Eugenia Elisabetta Ravasio - Private Revelations - Approval and Controversies

Approval and Controversies

Mother Eugenia Ravasio's messages were approved by Bishop Alexander Caillot of Grenoble, who was mentioned in the messages. Bishop Caillot ordered an investigation, and after ten years issued a letter stating that the messages had a divine nature. In 1988 the messages received the imprimatur of Cardinal Petrus Canisius Van Lierde, Vicar General for the Vatican City State, whose general duties were the administration of daily functions of Vatican City. The imprimatur signified that in the Cardinal's opinion the messages contain nothing against faith and morals, but not certifying that the messages were received from God the Father. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Holy See, which is the official authority for approving private revelations on behalf of the Catholic Church has not approved Mother Ravasio's messages as authentic, nor issued an opinion on them.

As in all other private revelations, Catholics in general are not required to believe the messages of Mother Eugenia Ravasio. The decision about the authenticity of private revelations is left to the conscience of each individual Catholic. Thus despite the approval letter and the imprimatur, some Catholic writers point to a number of specific doctrinal errors within the messages of Mother Eugenia Ravasio.

Given that the Catechism of the Catholic Church #239 specifically states that "God is neither man nor woman: he is God", some writers reason that the reported message that God the Father desired his image as an icon to be used in worship contradicts the Catholic teachings that God the Father is invisible and formless.

Other Catholic writers have viewed some of Mother Ravasio's messages as heretical, e.g. the message stating that "a person can achieve eternal salvation, with certainty, merely by calling God by the name 'Father,' even only one time". The argument asserting the heretical nature of this statement relies on the assertion that this promise ignores and rejects all tradition, scripture, and the teachings of the Magisterium (e.g. cf.) on the subject of salvation.

It can be very controversial what criteria is used to determine heresy and who has the authority to do so. In the Roman Catholic Church, heresy is defined as: "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same;

The Roman Catholic Church to which Mother Eugenia belonged did not declare Mother Eugenia's writings heresy, so this is not a controversy in the Church. Two bishops provided imprimaturs which state their opinion that the writings are of no danger to faith and morals.