Anne Catherine Emmerich

[Kinsman]

It is obvious Mel Gibson implemented Emmerich’s writings when producing “The Passion of the Christ.” I have read this mystic’s “vision” and would like to know just how much credence the Roman church officially puts on it.

Thank you,
Kinsman

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Kinsman:

I have read this mystic’s [Anne Catherine Emmerich’s] “vision” and would like to know just how much credence the Roman church officially puts on it.

The short answer is: Not much. Private revelation is never binding on Catholics, even when the revelations are deemed by the Church to be worthy of belief. In Emmerich’s case, there is reason to be even more cautious as the Vatican only recently permitted her cause to be forwarded, on condition that the writings be excluded from consideration as it is possible that the writings attributed to her are not hers:

“In 1892, well after her death, her Cause for Beatification was introduced by the bishop of Münster. She subsequently attained to the title of Venerable, indicating Rome’s recognition that she lived a life of heroic virtue. However, in 1928 Rome suspended the Cause of Beatification when it was suspected that [Clemens] Brentano [her secretary] fabricated material attributed to her. The Holy See has since permitted the Cause to be re-opened on the sole issue of her life, without reference to the possibly doctored writings. On 2 July 2003 a decree of a miracle was promulgated by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, opening the way for her Beatification (L’Osservatore Romano N. 29, 16 July 2003, 2).”

For more information, see the following article by Colin Donovan of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN):

ewtn.com/expert/answers/Emmerich.htm

It has been reported that Anne Catherine Emmerich is scheduled to be beatified in October 2004:

cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=29863