The nihil obstat for the resurrection of the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta has been issued. This was announced by the Postulator of the Cause, Msgr. Paolo Rizzi, in a note dated August 10, 2024, the text of which is published here.
Cause of Beatification of Luisa Piccarreta
The Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta has never been closed, but has always been pending at the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which had temporarily suspended its canonical process. In fact, the spirituality, thought, and writings of the Servant of God had been submitted to the study of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which in 2019 pointed out that the writings presented some ambiguities of a theological, Christological, and anthropological nature; ambiguities that, while not doctinal errors in themselves, required further evaluation. Through the support of a theological expert in mysticism, the Postulation's clarifying responses to the provided finds enabled the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to conclude that in the writings and thought of the Servant of God there are no statements that they are blatantly in contrast with the doctrine of the Church.Thus in June 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the nihil obstat for the reservation of the Cause, which was formally notified by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to this Postulation on July 8, 2024.According to the instructions of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the continuation of the canonical path, already in place, must necessarily be accompanied by the publication of the typical and critical edition of Luisa Piccarreta's Writings by the actor of the Cause, the Public Association of the Faithful “ Luisa Piccarreta-P.F.D.V ”of Corato and under the supervision of the Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie. Such an edition should be accompanied by a relevant "Introduction and related notes" which, for the purpose of clarifying certain expressions that are easily conductive to misleading and erroneous interpretations of the Christian message, highlight the importance of the Lord's commodiful and gratuitous love, which in some pages of the Writings is obscured due to the historical context in which they were drafted, a context marked by an obsessive view of God's justice and the consequent mysticism of reparation for sins. This edition will be the only one officially recognized by ecclesiastical authority. All Divine Will Groups will have to refer to it in order to correct harmful forms of spirituality, widespread in some Groups and brought about by a distorted reading of the Writings of the Servant of God, by their written dissemination or even by their arbitrary manipulation and translation into other languages.
Those who truly care about the Cause of Beatification are called to decisively orient or reorient their devotion to the Servant of God in the perspective of the mystery of glory: the cross is to be looked at, contemplated and welcomed in the resplendent mystery of the resurrection of Christ, victor over evil, sin and death. Reading Luisa's Writings, everyone should "feel encouraged to pay more attention to the author's intention, in greater faithfulness to the teaching of the Church and above all in the awareness that the Divine Will is the Heavenly Father's merciful appeal addressed to the free will of the men and women of our times, and never a threat to be hurled against the world corrupted by sin "(Msgr. Leonardo D'Ascenzo, Archbishop of Trani-Barletta Bisceglie, Communication No. 4 regarding the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, March 4, 2020).
While objectively recognizing that so many Divine Will Groups have implemented in this direction a decisive and evident path of ecclesiality, it is indispensable and incumbent on those who have not yet done so to strive " to anchor the reading of these writings in the doctrine of the Church and in a dignified conduct of life, making a balanced and respectable missionary proclamation spring from the doctrine of the Divine Will, a proclamation which has been harmoniously inserted into the pastoral activity of the local Churches "(Msgr. Leonardo D'Ascenzo, ibid.).
With this in mind, it seems most appropriate for bishops to recognize and admit into their ecclesiastical circumscriptions only those Divine Will Groups that meet the included requirements. After their bishop's approval, these groups can obtain the affiliation to the Family of the Divine Will, which was established by the Public Association of the Faithful "Luisa Piccarreta-P.F.D.V. " of Corato, a service structure under the supervision of the pro-tempore Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, whose ecclesial figure the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints has always indicated as the official reference for those who follow the spirituality and message of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta throughout the world.
Rome, August 10, 2024
The Postulator
Msgr. Paolo Rizzi
A Divine Will Reading for Today
Divine will for every day of the year
Read a passage from Luisa’s diary written on today’s date.
Dawn of a Mystery
Introduction to Luisa’s life and spirituality, made for the closing of the diocesan process of beatification. Includes remarks from Archbishop Giovanni Battista Pichierri ✝, Vicar General Monsignor Savino Giannotti, and Diocesan Postulator Fr. Sabino Lattanzio. (Photo by Federico Respini on Unsplash)
Little Daughter of the Divine Will
Corato, Italy — 1865-1947
This website is dedicated to the Servant of God, Luisa Piccarreta, whom Jesus Christ called “the little daughter of the Divine Will.” It is a place for those who are just learning about this soul and the particular grace that God gave her. This site has clear information for people who want to know about Luisa and follow the guidance of the Catholic Church.
What the Church Says
Reading Luisa Rightly
Much has been written about reading the writings of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. The faithful desiring to read her writings have these available to them.
Divine Will prayer groups, with spiritual guidance from a priest, also may read the Volumes of Luisa Piccarreta’s spiritual diary. Luisa’s writings, like those of any spiritual writer, must be read in light of Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Read more testimonials from bishops and priests who have studied the life of Luisa Piccarreta.
Selected Writings
Contemplating the Divine Will
There are several books Luisa Piccarreta wrote that have been widely promoted for general audiences. The Hours of the Passion, The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will have been translated into numerous languages.
There is nothing contrary to faith or morals in the writings of Luisa Piccarreta. They are always to be understood in light of the teaching of the Catholic Church.