Did Padre Pio approve of Maria Valtortas writings?
The Valtorta Center in Italy publishes a book about Maria Valtorta, which repeats the claim of a Mrs. Elisa Lucchi, that in the confessional she asked Padre Pio about Maria Valtorta’s writings. The alleged response was that he ordered her to read them. This claim is doubtful for a number of reasons. First, it is made in a book promoting Valtorta’s writings, published by an organization dedicated to promoting her writings. Second, the book is not written by the woman making the claim, but merely reports it second or third hand. Third, the alleged response from Padre Pio was in the confessional, so no one could possibly have verified that claim by asking him; he could not have said anything at all about a claim of what he said in the confessional. Fourth, if Padre Pio had believed so strongly in her writings, he would likely have said so outside of the confessional. 4. Lists of people who (allegedly) approve of her writings It sometimes happens that even holy persons are fooled into beli
