In my humble opinion as a faithful Roman Catholic theologian, the Rosa Mystica apparitions and messages at both Montichiari (in the 1940's) and Fontanelle (in the 1960's), in Italy, are false and are not from Heaven or the Virgin Mary. [Quotes from the messages below are from: www.giftstor.org/RosaMystica.htm with reference also to: www.daimon.org/rosamistica/rosamisticait.htm]

Commentary on the messages at Montichiari:

"I have placed myself as the Mediatrix between my Divine son and mankind, especially for the soul consecrated to God."

1. The Virgin Mary does not place herself between her Son and us; her role is to assist Christ as his side, not to be between Him and us.
2. God gives Mary her role in our salvation, she does not give it to herself, so she cannot place herself in such a role.
3. The role of Mediatrix is not accurately described as 'between' Christ and us. As Mediatrix, Mary immerses herself in all that Christ does for our salvation; this role does not place her between Christ and us, but beside Christ and beside us.
4. Mary is not more so a Mediatrix for consecrated souls than for the worst sinners. She does not intercede especially for consecrated souls, as if her intercession were less for even the worst sinners. This quote from the messages is contrary to the way the Virgin Mary speaks.

"Our Lord can no longer watch the many grievous sins against purity. He wants to send a flood of punishments. I have interceded that He may be merciful once more! Therefore, I ask for prayer and penance to atone for these sins.... I lovingly ask the priest to express their great love and stop the people from committing those sins. Whoever will atone for those sins, will receive my blessing and graces." In reply the seer's question whether we may hope for forgiveness, Our Lady said: "Yes, as long as these sins are no longer committed."

5. This message portrays Mary as if she caused God to return to being merciful, as if God had changed in ceasing to be merciful, and then had changed again in returning to mercy, or as if Mary were more merciful than God. Mary would never portray herself as if she were more merciful than God, nor as if she were in control of God.
6. Priests cannot stop the people from committing sins. We each have free will, and we each are continually offered grace from God to turn away from sin. Mary would never speak as if priests could control whether or not other persons sin.
7. The message claims that forgiveness is dependent upon these sins no longer being committed. However, the Church teaches that we can receive forgiveness from sin in confession, as long as we are repentant. If one commits the same sins again and again, one can still be forgiven. Of course, one should turn away from sin as completely as possible, but the statement that forgiveness can only be expected if these sins are no longer committed is contrary to Church teaching. The Virgin Mary would never speak with such a poor understanding of the teaching of the Church.

"Pierina asked: 'What do we have to do to fulfill your demands for prayer and penance?' Our Lady replied full of tenderness: 'Prayer.' After a short, silent pause, She explained: 'Penance means to accept every day all the little crosses and the duties too, in the spirit of penance.'

8. The answer given to this question is typical of false private revelations. The person who appears as the Virgin Mary, undoubtedly a fallen angel practicing deception, is unable, extemporaneously, to answer questions requiring a profound understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The questions is essentially a good one: "What do we have to do to fulfill your demands for prayer and penance?" But the first response, the single word, "prayer", does not even make sense. The question asks for specifics concerning a previous request for prayer. The word prayer does not answer the question. Then there is a pause, while the apparition tries to find a better answer. Mary would not need a pause to answer any question at all, and certainly not to answer a question as to what specifically she was appearing to ask them to do. Then the next response gives an overly-limited definition of penance, correctly including the acceptance of daily crosses and duties, but omitting particular penances which the faithful have always, throughout the history of the Church, chosen to take upon themselves in reparation for sin.

"This Hour of Grace will produce great and numerous conversions. Hardened and cold hearts resembling this marble will be touched by divine Grace, and they will become faithful to Our Lord in loyal love."

9. The statement, "they will become faithful to Our Lord in loyal love," misrepresents the virtues of love and faith. Love of the Lord is not a loyalty. Also, faithfulness to the Lord is not in or with 'loyal love.' Love is the first and greatest theological virtue (cf. 1 Cor 13). This kind of theological inaccuracy permeates all the false private revelations, but is not noticed by many of the faithful because they are generally so poorly educated concerning the truths of the Gospel.

"Our Lady appeared on a large white staircase, decorated with a white, red and yellow rose. She said with a smile: 'I am the Immaculate Conception.' And descending several steps with great majesty She continued: 'I am Mary, full of grace, Mother of My Divine Son Jesus Christ.' Descending even more, She said: 'Through my coming to Montichiari, I which to be known as the ROSA MYSTICA It is my wish that every year, on 8th December, at noon, the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be celebrated . Many divine and bodily graces will be received through this devotion.' "

10. One problem with the above description is that Mary would never exalt herself in this way: a dramatic presentation of herself on a decorated staircase, which she descends with great majesty, while making proclamations about herself.
11. Another problem is that she describes herself almost as if in the third person, 'I am Mary, full of grace, Mother of My Divine Son Jesus Christ,' and as if she were trying too hard to convince us of her identity. This awkward self-description and self-proclamation is also indicative of false private revelations.
12. Then she states her own will about her own honorific title: 'I wish to be known as….' But the true Virgin Mary would not speak in such a self-exalting manner.
13. Graces are not 'divine and bodily'. Certainly grace is divine, since grace is of God. But there is not such thing as 'bodily graces,' nor does it make sense to describe graces as being alternately either divine or bodily. Again, the poor theological understanding of whomever composed these messages reveals that the messages cannot be from Heaven.

"One should very soon notify the Holy Father of the Church, Pope Pius XII, that it is my wish that the HOUR OF GRACE FOR THE WORLD be made known and spread throughout the world."

14. Pope Pius XII never approved such a devotion. The true Virgin Mary, being in Heaven with the Beatific Vision, would know that the Pope would not approve the devotion.
15. One of the marks of false private revelations is that they anxiously seek approval from various persons, and from the Church. This attempt to convince people to convince the Pope of something is unlike Mary because the Pope is the son of the true Virgin Mary. She does not need to appear in one place and convince people to try to convince the Pope of anything. This anxious seeking of approval is not of God.
16. Again, she states her own wish, that is, her own desire, not the will of God.

Commentary on the messages at Fontanelle:

"My Divine Son is total love, and he is sending me to give miraculous powers to this spring."

17. The expression saying that Jesus is 'total love' does not make sense, theologically. This kind of expression sounds good on the surface, but lacks the subtle yet profound wisdom of the Virgin Mary.
18. Mary is unable to give miraculous power to a spring. Even God cannot give miraculous powers to a spring, since all true miracles occur directly from God. Material objects, such as a spring of water cannot possess miraculous powers. Only God performs true miracles.

"It is my wish, and I repeat: the sick should come to this miraculous spring and many of my children should come with them."

19. Again, Mary supposedly is appearing to express her own wishes, rather than to do the will of God. There are numerous other instances throughout these messages where Mary is portrayed as seeking her own will.
20. Notice that she speaks about the sick as if they were not her children: 'the sick should come…and many of my children should come with them.' The true Virgin Mary sees all the sick as among her children.

"My Divine Son Jesus has sent me again, in order to request the WORLD LEAGUE OF PENITENTIAL COMMUNION and this is to be done on 13th October. This Day of Penitential Communion should be spread throughout the world. It is to be held first in 1966, and them to be repeated every year."

21. This WORLD LEAGUE OF PENITENTIAL COMMUNION was never established and is not practiced by the Church, because the grace and providence of God has not supported this request. This is an indication that the messages containing the request are not of God.

"After my ascension into Heaven I have always acted as Mediatrix between my Son Jesus and the whole of mankind."

22. I looked up the Italian of this quote, and it clearly says, 'after I was assumed,' not 'after my Ascension', so this apparent error is only in the translation, not the original.
23. Again, the message speaks as if Mary's role as Mediatrix were to be between Jesus and humanity. The correct understanding is that Mary as Mediatrix immerses herself in all that Christ does for our salvation, not that she is between us and Christ.

Conclusion

The claimed private revelation and the messages, under the title of Rosa Mystica, at Montichiari, Italy, and Fontanelle, Italy, are false. They lack the subtle yet profound wisdom of the Gospels. They contain theological errors, including a misrepresentation of Mary's role with respect to Christ. The exhortations to holiness in the messages are superficial. The messages portray Mary as if she were self-exalting, and as if she were appearing in order to obtain the fulfillment of her own wishes, rather than the will of God.

Please note that, as often is the case in false private revelations, the title used to refer to Mary is a true title. The Virgin Mary can well be referred to as the Mystical Rose, and this title has been used by the Church. However, the mere use of a true title does not make a claimed private revelation and its messages true.


by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
December 8, 2007