him at His right hand. Hopefully one day, the Church will recognize the sanctity of this chosen victim soul.
Although the first Italian edition of The Poem of the Man-God did not bear a nihil obstat, which led to its placement on the Index, several bishops have subsequently granted their nihil obstat and imprimatur to the writings of Maria Valtorta over the years. Her writings have been translated into French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian, Malayalam, and other languages. Several bishops, including myself, have granted their imprimatur to these translations so that Catholic readers would not hesitate to take them up. They are truly a gift from Our Lord. I recommend Mr. Bilton to read what I have written on this subject. I have included several of my articles in defense of Maria Valtorta on my website at www.heartofjesus.ca. I particularly recommend the excellent website and thorough research of a Catholic monk, who has gathered many articles and texts from various authors and included them on his site. See http://www.bardstown.com/~brchrys/index.html.
The current publisher and printer of the works of Maria Valtorta, Dr. Emilio Pisani, has compiled the arguments of various authors, both in favor and against the writings of Maria Valtorta, in a new book. A quick glance at Google results will show over 200 websites dedicated to the writings of Maria Valtorta, in a variety of languages.
You owe your readers a retraction.
Respectfully yours in Christ and the Holy Mother,
Roman Danylak

Notes and references[edit | edit source]

Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.

↑ The Church Santi Sergio e Bacco degli Ucraini (in French: Church Saints-Serge-et-Bacchus-of-the-Ukrainians) is a Roman Church located in the Monti district on the piazza Madonna dei Monti and dedicated to the martyrs Serge and Bacchus of Rasafa who died in 303 under orders of Emperor Maximian.
↑ Thus one can warn, but not forbid, which is what Bill Bilton ignores according to Bishop Danylak.
↑ See the specific article.
↑ These opinions provide a reading recommendation (to read it as a literary work) but issue no other doctrinal or moral judgment on the work.
↑ The article 823, paragraph 2 (not 4) attributes a universal dimension to the opinion of the Italian episcopal conference (CEI) and Cardinal Ratzinger.
↑ The article 830 paragraph 3 stipulates: "The censor must give his opinion in writing; if favorable, the Ordinary will grant permission to publish, along with his prudent judgment, mentioning his name as well as the date and place where the permission was given; if he refuses, the Ordinary will indicate to the author the reasons for refusal." Thus Bishop Danylak considers the opinions of the Italian episcopal conference as well as Cardinal Ratzinger regarding the publication to constitute "permission to publish, along with [their] prudent judgment".
↑ The article 831 (not 832) stipulates that the faithful cannot attack the Catholic Religion in the media. This is aimed at Bill Bilton.
↑ This applies to "persons in authority" (Dicasteries, Prelates, ...) but it is to be noted that Popes John Paul II and Francis have publicly made acts of repentance on diverse subjects intended to "purify memory". An innovative attitude.
↑ Bishop Danylak refers to Father Berti summoned to the Holy Office at the time of the second edition. Father Marco Giraudo, whom he met, was unaware of the interview with Pius XII and the support of several prelates in his entourage.

[1] The Church Santi Sergio e Bacco degli Ucraini (in French: Church Saints-Serge-et-Bacchus-of-the-Ukrainians) is a Roman Church located in the Monti district on the piazza Madonna dei Monti and dedicated to the martyrs Serge and Bacchus of Rasafa who died in 303 under orders of Emperor Maximian.

[2] Thus one can warn, but not forbid, which is what Bill Bilton ignores according to Bishop Danylak.

[3] See the specific article.

[4] These opinions provide a reading recommendation (to read it as a literary work) but issue no other doctrinal or moral judgment on the work.

[5] The article 823, paragraph 2 (not 4) attributes a universal dimension to the opinion of the Italian episcopal conference (CEI) and Cardinal Ratzinger.

[6] The article 830 paragraph 3 stipulates: "The censor must give his opinion in writing; if favorable, the Ordinary will grant permission to publish, along with his prudent judgment, mentioning his name as well as the date and place where the permission was given; if he refuses, the Ordinary will indicate to the author the reasons for refusal." Thus Bishop Danylak considers the opinions of the Italian episcopal conference as well as Cardinal Ratzinger regarding the publication to constitute "permission to publish, along with [their] prudent judgment".

[7] The article 831 (not 832) stipulates that the faithful cannot attack the Catholic Religion in the media. This is aimed at Bill Bilton.

[8] This applies to "persons in authority" (Dicasteries, Prelates, ...) but it is to be noted that Popes John Paul II and Francis have publicly made acts of repentance on diverse subjects intended to "purify memory". An innovative attitude.

[9] Bishop Danylak refers to Father Berti summoned to the Holy Office at the time of the second edition. Father Marco Giraudo, whom he met, was unaware of the interview with Pius XII and the support of several prelates in his entourage.

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