On February 22, 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) issued an official statement concerning the writings of Maria Valtorta, marking the first Vatican commentary on her work since 1992. Contrary to many misconceptions, the statement does not declare that her writings lack a supernatural origin, nor does it prohibit, ban, or censure reading or personally believing in their divine inspiration. Catholics remain fully free to read, promote, and personally believe in the supernatural inspiration of Valtorta’s works without sin or disobedience. For a detailed breakdown of the 2025 statement and its implications, see: Maria Valtorta and the 2025 Vatican Statement: Clarifying Myths, Facts & Supernatural Status.
This recent statement continues a long history of Church oversight and approval of the publication and reading of Valtorta’s main work, The Gospel as Revealed to Me (also known as The Poem of the Man-God). Multiple bishops and ecclesiastical authorities have thoroughly examined her writings and declared them free of error in faith and morals, including through written imprimaturs and episcopal letters of endorsement.
Of particular singificance, Venerable Pope Pius XII personally reviewed Valtorta’s writings, ordered their publication, and resisted efforts to have them condemned. After her death, Maria Valtorta’s body was transferred in 1973 to the Basilica of the Santissima Annunziata in Florence, with world-renowned mariologist Fr. Gabriel Roschini presiding over her funeral Mass. Bishop Giulietti, the bishop of Maria Valtorta’s diocese and responsible for her cause, has celebrated the anniversary of her death with increasingly favorable homilies, noting: “What she writes, in certain parts, cannot simply be of natural origin.”
In a more recent development, in response to a submission by Professor Liberato di Caro (see his interview at 1:03:00), Fr. Ernesto Zucchini and the Maria Valtorta Foundation received from the Vatican Secretariat of State a letter signed by Pope Francis, dated February 24, 2024: “I encourage you to continue with enthusiasm your mission to make known the life of Maria Valtorta and her literary work, and all that it can offer for the good of the Church and society. Onward!”
Other notable events in the Church’s affirmation of Valtorta’s work include the Holy Office’s 1961 permission to publish, according to the testimony of Fr. Berti, who dealt directly with the Holy Office at that time. Later, in 1992, Cardinal Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, also gave permission for her work to be published.
In a letter dated May 6, 1992 (Prot. N. 324-92) addressed to Dr. Emilio Pisani, the publisher of Valtorta’s works, Bishop Dionigi Tettamanzi, Secretary to the Italian Episcopal Conference, confirmed that the work could continue to be published “for the true good of readers and in the spirit of the genuine service to the faith of the Church” (Pro e contro Maria Valtorta, 5th Edition, 2008, pp. 263–265). Dr. Pisani observes:
Our comment immediately points to the conclusion that the Work of Maria Valtorta does not contain errors or inaccuracies concerning faith and morals; otherwise Monsignor Tettamanzi would have asked the Publisher to correct or eliminate such specific errors or inaccuracies “for the true good of readers.” Monsignor Tettamanzi did not even ask that any form of expression that declares the supernatural origin of the Work be corrected, because he maintained that the only declaration that the Publisher had to make at the beginning of the volumes would be enough “for the true good of readers,” and to act “in the spirit of an authentic service to the faith of the Church”: thereby signifying that the content of the Work is sound. In fact, the Church has condemned books that are contrary to faith and morals and which did not claim to be a revelation or even inspired at all. Approved in content and exonerated in its form. This is how we can sum up the latest position taken by the Ecclesiastical Authority on Maria Valtorta’s Work. Such a position was confirmed verbally to the publisher, Emilio Pisani, in the Palace of the Holy Office at the Vatican, 30 June 1992. On that occasion, he learned that the letter of the Secretary General of the CEI [Italian Episcopal Conference] had been suggested by an office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as it had been decided “on High” that the Work of Maria Valtorta could be read by everyone “like a good book.”
Note that in each country, it was the secretary of the episcopal conference who transmitted the official position of the Church on such works. Regardless of the reason that the first edition was placed on the Index, the placement of the first edition on the Index of Forbidden Books was effectively nullified by those who approved the second and subsequent editions. Her writings cannot be considered condemned or forbidden for contemporary Catholics. For further details, see: JCL Thesis: The Current Juridic and Moral Value of the Index of Forbidden Books (with Maria Valtorta Case Study).Pope Paul VI showed obvious signs of favor towards Valtorta’s work by issuing a letter of congratulations and blessing (N. 250075) to world-renowned mariologist, Fr. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M., for his 395-page mariological study of Valtorta’s writings which he sent to the Holy Father. Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology), wrote:
The extensive Mariology contained in The Poem was also the subject of a 400-page study written by arguably the greatest Italian mariologist of the twentieth century and Consultor of the Holy Office, Rev. Gabriel Roschini, O.S.M. In a letter of January 17, 1974, Father Roschini received the congratulations of Pope Paul VI for his work entitled, The Virgin Mary in the Writings of Maria Valtorta. The letter from the Secretary of State notes, "The Holy Father thanks you wholeheartedly for this new testimony of your respectful regards and wishes you to receive from your labor the consolation of abundant spiritual benefits." Neither the papal benediction granted by Pope Paul VI nor the papal congratulations issued through the Secretary of State would have been granted to a text based on a series of private revelations which were "forbidden" or declared "doctrinally erroneous" by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Maria Valtorta’s work or parts of her work have also received imprimaturs from multiple bishops, and Bishop Roman Danylak, S.T.L., J.U.D., issued a letter of endorsement of the English translation of The Poem of the Man-God. (Note that he has a License in Sacred Theology and Doctorates in both Canon Law and Civil Law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome). The conclusion of his letter states: “This major work of Maria Valtorta, The Poem of the Man-God, is in perfect consonance with the canonical Gospels, with the traditions and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.” Bishop Roman Danylak also wrote:“I have studied The Poem in depth, not only in its English translation, but in the original Italian edition with the critical notes of Fr. Berti. I affirm their theological soundness, and I welcome the scholarship of Fr. Berti and his critical apparatus to the Italian edition of the works. I have further studied in their original Italian the Quaderni or The Notebooks of Maria Valtorta for the years from 1943 to 1950. And I want to affirm the theological orthodoxy of the writings of Maria Valtorta.”
Furthermore, if Maria Valtorta’s work contained an error against faith or morals or was condemned by the Church, most faithful Catholics would be inclined to think that the Magisterium wouldn’t beatify or canonize individuals who have been known to publicly read and support her work such as Fr. Gabriel Allegra, O.F.M. (beatified in 2012), who wrote extensively in favor of her writings; Mother Maria Inés Teresa of the Most Blessed Sacrament (beatified in 2012), who avidly read Valtorta’s work and sent her writings to her 35 missionary houses around the world; and Mother Teresa of Calcutta (canonized in 2016), about whom Fr. Leo Maasburg has testified that she carried Valtorta’s work with her during her travels, and that she read it and recommended him also to read it. There is also evidence that Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (canonized in 2002), Pope Pius XII (declared Venerable in 2009), and George La Pira (declared a Servant of God in the 1980s) also approved of Maria Valtorta’s work.In his video released on March 12, 2025, Dr. Mark Miravalle, S.T.L., S.T.D. (Licentiate and Doctor of Sacred Theology), addresses the question of faith in the supernatural character of The Poem of the Man-God, even in light of the 2025 Vatican statement. He says, "Does that mean that one can personally retain a faith on a private level in the supernatural character of it? Of course! The Church doesn't dictate that. We can certainly personally believe that The Poem is of a supernatural origin." (22:43 through 23:50) Again later he emphasizes that personal beliefs about the supernatural origin of The Poem may be retained, "We can personally continue, as I will personally continue, to believe in the supernatural character of The Poem of the Man-God". (24:28 through 24:35) He also affirms: "It's very clear that the statement of the DDF does not prohibit reading The Poem." (25:40 through 25:45) See our article for more details: Maria Valtorta and the 2025 Vatican Statement: Clarifying Myths, Facts & Supernatural Status.
Further details and documentation regarding the things discussed on this web page can be found in the chapter of this e-book entitled, “Statements and Actions of the Popes, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the Holy Office), and the Vatican Newspaper on Maria Valtorta’s Primary Work”.