Visions Approved For Faith Expression: Our Lady of Belpasso, Italy

"When Mary speaks of the rosary, and recommends it as a very efficacious prayer, she hands it forward, and then she lifts it a little. Interpretation: She seems to present the rosary as an anchor of salvation, or as a powerful means to relieve the souls of everyday problems, or to raise them to the supernatural realities, or as a chain of love which ties men to God."

These are the words of a humble man named Rosario Toscano in Belpasso, Italy. He is describing the Blessed Virgin Mary as she appeared to him during visions that began on May 11, 1986 when he was fifteen years old, and occurred thirty two times more until May 1, 1988. Mary has promised him a thirty third vision for an unspecified future date. The messages bear many similarities to the Fatima apparitions, including the Blessed Virgin holding out her hands to cause the ground to open up, allowing the seer a vision of the abyss of hell. 

Like Fatima, a series of secrets were revealed. On March 1, 1987, the Blessed Virgin revealed twelve secrets to Rosario. Two of them are personal messages for Rosario, and ten are for mankind. Of these secrets, Rosario has stated (translated from Italian), "Many have asked themselves whether these disagreeable events are to be very sorrowful. Just know that I cried for weeks, and maybe I wouldn't have peace anymore if the heart of our Mother hadn't consoled me and the Grace of our Lord hadn't assisted me."

The secrets involve two major time frames; the time of mercy and the time of justice. Although it seems God has set a plan for the events, Rosario has stated that, through prayer and penance, they may be mitigated (lessened). According to him, "God gives men the capacity to purify themselves through a life of penance, sacrifice, fasting, and especially recourse to sacraments and prayer." Rosario is to give his Bishop a warning in writing of each secret in advance of their occurring. Mary has requested from us, "Prayer, reparation, penitence."

The Archbishop of Catania, His Excellency Luigi Bonmarito, has referred to Rosario as, "The clean boy of Belpasso." ("Jesus" magazine, 1989). In an interview,  the Bishop has also spoken about the humility of Rosario, and how his desire was for people to seek out the Holy Mother and not himself. It gave him joy when people went to the apparition site to speak to Mary, and not seek him out.

On May 1, 2000 the Archbishop has blessed the statue of "Our Lady of the Belpasso Rock" and has consecrated the chapel built as a Marian sanctuary, attaching to it the Jubilee indulgence. Thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine, especially on the first of each month when they pray the rosary, priests hear confessions, and then all participate in the Holy Mass. This apparition site has been approved by the Bishop for faith expression.

 To read more about Rosario's beautiful description of our Holy Mother and her urgent messages for our time, Click Here: The Apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Belpasso, Italy

Thank you Pope Benedict XVI

Maria Divine Mercy, Schism! A Deception of Satan (With link to an audioinverview of the seer)

UPDATED

The Maria Divine Mercy messages are fomenting SCHISM and they are a deception of Satan! The messages started in 2010, and I discovered them on the Internet early in 2012. Being unsure of the messages coupled with my love of the Holy Catholic Church, I began a long journey of discovery through prayer, reading and listening especially to clergy and theologians, and comparing messages to Catholic doctrine. The list below continues to grow as I have bullet pointed solid arguments against the truth of these messages below.


OFFICIAL WORD ON MARIA DIVINE MERCY BY THE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN under whose jurisdiction Maria Divine Mercy resides:

The Archbishop of Dublin has spoken out that the MDM messages are to be avoided by Catholics.  Her messages are officially condemned! 

The statement:

STATEMENT OF ARCHDIOCESE OF DUBLIN

ON THE ALLEGED VISIONARY “MARIA DIVINE MERCY”

Requests for clarification have been coming to the Archdiocese of Dublin concerning the authenticity of alleged visions and messages received by a person who calls herself “Maria Divine Mercy” and who may live in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin wishes to state that these messages and alleged visions have no ecclesiastical approval and many of the texts are in contradiction with Catholic theology.

These messages should not be promoted or made use of within Catholic Church associations.

 The source:  Click here: Statement against MDM by the Archbishop of Dublin

Opinions of other bishops, priests, and theologians: 

• The Slovakian Conference of Bishops has condemned the Maria Divine Mercy messages as heretical. To read the full letter and an English translation, click HERE.
• Bishop Andreas Laun, Auxiliary Bishop of Salzburg, Austria warns Catholics against the MDM messages. English translation, original text, and link to original article are HERE
• Archbishop Coleridge of Brisbane in Australia has put out a letter warning Catholics against following or distributing the false messages of MDM. View the letter HERE
• The Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia has issued a warning to the faithful to its parishes about the Maria Divine Mercy messages. Article posting inquiry of full text HERE
• Bishop Fabbro of the London diocese, (ON) Canada put out a warning against MDM in all local church bulletins. Here is the text:
  “Bishop Fabbro has been asked concerning a meeting about Maria Divine Mercy which is to take place at a house in Corunna on August 15, 2013.”
  
  “Maria of Divine Mercy is a woman who chooses to remain anonymous and has made claims of alleged privation revelations. Bishop Fabbro warns Catholics of the diocese that Maria of Divine Mercy has not received the Church’s approval. Indeed, Catholic bishops who have studied her teachings have declared that they are heretical and have forbidden priests to be involved with or cooperate in matters associated with Maria of Divine Mercy. Her prophecies contain material that is both false and contrary to Catholic teaching. The faithful should know that adhering to her teachings can result in grave sin.”
  
  “Bishop Fabbro warns Catholics that they should not be involved with Maria of Divine Mercy nor should they give credence to her messages.” 
• Archbishop Jan Graubner of Olomouc, Czech Republic, warned that the consequences of messages can be 'devilish' and speculates that the person who writes the messages might be someone who 'is very clever and evil, someone who wants to harm the Church." Full text in Czech http://ow.ly/Hy32X
• "On 13 December last, Bishop Anthony Fisher, of Parramatta, issued the following statement: “Many of you might have received email or other communications from a woman who goes by the name of ‘Maria Divine Mercy’.
  
  Supposedly, she is a seer in receipt of private revelations from the Holy Trinity, Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She runs a website called ‘The Warning’, the subject matter of which relates to the end of the world and Christ’s Second Coming.
  
  “The messages and ‘revelations’ of Maria Divine Mercy contain theological positions that do not conform to the Catholic Church’s teachings, Scripture or Tradition. There are also historical errors. There is also a persistent animus towards various aspects of Church leadership, for example, the messages and ‘revelations’ regarding the supposedly illegitimate papal ministry of Pope Francis.
  
  “Maria Divine Mercy’s messages enjoy no ecclesiastical support or approval. The faithful should not take seriously the messages of Maria Divine Mercy. No support should be given to the dissemination of these messages or ‘revelations’ or associated material in the diocese of Parramatta.” Source: The Catholic Weekly, Australia
• Karl Keating, founder and President of the reputable organization, "Catholic Answers" says, "I have taken a look at the Maria Divine Mercy’s website, and it didn’t take but a minute to discover that this seer is fake and her messages contrary to the Church." He adds, "You need to back away from this spurious seer--and pronto." Read his opinion HERE: Catholic.com Blog
• Dr. Mark Miravalle, Professor of Theology and Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville says, "Ironically, the alleged message predicts an upcoming schism in the Church. This could well become a self-fulfilling prophecy, a Satanic goal and strategy, which could result, in some part, from the following of extremely dangerous and materially schismatic messages such as those promulgated by 'Maria Divine Mercy.'" Read his full analysis of the messages HERE: New Advent Blog
• Jimmy Akin, journalist for the National Catholic Register, says of Maria Divine Mercy, "[Maria Divine Mercy] is an anonymous, unapproved seer whose prophecies contain material that is both demonstrably false and contrary to Catholic teaching regarding the future. Furthermore, to adhere to her prophecies can result in the grave sin and canonical crime of schism." Read the rest of his opinion HERE: National Catholic Register
• According to an article in the Irish magazine "Alive!", Catholic priest Father Owen Gorman writes why this cannot be an apparition from God. Scroll down (pdf) to page 10: Alive! Magazine, March 2012 OR click on the image of the article at the bottom of this posting and magnify to read it. Thank you to "Anonymous" commenter for finding this article.
• Father John Hogan OCDS has written an article warning against these messages, "I would ask all Catholics to stay clear of this woman and her 'messages'.  For one thing we cannot establish her credentials.  When the Church examines the authenticity of any supernatural events or revelations she examines the alleged seers because their lives and integrity are part of the investigation." Read the rest of his article HERE: Ex Umbris Et Imaginibus Blog
• Father John Corrigan of Ballarat, Australia warns about Maria Divine Mercy HERE and a second article HERE 
• Father Angel Sotelo of the Diocese of Fresno states, "For the reasons listed...and not even counting the theological errors which are said to exist in her messages, they should in my opinion be dismissed and not given even the pious or human faith given to an approved private revelation." He outlines his full opinion HERE and a second part HERE.
• According to the Eternal Word Television Network, "The judgment that an alleged apparition has been shown to be not supernatural means it is either clearly not miraculous or lacks sufficient signs of the miraculous. Private revelation, for example, which is doctrinally dangerous or which manifests hostility to lawful authority could not come from God. It could even be demonic, especially if there are extraordinary signs accompanying it. The devil gladly mingles truth and lie to deceive the faithful, dazzling them with signs and wonders to give credence to his message. His purpose is to separate them from the Church, either by getting them to believe things contrary to the deposit of the faith or to act contemptuously of Church authority. An attitude of pride and judgment toward the Church is a clear sign of his presence.
• According to Richard Salbato of Unity Publishing, "A sure sign of a demonically-inspired seer is their seeking self-profit, glory and power over GOD's." On her website, "Maria" is selling volumes of the messages. The second volume is set to come out and they are presently taking pre-orders. There is no bishop approval on these writings. Where is the money going? Richard Salbato has an excellent article on discerning the spirits. This is a good, long checklist by which all supposed apparitions can be measured: Testing The Spirit
• OTHER DISCUSSION:
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• Without the approval of the Holy See, the handlers of the Maria Divine Mercy messages held "Book of Truth Seminars" to, in their words, "give a broad overview of what the messages are telling us about the direction of our Church and our world. help the establishment of centres of prayer and distribution, with a view to an even more important role in difficult times ahead." They have done tours of Australia and the United States to spread their propaganda It appears the promoters are actively moving toward a SCHISM.
• The compiled messages are claimed to be "The Book of Truth", an addition to the Book of Revelations in Sacred Scripture. This is patently false! Catholics are to follow the Magisterium of the church which has as its source the completed, sealed Gospel and Sacred Tradition. Sacred Tradition is Catholic doctrine based on prayerful discernment of the Gospel by the Pope, cardinals, and bishops throughout generations ever since the founding of the Holy Catholic Church by Jesus Christ Himself. It is heresy to claim a private revelation can add to or complete Sacred Scripture. Maria Divine Mercy and her followers often refer to her book of false messages called, "The Book of Truth" as his Sacred Words, the Word or Scripture. This is heresy!
• In an audio interview from 2011, the seer claims to have seen God the Father, and says she was surprised to see there were three beings because she didn't know about the Blessed Trinity. How can this be, since nobody is allowed to be in the Beatific Vision (able to see God), unless their soul has been completely purified whether here on earth (a saint!) or through the fires of Purgatory. A person who isn't even aware of the basic doctrine of Trinity certainly has not yet achieved saint status and therefore can NOT see God.
• "Maria Divine Mercy" says these messages are URGENT. If they are urgent, she'd be anxious for her local Bishop to approve them. In her radio interview she claims her bishop "dismissed" the messages. Should this be enough for her not to promote them as she does?
• Before the election of Pope Francis in the valid Conclave of Cardinals, Maria Divine Mercy's messages referred to the next pope after Benedict as the coming "false prophet."  Before as well as after his election, he has also been also referred to as, "imposter," "false prophet,"  "evil" who infiltrated the church, the one who "stole the seat (sic)  of Peter,"  "abomination," and worse.  This is to cause Catholics to mistrust the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which is  a sure sign that Satan is in the works. Now that Pope Francis is our Holy Father, MDM followers on social media sites like Facebook are going out of their way to find twisted and skewed articles about his words from less-than-trustworthy news sources to try and "prove" he is the false prophet.  They have expressed a desire for his short pontificate and even for his death.  For a Catholic to actively and persistently reject an acting Pontiff is to violate the Code of Canon Law # 751 which leads to automatic excommunication.  An added note: Although the church has had her ups and downs, the Holy Catholic Church was instituted by Jesus Himself and He promised us, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it!" The messages want people to break away from the Holy Catholic Church which is the fount of truth and light.
• Here are actual Maria Divine Mercy messages from right after the election of Pope Francis in the valid Conclave of Cardinals.  3/13/13 "I have not appointed this person, who claims to come in My Name," 3/14/13 "...the imposter, who sits on the throne in My Church on earth, does not come from Me," "The time for the schism to be laid bare is close, and already, a terrible unease is being felt in Rome," 3/15/13, "You must pray for all those who run the Catholic Church. Please include the man who sits in the Chair of Peter...Pray that he will accept the Truth of the death of my Son on the Cross," (How insulting and brash that this message claims Pope Francis does not accept the death of Jesus!), "So infested are they, those who roam the corridors of Rome, that the biggest sign will be seen in the chaos, which will ensue, as they adhere to the command of the imposter," 3/19/13, "Masonic sects infiltrate the Church in Rome. Make no mistake – there can only be one pope in one lifetime, "...soon, all will see the subtle acts and the sly gestures of those false imposters who preside over My Throne in Rome, for they amount to sacrilege," 3/21/13 "The time for the division is soon and you must prepare." -~-All of these messages are encouraging a schism. The targets for these messages appear to be traditional Catholics . There have already been traditionalist schisms in past decades since Vatican II, and Satan seems to be encouraging another one. Adding fuel to the fire is the mainstream media that has written articles based on bad translations of his homilies, and exaggerated comments that he has made, for example, claiming that Pope Francis said atheists are "saved,"  which is a complete misunderstanding of what he actually said. (For those of you still curious, Pope Francis said that all mankind is REDEEMED, even atheists.  Redemption does not mean salvation. They are different words with different meanings. Jesus did redeem all of mankind when He suffered and died on the cross. However, it is up to each and every one of us to work toward salvation by following the ways of Christ.)
• The Maria Divine Mercy messages are rife with doctrinal errors, Scritpural contradictions, self-contradictions, and simply stated, bad grammar.  An example of an error is the message on 3/22/13, the Friday before Holy Week, MDM followers were requested to fast all week, and END the fast at 3:30 on Good Friday, "My dearly beloved daughter, I desire that all of My followers conduct a time of fasting from next Monday until 15:30 hours (03:30 PM) on Good Friday." However, our faith teaches that we are required to fast all day on Good Friday!  Here, MDM has Catholics breaking their fast on the very day we commemorate and mourn Jesus's suffering and death! Satan is laughing.
• Would a visionary have to retract or revise a message?  Thank you to a Miraculous Rosary Blog commenter who noticed this new MDM message retracting the previous fasting message, "please (sic) note that there was a typographical error in the message dated 22 March 2013 entitled 'I desire that all of My Followers conduct a time of fasting from next Monday until 15.30 hours on Good Friday' The last line should read 'If you do not wish to endure this suffering, I will grant you great blessings and ask that you continue with Me on My journey to awaken the world from its slumber and so I can lift the veil of deceit which covers it.' admin team" My blog commenter amusingly added, "I guess Jesus realized that he went too far this time."       I have seen MDM messages edited, changed, and even deleted.  In one example, I distinctly remember reading "jesus" telling his followers to "hoard" food.  Later, I went back to find that message to demonstrate why the messages are false, and the word "hoard" was gone.  No approved seer in history has made mistakes in grammar or semantics. How could he or she?  The messages come directly from heaven and are infused not only into the ears of the seer, but also the hearts and souls! 
• On the website you can download a paper certificate called, "Seal of the Living God" which promises God's protection for your entire family from now up until Jesus comes again if you accept the seal by praying a particular prayer. The certificate was designed from a stock photo image of a seal by commercial artist who admits he had no divine inspiration when he created it.  On a social media site, he even admitted to getting paid for it!  God's divine plan for the salvation of mankind through His Son Jesus Christ was clearly laid out in the Gospels. There are no "new" revelations.  Second, it is explained quite clearly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that the "Seal" being referred to in Sacred Scripture is the seal of our BAPTISM!  This is a seal that can't smear if it gets wet, blow away in the wind, or get lost on a messy desk. Once Catholics are baptised, our souls carry the indelible Seal of God forever. 
• In her 2011 audio interview, she called 2011 the year of purification, and said that the chastisement would come in about a year. Right now it is February, 2013 and we haven't even had the "Warning" yet, which is supposed to come before the "Chastisement". This inaccuracy alone proves false the messages. Plus, Our Lord and Our Holy Mother have never, in any approved apparition, set a date for a future apocalyptic event.
• Early in the messages, "Maria Divine Mercy" claims she was being awakened by God at 3 a.m. In her own words, she asked him not to wake her up at 3 anymore. Nobody who has the privilege of being in the presence of God, Jesus, or Mary would desire or even DARE to change heaven's schedule! Nor would he or she want to! 
• Maria Divine Mercy states that she felt tired and drained after the apparitions.  The only ones who claim to feel "drained" are occult mediums after they perform "healings" or communications with the "spirit world."  
• At the time of her apparitions, she says she was a lapsed Catholic, bordering on agnostic. She was a very busy career woman who had no time for God. In her words, a "high flyer." I understand that God can chose whoever He wants, but Jesus warned us that Satan will deceive even the elect. Many great saints lived in fear of being deceived by Satan. Bernadette Soubirous of Lourdes wasn't sure if the apparition of Mary was a deception, and she threw holy water at her to make sure! Satan appeared to other saints looking exactly like Jesus, and each had their own way of discerning the deception. If these holy people couldn't always tell the difference, then how in the world does a lapsed Catholic, agnostic, who wasn't even aware of the Holy Trinity "know" this is really Jesus speaking and not just Satan in disguise?
• In the messages, there is a constant current of Jesus and Mary complaining about the messages not being believed by people. Did Mary complain when the Bishop of Lourdes didn't believe Bernadette? Did she complain when the Bishop of Fatima didn't believe Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco? No. She encouraged their obedience to the church, even if it meant they weren't allowed to come out to the apparition sites during her planned visits. God is always in control.

2011 audio interview of "Maria Divine Mercy". Thank you to my sister-in-law for finding this: Radio Interview with "seer" Maria Divine Mercy

Update:  MDM's radio interview transcribed into writing; read while you listen


There are many references from approved seers throughout history about being cautious of anything that attempts to make Catholics turn away from the Catholic Church. For example, here are the words of the amazing seer Hildegard regarding the Minor Chastisement, "After the birth of Antichrist heretics will preach their false doctrines undisturbed, resulting in Christians having doubts about their holy Catholic faith...at that period when antichrist shall be born, there will be many wars and right order shall be destroyed on earth. Heresy will be rampant and the heretics will preach their errors openly without restraint. Even among Christians doubt and scepticism will be entertained concerning the beliefs of Catholicism."

Jesus warned us that in these days there would be numerous false prophets, some so clever as to deceive even the elect. One thing is certain, it doesn't hurt us to ignore private revelations altogether, and instead immerse ourselves in the truth of the Gospel and the rich teachings of the Church. If we follow the blueprint Jesus laid out for us before He ascended into heaven, we have no need of further "revelations".

We should try not to chase butterflies in the tangled forest while neglecting the beautiful ones we already have in our own gardens! And while you're there....Plant a rosary every day!  

Stop chasing apparitions and embrace the profundity of the mundane!

Article in March 2012 "Alive!" Magazine. Click on the photo and magnify on your computer to read.

Updates:

Important update, May 12, 2013: The MDM fake message writers saw the post above and put out a new message TODAY but dated May 10 that begins, "Those who have not been given My Holy Word, including those countries where I Am condemned, are the first souls I must reach out to. Through no fault of their own, they have been reared from birth to deny God, the Maker and Creator of all that is. I will strive to convert them through this Mission and promise that once they are shown the Truth, during The Warning, that they will be drawn into My Mercy quickly. I will never forsake those who have been deceived, through false doctrines, for they are helpless and are in need of My Love and Mercy." ~~~Here is their big mistake, and PROOF their messages are being written by PEOPLE trying to start a new schism church: THE LETTER FROM THE SLOVAKIAN BISHOPS IS DATED FROM NOVEMBER, 2012 - A FULL SIX MONTHS AGO! Why didn't the "message from jesus" come out back in November or December? Instead, their message "coincidentally" comes out on the third day after my May 9th update and other postings (on this blog and Facebook page "Maria Divine Mercy - True or False") that presented the Letter of Condemnation of the MDM movement by the Conference of Slovakian Bishops. RUN from this false movement! They are also trying to indoctrinate children with a youth group Facebook page. In addition, they are calling out for people in the U.S. to volunteer as leaders to start prayer groups in their areas. Please be aware to tell your parish priests and bishops to NOT allow this false movement to grow!