Msgr. Roman Danylak and Maria Valtorta

Coat of arms of Msgr. Roman Danylak

Born on December 29, 1930, in Toronto (Canada) and died on October 7, 2012, in the same city, he was Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for Eastern Canada.

Licensed in theology, he holds a doctorate in canon law obtained at the Pontifical Lateran University. As an expert, he later participated in the revision of the canon law concerning the Eastern Churches. He was based in Toronto where, at age 62, he became Apostolic Administrator of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church for all of Eastern Canada.

In August/September 1992, while still a simple priest in Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada), he published a lengthy article in which he refutes the criticisms made at the time against the work of Maria Valtorta and supports his favorable view of the work.

On June 24, 2001, having become Apostolic Administrator, he issued, with the full weight of his office, a "testimonial" for an English edition of the work, assuring of the complete conformity of the work with "the canonical Gospels, Tradition, and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church."

On February 13, 2002, he officially encouraged the consultation of a website dedicated to Maria Valtorta and her work, and reaffirmed its conformity with the Catholic faith. This "cyber-imprimatur" was a novelty. On this occasion, he mentioned that Cardinal Ratzinger "in private letters acknowledged that this work is free from errors in Doctrine or morals," but did not provide these private sources, which were identified recently.

"In Defense of the Poem" (1992)

In 1991, when he wrote this first manifesto published in 1992, Roman Danylak was still only a priest, but already had solid experience with Roman institutions: he had been for 17 years, from 1973 to 1990, a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for the revision of the canon law for the Eastern Churches. He was indeed a member of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, licensed in sacred theology from the Pontifical Urbanian University, and doctor in utroque jure from the Pontifical Lateran University. The result of this pontifical commission was published on October 10, 1990, by John Paul II.

In August/September 1992, this lengthy defense text of Maria Valtorta's work was published in "A Call to Peace", a Texan journal dealing with the Marian Apparitions of Medjugorje. Indeed, Father Philip Pavich, confessor and pilgrimage companion at Medjugorje, had published, following the invitation of the "Gospa" to read Maria Valtorta's work, a critique of that work which sowed confusion. Roman Danylak therefore took the opportunity to publish and justify his position on Maria Valtorta's work.

His public testimony is thus symptomatic of what could or could not be said about Maria Valtorta in circles close to the Vatican. In this document, it is noteworthy that he does not mention the 1985 letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal Siri and is unaware of its existence. In Rome, he would not have failed to hear about it as he demonstrates a fairly precise knowledge of the "Maria Valtorta dossier". It is therefore good that at this time, as confirmed by Emilio Pisani in an independent testimony, Maria Valtorta was no longer "persona non grata" at the Holy Office Palace and that her work was now considered a "good book".

Significantly, Roman Danylak was appointed bishop and apostolic administrator a few months later, in December. He would not have been appointed if he had been a promoter of a book still considered harmful and condemned.

Preface to "Gospel as revealed to me" by Maria Valtorta (2001)

In 2001, he prefaced the second English edition, previously known as The Poem of the Man-God and now under the title Gospel as revealed to me, thus joining the international usage. In this preface, he recalls all his public writings in support of the work which he recommends.

Refutation of EWTN's criticisms (2002)

In February 2002, Bill Bilton, a journalist of an American television channel located in Alabama, responded to a viewer's question about Maria Valtorta. The answer implies that Maria Valtorta's work is officially and definitively condemned as dangerous. He ends with the often-repeated advice by those who have neither read the 'work of Maria Valtorta nor the Magisterium texts that govern private revelations: "Catholics who want to learn about [the life of Jesus and His Mother] should dedicate their time to reading the Gospels or a good biography of Christ."

This attitude outraged Msgr. Danylak who responded to the channel arguing what he considered "a task and a stain on the good reputation and authority that EWTN rightly has among Catholic viewers, not to mention the absence of an investigation on the status of the question."

The imprimatur of Brother Chrysostome's website (2002)

Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, Kentucky, USA

Brother Chrysostome Castel (1938-2021), born in New Orleans, was a Trappist monk of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance (OCSO) based at Our Lady of Gethsemani Abbey. This abbey, which counts more than 70 monks, is located in the United States near Bardstown, Kentucky. It is considered the motherhouse of all Trappist houses in the United States. The writer Thomas Merton (1915-1968) lived there.

"Fr. Chrysostome, who devoted himself to the writings of the modern mystic Maria Valtorta, ran an internet site dedicated to her. He learned Italian specifically to read her works in the original language and translate them into English. He also knew French and Latin."

On January 13, 2002, Msgr. Roman Danylak published on his site the Nihil obstat and the imprimatur that he granted to him. These permissions thus concerned, it seems, for the first time the content of a website and not a printed work.

The tone is firm in relation to the "stone throwers" and dwells on recalling past errors of hasty censorship. It is in this document that he attests a letter stating "Cardinal Ratzinger acknowledged in private letters that this work is free from errors in Doctrine or morals. The Conference of Italian Bishops confirmed the same in correspondence with the current editor, Dr. Emilio Pisani." This attestation corroborates the events of 1991/1992 regarding Cardinal Ratzinger's changed position after reading the work.

Brother Chrysostome's site, following his death, is archived on the Wayback Machine.

"Maria Valtorta, Her Life and Work"

In this last document, published on his website and undated, Msgr. Roman Danylak synthesizes his pleas in defense of the work and more generally of the sanctity of Maria Valtorta. He summarizes the main arguments, notably those endorsing the "ecclesiastical approval" following the encouragement of Pius XII.

Notes and references

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.

• Website of Msgr. Roman Danylak.

In a Christian sense, study concerning God and divine things in the light of Revelation.

Legal code organizing the life of the Catholic Church and its members.

Authority in matters of faith and morals exercised over the Catholic faithful by the pope and all bishops in communion with the pope.

Person who is not religious or a non-religious affair.