Did the TLIG messages get a nihil obstat and imprimatur ?

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Update July 2008: Bishop who gave nihil obstat reveals that he knew he was going against Church law Click here

 

Several months ago, rumors started to circulate that the TLIG messages had received a nihil obstat and imprimatur. The information reached me from different sources and basically said that an official communication had been sent privately to the coordinators of local TLIG associations, stating that at the end of 2005, their books had been granted a nihil obstat by a bishop of India, and an imprimatur by a bishop of the Philippines. The communication precised that Vassula wished to maintain the information confidential and that the nihil obstat and imprimatur would be included in all the books printed or re-printed from that date on.

 Although I was sure of the reliability of my sources, I could not publish the information without some kind of confirmation. The confirmation arrived this morning (27/2/07) and it is official: the English edition of the True Life in God messages in a single book is published with the Nihil obstat from Bishop Felix Toppo, S.J., DD, Bishop of Jamshedpur, India, censor librorum and the Imprimatur from Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles, D.D., STL, Archbishop of Lipa, Philippines, dated November 28^th, 2005. The book bears the copy of a letter written by Bishop Toppo, which is reproduced hereunder:

 

TRUE LIFE IN GOD: DIVINE DIALOGUE

I have read all the TRUE LIFE IN GOD books and meditated on their contents. I truly believe that the books contain the Divine Dialogue of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady and the Angels with humankind through Vassula Ryden. I have not found anything objectionable and anything contrary to the Church’s authentic teaching authority on faith and morals. Reading these books and meditating on the contents are spiritually beneficial to all. I recommend the books to every Christian. 

Place: Gohmuri                                                  +Felix Toppo, S.J., DD

Date: 24^th November 2005                            Bishop of Jamshedpur, India

 

 

What are the nihil obstat and imprimatur?

I reproduce below extracts from the “Catholics United for the Faith” article on nihil obstat and imprimatur, which is one of the best available documents on Internet. I recommend the reading of the complete article: http://www.cuf.org/Faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=268

 In the Catholic Church, some types of writings need a bishop’s authorization to be published for use in Catholic instruction. The nihil obstat and imprimatur indicate that a writing has received that authorization. This means that, in the judgement of the bishop who grants the imprimatur, the work contains nothing contrary to faith and morals. However, the nihil obstat and imprimatur are not an endorsement and do not guarantee that the entire contents of a writing are true.

 Nihil obstat literally means “no impediments”. It is given by the censor librorum,   a person who is “appointed by the bishop of a diocese to examine before publication those writings or other media of communication that are subject to the Church’s supervision."

 Imprimatur means “Let it be printed”. A writing may be given the imprimatur by the local ordinary (generally the diocesan bishop) after the censor has given the nihil obstat.

 The nihil obstat and imprimatur are designed to ensure that those works that present the teachings of the Church do so correctly. They indicate that the bishop who has granted the imprimatur (or, as a practical matter, his censor on whom he must depend) sees nothing wrong with the writing as it concerns faith and morals. (…)

 The nihil obstat and imprimatur are not the equivalent of an endorsement or recommendation. They do not affirm that the whole of a work’s contents are true. Neither do the nihil obstat and imprimatur indicate that the censor or bishop necessarily agrees with the contents of a work. (…)

 We assume that our bishops act in good faith when they grant permission for a book to be published. Most go to great lengths to insure that no imprimatur is decided when one should not be. At the same time, there are several reasons why a Catholic would still want to carefully evaluate a publication bearing the nihil obstat and imprimatur: (…)

 Read complete article: http://www.cuf.org/Faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=268

 

Some comments and questions

 I do not doubt about Bishop Toppo’s nor Archbishop Arguelles’ sincerity. Both are long-time supporters of Vassula, have invited her in several occasions to their countries for her to speak to the laity and the clergy, and this in spite of the Notification which asked Bishops not to promote her in their dioceses. In fact, Archbishop Arguelles signed the foreword to the booklet “Clarifications with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith”, in which the reader is made to believe that the Notification is no longer valid (for details, see: www.infovassula.ch/tligchurchposition.htm)  

 Bishop Toppo states in his letter that he truly believes “that the books contain the Divine Dialogue of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady and the Angels with humankind through Vassula Ryden”. He is in fact affirming that he believes the supernatural origine of the messages. This is his opinion, which we respect, but the nihil obstat and imprimatur cannot be used to authorize nor approve a private revelation.

Therefore, my questions are: 

What is the scope of a nihil obstat and imprimatur given by a Catholic bishop to a Greek-Orthodox author who does not reside in his diocese and who has been the object of warnings from the Catholic Church as well as the Greek-Orthodox Church representatives regarding precisely the writings in question ?

 

Vassula’s published writings are a revised version of the messages she receives. In fact, as made public by Fr. Pavic and then reported by several authors who interviewed him, Vassula has two sets of notebooks: the private one and the public one. Vassula explained that the private notebook contains also personal messages. Therefore, “God” re-writes his messages (without the private contents) on the second set of official notebooks to be published. However, this re-writing – as Fr. Pavic discovered – involved a lot of re-editing in order to wipe out mistakes and re-phrase paragraphs, and that all was not done by “God”. Fr. Pavic in fact got access to the notebooks to be published, and they were covered with marginal notes about what to erase and what to add, and even what to correct. So, how can people judge if the messages Vassula receives are from God, if they are judging on an edited and corrected version of the original messages ? (1)

 

Is it prudent to give a nihil obstat and imprimatur to a book whose writer claims that the author of the writings is God and that therefore the book contains the “words of God” ? That whoever criticizes the writings is committing mortal sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit ? (2) That whoever reads the messages receives a “new baptism of the Spirit” ? (3) That if somebody does not obey Vassula's directives, he/she is accused of being possessed by an evil spirit (the spirit of Jezabel)? And I could go on…

 

I know that a nihil obstat and imprimatur only reflect the opinion of the bishop who issues them, and that those authorizations have been sometimes given to very controversial books and that imprimaturs have also been removed by the Vatican. However, I am worried about the ongoing confusion that it will unavoidably fuel.

 

Maria Laura Pio

February 28, 2007 (revised July 2008)

www.infovassula.ch

 

Notes:

(1) See Fr. Dermine's article including photocopies of the edited notebooks: http://www.infovassula.ch/dermine2.htm

(2) See:  www.infovassula.ch/tligmortalsin.htm  

(3) In an open letter written by Vassula and titled "Vassula writes about Signs and Wonders", published in the TLIG e-Newsletter of December 14th, 2006. Vassula affirms: "The Lord tells us that by reading [the messages] we receive anointed graces, we receive a new baptism of the Spirit". (http://www.tlig.org/en/news/2006-12-14/2021/)