Page 10 - True Life in God Anniversary Magazine

T R U E L I F E I N G O D
10
Cardinal
Telesphore
Toppo
Ranji, India
President of
the Bishops
Conference
The photo above was taken in Ephesus,
Turkey, in 2007 as the Cardinal spoke to
a group of 500 TLIG pilgrims.
This is an excerpt from his talk:
When people gather together,
something happens. When Christians
gather together, something Christian
happens and this
Christian thing is
True Life In God, the
explosion of the
love of God. This is
themeaning of True
Life InGod.
As he finished, the Cardinal added:
“The future of the church is True Life In
God. And to say it better, the future of
humanity.”
Cardinal Toppo had introduced Vassula
when she came to speak in his Diocese
back in November of 2004 (excerpt from
his speech).
“The surprising thing is that Vassula did
not have any catechetical instruction,
leave alone theological training
whatsoever and yet her charismatic
teaching seems to be in conformity to
Scripture, Tradition and the writings of
Scholars and Saints...“
Niels Christian
Hvidt, Associate
Professor, Theol
Dr., Research Unit
Health, University of
Southern Denmark
I, Niels Christian Hvidt, had the
opportunity to participate in the
mass of the Holy Father in his Private
Chapel on February 10th, 1998. I had
with me the 10th Volume of True
Life in God in French. Some months
before, Vassula had dedicated it to the
Holy Father and given the book to me.
Inside, on the first page it said: “To
the Holy Father John Paul II. May God
bless you and protect you, Vassula”.
When he came to me, I had the book
in my hand. I said in German: “I have
brought a very important book for
you. It is the book of Vassula.”
The Holy Father, with interest replied
“Ah! Vassula!”. I then went on to say:
“She has dedicated it for you”. With
sincere and warm interest the Pope
looked at the book, opened it and saw
Vassula’s greeting and then said “Gott
segne sie” - “May God bless her”.
The Portuguese religious magazine
‘Annunciai a Boa Nova’, (November
14, 1997, pp. 565-567) published the
following item:
On October 10, 1997, in a prayer
meeting organized for Vassula
in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, the
auxiliary Bishop raised the question of
the position of the Church regarding
her writings. His Excellency, Bishop
João Terra spoke to a crowd that
numbered in the thousands. He
introduced his remarks with these
words: “I would like to say a word of
thanks, as auxiliary Bishop, for the
joy that we are experiencing by the
presence of Vassula here in Brasilia.
Certainly it is an extraordinary grace.”
The bishop then went on to speak of
the Church’s position: “This year we
had the regional meeting of bishops
with the Holy Father. I asked at that
time about Vassula. Cardinal Ratzinger
said ‘ I have been getting a mountain
of letters from Cardinals’. Bishop
Victor Tielbeek from the diocese of
Formosa (Brazil) then asked him ‘But
Cardinal, am I supposed to completely
change (my support for her)?’ Cardinal
Ratzinger answered ‘Continue as you
have been doing until now, just be
prudent’. The magazine footnotes
this comment with the remark that
this answer of Cardinal Ratzinger is
perfectly in harmony with the order
he gave in Mexico on May 10 of 1996:
‘You may continue to promote her
writings, but with discernment…’ ”
Cardinal Ratzinger Confirms his
Position on Vassula Ryden and
True Life in God
Modifications by the Vatican
Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
(CDF) on the Situation Concerning
True Life in God
When Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict the XVI, was asked,“what will your office reply if anybody asks if the notification
is still valid”, his reply was…“The situation has been modified ”.
For several years an ongoing communication took place between the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)
and Vassula. This communication modified the situation that emerged after the Notification published by the CDF in
1995. The dialogue between Vassula and the CDF was published in the latest editions of TLIG worldwide at the request
of the CDF’s Prefect at that time, H.E. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now H.H. Pope Benedict XVI. The publication of this
dialogue resulted in a letter dated 10th July 2004 which is signed by Cardinal Ratzinger himself to a number of Presidents
of Episcopal Conferences who had expressed particular concern on Vassula and her writings. His Holiness explained to
them in his letter that the position of the CDF has been modified towards Vassula and her writings. Pope Benedict wishes
that everyone reads the questions put to Vassula and her answers.
“The future of
the Church is
True Life in God”