The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has reiterated that the writings of Italian author Maria Valtorta should not be regarded as having a supernatural origin. In a press release issued on March 4, but dated February 22, the DDF stated that any passages suggesting otherwise should be considered literary devices used by the author.
Maria Valtorta, an Italian laywoman, is known for her five-volume work, The Poem of the Man-God, which she claimed was based on visions and dictations received from Jesus and Mary between 1943 and 1947. However, the Vatican has historically maintained a cautious stance on her work. The latest DDF statement affirms that her alleged revelations cannot be considered supernatural and should be seen simply as a narrative constructed in her own way to depict the life of Christ.
The DDF explained that the Church does not accept apocryphal gospels or similar texts as normative because they are not divinely inspired. Instead, the Church upholds the authority of the canonical Gospels.
Valtorta’s work has had a complicated relationship with the Vatican. In 1959, The Poem of the Man-God was placed on the Index of Prohibited Books, just before the index was abolished in 1966. Despite this, the book has remained popular among many readers, including some clergy members.
Pope Pius XII reportedly read the work and encouraged its publication in 1948, although no official ecclesiastical approval was granted. Later, in 1983, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then-prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, stated that the book’s alleged visions and messages were merely literary constructs and not of supernatural origin. This position has been reaffirmed by the Vatican multiple times, including in the recent DDF statement.
The book has drawn both strong support and significant criticism. While figures such as Pope St. Paul VI, Blessed Gabriele Allegra, and St. Teresa of Calcutta reportedly appreciated Valtorta’s writings, scholars and theologians have pointed out numerous theological and historical inaccuracies.
American academic Sandra Miesel has identified several critical errors in Valtorta’s descriptions. These include anachronistic practices such as Jesus undergoing a bar mitzvah, which did not exist at the time, and the use of terms such as “Jehovah” and “Christian” in historically inaccurate contexts. Miesel also pointed out anti-Semitic elements in the text, further questioning its credibility.
Additionally, in 1981, two alleged visionaries from Medjugorje claimed that the Virgin Mary endorsed The Poem of the Man-God, a claim that has never been officially recognized by the Church.
The DDF’s statement comes almost a year after the Vatican introduced new norms for evaluating supernatural apparitions. The revised process includes a six-tiered evaluation system rather than the previous binary approach. The new system ranges from complete rejection of supernatural claims to a nihil obstat, which allows for pastoral promotion without doctrinal endorsement.
Furthermore, the Vatican is considering new canonical classifications for “false mysticism” and “spiritual abuse.” Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the DDF’s prefect, noted in a 2024 letter to the Pope that the Church is examining ways to address mystical claims that are used to manipulate or control believers.
Despite the repeated clarifications from the Vatican, The Poem of the Man-God continues to have a dedicated following. In 2021, Archbishop Paolo Giuletti of Lucca, Valtorta’s local diocese, spoke at a conference commemorating her work, reflecting the ongoing interest in her writings.
While the Vatican has not issued a formal doctrinal condemnation of The Poem of the Man-God, the DDF’s latest statement makes clear that the Church does not recognize it as divinely inspired. As such, readers are encouraged to approach the work with discernment, keeping in mind the Church’s official stance on its supernatural claims.