| Vassula Rydén | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vassiliki Claudia Pendakis January 18, 1942 Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupation | Author |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
| Children | 2 |
Vassula Rydén was born in Egypt on January 18, 1942 into a Greek Orthodox family.[1] She has composed messages she claims to have received from the Christian God in a series of books called True Life In God.[2] There are currently over 107 Notebooks[1] compiled in 12 Volumes of the True Life in God series, which have been translated by volunteers into over 40 different languages. Since 1988, Vassula has been invited to speak in more than 70 countries and has given over 900 presentations.[3][4][5]
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Rydén, the daughter of Greek parents established in Egypt, was born on January 18, 1942, in Heliopolis on the outskirts of Cairo. She started school in Egypt, and then at the age of 15, she emigrated to Europe.[1]
In November 1966, she married a Lutheran man in the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, at a Greek Orthodox Church. She later got divorced in Sweden in November 1980. In June 1981, she married her current husband, Per Rydén, a Swedish Lutheran, at the registry office. On October 31, 1990, she regularized her union in the Greek Orthodox Church and celebrated her religious marriage in Lausanne.[6] Rydén has two adult sons.[1][7]
Rydén is best known for her writings entitled "True Life in God", which is a compilation of nearly 2000 messages she claims to have received from God since the year 1985 when she was living in Bangladesh. While she was writing a grocery list, she reports to have suddenly experienced a light electrical feeling in her right hand and, at the same time, an invisible presence. She says she felt led by this presence and, permitting her hand to be guided, she wrote a line in a very different style from her own with the words: "I am your guardian Angel and my name is Daniel."[8]
She adheres to the idea that she has been called to transmit to the world the messages she receives.[8] Several world renown theologians who have written numerous books on mystical theology, including Fr. Rene Laurentin, Fr. Edward O’Connor, Fr. Michael O’Carroll, and Niels Hvidt have studied Ryden’s case. They believe that God through her message seeks to consolidate his church, especially by bringing it into unity, which is the main theme of her books.'[8] The True Life in God messages have been translated by volunteers into more than 40 languages and have widespread distribution and readership.
The unusual way in which Rydén receives the messages she records attracts attention and arouses debate. The phenomenon of the dictation and distinctive handwriting, through which Rydén records the writings, has been investigated and analysed first-hand by a range of professionals – graphologists, scientists, exorcist priests and theologians – including graphologist A. Munier (Court of Appeals, Paris), graphologist and exorcist priest Fr. C. Curty, (Dioceses of Avignon and Marseille), scientist and neurologist Dr. P. Loron (Paris), theologian and consultant on supernatural phenomena Fr. Rene Laurentin (France), scientist and author J. Neirynck (Switzerland), author and theologian Fr. E. O’Connor (Notre Dame University, USA), and author and theologian Fr. F. Umaña Moñtoya (Colombia). In unusual manifestations (mystical or pathological) three possibilities are open for discernment – a diabolical origin, a psychic origin or a supernatural origin.[9] The findings of these investigations of Rydén’s case – documented in books and articles – systematically rule out the first two possibilities and conclude that the writings are a phenomenon of supernatural origin.[1][6][10][11] Regarding the distinctive writing, Moñtoya states:
It is what is called ‘hieratic’ or ‘sacred’ writing. It is not automatic writing. This particular element of the writing under dictation raises questions concerning the phenomenon of automatic writing, whose origin, as is very well known, may be subconscious or even evil. There is nothing of the sort with Vassula. She remains conscious, independent and free.[…]Order, clarity, restraint and refinement are evidence of its origin. It has no rigidity, no hardness, none of the disorder, chaos or confusion indicative of automatic writing.[1][12]
Rydén had never received any catechetical instruction, or theological formation.[2] A "spiritual zero" before the revelations began, Rydén believes that God chooses those otherwise incapable of such achievements so as to leave no doubt that it is His power at work. She believes that she was chosen for all that she was not. She stated that: "Jesus wanted a nothing", she explains, "in order to prove that I have not invented all this and that it comes from Him. He said it in a message: "All you have comes from Me and is My Work and not yours. Without Me, you are unable to even wink your eyes-so abandon yourself to Me."[8][13]
Other investigations of Rydén's works include that of world renowned Mariologist Theologian Father Rene Laurentin, who has dedicated his life to the study of Mariology, has called Rydén "the most authentic mystic living in the world today."[14] and has since written two books on Rydén and her works. He made a serious investigative study of Rydén's case in accordance with the Criteria of Discernment laid down by Rome.[6] He carried out a number of interviews and meetings with Rydén and made an analytical study of her writings.[1][7] He examined all aspects of Rydén's case including the following: Origin of her writings, doctrine, value and credibility of the witness, signs and miracles, analysis of principal themes of the True Life in God messages, spiritual insights, spiritual fruits.[6] He documents his experience and findings in the two books he wrote about Rydén's case:[6]Qui Est Vassula? (Who is Vassula?)[15] and in numerous articles.[16][17][18] Laurentin carefully examines and addresses the many objections made against Rydén. He states: "Vassula is one of the most balanced and transparent seers that I know. Nevertheless, she has excited more opposition than any other. As is often the case for mystics, disbelief, fear, opposition and calumny appear in like measure with the graces received."[6]
Another eminent author and internationally respected theologian, who investigated Vassula’s case and closely followed the evolution of her mission, is the late Fr. Michael O’Carroll, CSSp., Member of the Pontifical Marian Academy. He documents his study of Vassula and her writings in two books he wrote about her case.[19][20] He also references Vassula and her mission in a number of other publications. He states: ”Vassula exemplifies God’s frequent choice of converts to convert the world.”[21] He mentions the impact of the True Life in God messages on those who read them, highlighting the fact that Vassula’s writings have “led to very many conversions”, along with the fact that a woman “with no theological instruction whatever, has profoundly impressed theologians of repute in different countries.”[20] He notes: ”The theological analysis of her writings brings into relief themes like: devotion to the Holy Spirit, the Alliance of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Christian unity, the conversion of Russia, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the spreading apostasy.”
Having investigated Vassula’s case, both theologians were eager to share their findings with fellow clergy and theologians, including Pope John Paul II. In his book, A Priest in Changing Times,[22] O’Carroll reports:
On 24 May 1995, I had the great joy of concelebrating with the Pope in his private oratory. I met the Pope briefly after the Mass and presented to him my second book on Vassula Ryden, in French translation. I had given him a copy of the first in the course of an audience in November 1993. On the same day, 24 May, Fr Rene Laurentin was also a concelebrant at the Papal Mass. He was beside me when the Pope came to speak to each of the concelebrants. With no previous agreement he was also presenting to the Pope his second book on Vassula. When the Pope asked him quite simply: ‘What do you think of her?’, part of his reply was: ‘She is much calumniated’.[22]
Theologian Fr. Edward O’Connor, Notre Dame University, USA, states that Ryden’s writings result from divine intervention and that what she writes would normally only be written by theologians.[23]
In the introduction to the French edition of her book "My Angel Daniel",[24] she tells how Satan had persecuted her since the age of six with terrifying nightmares. At the age of 10–12, she had dreams in which she saw Jesus and the Virgin Mary, including what she refers to as her "spiritual marriage with Jesus". Later, during her teenage years, she says to have seen, on several occasions, the souls of dead people surrounding her. But none of these experiences led her to a spiritual transformation since she went on with her life, indifferent to religious matters until 1985.
Rydén has been invited to several countries to give her "testimony" and to pass on the message she has received. According to the official True Life in God website, she has been invited to more than 900 meetings in 75 countries.[3][25][26]
In 1998 and 2001, the United Nations in New York (a section based on Peace in the World working specifically between Jews and Palestinians) invited Rydén to address them and transmit the messages she receives regarding how to obtain peace in the world.[27]
One of the strongest elements in these messages is the gravity of the division between churches and the urgency of the work for unity of the Church and the importance of the ecumenical movement.[28]
Therefore, in addition to delivering the message, she also believes she has been called by God to promote Christian Unity.[29] She and many volunteers organize ecumenical pilgrimages every two years where Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, clergy and lay people of all faiths gather and "practice unity" without making distinctions among each other.[30] In 2001, she was invited, along with other speakers, to an official symposium on ecumenism by the International Bridgettine Centre of Farfa to speak on Ecumenism and Spirituality.[31] Her presentation was entitled: God's Calling to His People.
The ecumenical aspect of Rydén's mission attracts interest and attention.[32] She has been invited to speak and to share the True Life in God message by all Christian denominations – Orthodox, Catholic,[26][33] and Protestants alike. There are many references to the Pope in the messages she records where he is often referred to as Peter. In his book, John Paul II – A Dictionary of His Life and Teachings, Fr. Michael O'Carroll, in the section on Rydén notes: "This is the first time in nine hundred and forty years that an Orthodox writer has publicly championed the cause of the Roman Pontiff and his universal primacy."[34]
She was invited by Fr. Ion Bria, of the Romanian Orthodox Church working for the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Geneva,[1] and by Metropolitan Daniel of Moldavia and Bukovina, to assist at the Congress organized by the World Council of Churches on Christian Spirituality, held in Iasi; her proposal for discussion of the unification of the dates of Easter was accepted by the closing general assembly.[35]
In 2009, she was invited to speak, along with three other speakers, at the Christian Unity conference "United in Christ" at Namur, Belgium.[36] The conference took place in the Namur diocese of Bishop Andre-Mutien Leonard, who attended the conference[37] and led the celebration of the concluding Eucharistic Liturgy. Reporting later on the gathering on December 6, 2009, he stated: "And from Vassula Rydén's message, I acquired the conviction that in order to reconcile the Christian East and West, it is crucial to decide upon a common date for Easter."[38]
Rydén has recorded many prophetic messages, some already believed by her followers to have been fulfilled and others yet to unfold "Scriptures are being fulfilled; I am giving you the Signs of the End of Times."[39] Rydén states: "The True Life in God messages are not prophecies of doom and gloom. God gives them to us in these times of mercy to shape us up; they are a call out of the sublime Love of God. God will not allow us forever to offend His Holy Name and live godless. This is the reason why He comes, in His mercy, to give us many warnings." The prophetic warnings recorded by Vassula in the Messages of True Life in God are accompanied by explanatory messages and positive, encouraging, consoling teaching, revealing hope for a world in crisis while reminding us that Jesus' severity is as great as His Mercy.[20] There are over 20 prophecies regarding Russia in Russia and Romania.[1][20]
On September 11, 1991 (10 years to the day before the '9/11' events in New York of September 11, 2001), Rydén recorded the following message: "The earth will shiver and shake – and every evil built into Towers will collapse into a heap of rubble and be buried in the dust of sin! Above, the Heavens will shake and the foundations of the earth will rock!"[40][4] The message was published in 1991.
Fr. René Laurentin stated in his book that: "The messages that Vassula conveys are prophetic messages."[6] Theologian Dr. Niels Christian Hvidt commented: "Few other contemporary mystics exhibit the prophetic charism as does Mrs. Rydén, and she is certainly one of the most debated modern mystics.[8][5] This does not necessarily mean that she is not authentic; rather ... it is one of the traits of prophecy: The prophets are never popular."[41] In an article written about Vassula titled "Fascinated by mysterious Jesus blogs", the Norwegian news network "På Høyden" mentioned that: "This female mystic is different from many other "modern prophets" in that she is orthodox and that many of her revelations concern Jesus, and not the Virgin Mary."[32]
Writer Jacques Neirynck wrote in "The Vassula Enigma" that:
The least we can say about Vassula is that she fulfils the paradoxical conditions specific to prophets: a life of prayer, giving priority to one's duty over contemplation, absence of ostentation, lack of previous theological or simply religious formation, disinterestedness, the feeling of having to communicate a message and of being a simple instrument, soundness of answers to classical pitfalls, refusal to enter into controversy in the face of attacks, vigorous calls for the unity of the churches, unshakable fidelity to the pope. And then what is difficult to express in words: approachability, kindness, serenity, the kind of regal calm of a woman certain of the love of God which nothing can take from her.[1]
Howard Dee, former Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican in 1986–1990 stated that: "A strong correlation is to be found between the messages of Fatima and Akita and those given to Vassula."[42]
Inspired by a claimed vision of Mary (mother of Jesus), Ryden initiated the Beth Myriam (Mary's House) project to feed the poor in 1998. Volunteers from local True Life In God Prayer Groups run the Beth Myriam charity houses which provide free meals to those in need in the local community.[43] On March 27, 2002, Rydén recorded a specific message regarding the continued establishment of the Beth Myriams. There are currently 23 Beth Myriams worldwide.[29]
This work began in the Holy Land and over time other Beth Myriams were established in other parts of the world. Some Beth Myriams have evolved to also provide clothing and basic education for the poor.[27][43]
Vassula’s speeches on peace, reconciliation and unity started to be known and appreciated among non-Christians. On August 4, 1999, she was asked to speak in a Buddhist Temple in Hiroshima, Japan. And, in April 2000, she was invited to speak in Benin, Africa where many Christians, Muslims (including an Imam) and several Voodoo chiefs were also present.
Invitations for Vassula to speak in inter-religious meetings increased. In 2002, Vassula was invited to an inter-religious meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh where the host was a Muslim Imam.[29] Later that same year, she was asked by the Archbishop of Taipei Joseph Ti-Kan to give a speech to non-Christians.[29]
In February 2003, she was invited by the Venerable Suddhananda in his monastery in Dhaka to honor her with the “Peace Gold Award” for her efforts in propagating peace in the world. She was nominated for this peace award by the Buddhist monks as a distinguished personality in recognition of her great contribution and her efforts for establishing inter-religious harmony and promoting world peace among all peoples and faiths. The function was inaugurated by Rev. Michael Rozario, Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Dhaka. Among other guests was the Secretary of the Apostolic Nuncio in Dhaka, as well as Muslim Professors from various regions of Bangladesh. Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus were present.
On the 23 February 2009, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Vassula was presented with another Gold Medal and Certificate for her efforts of propagating “Inter-faith Harmony and Peaceful Co-existence” by the Buddhist community there.
As with anyone claiming to receive messages from a God, Rydén's writings have been the object of much questioning and arguing for and against the authenticity of her experience. Unusual to her case, however, is the extent to which the Catholic Church has engaged in dialogue with a non-Catholic, Orthodox alleged mystic. The Catholic Church took a negative stance. The situation was slightly modified after a lengthy dialogue that took place from 2000–2004.
In 1995, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) issued a Notification on the True Life in God writings of Rydén.[44][6] The Congregation studied the written daily conversations which she said she had with Jesus and, on October 6, 1995, issued a Notification in response to many Catholic bishops and faithful that had written for guidance regarding Rydén's spiritual writings. The Congregation stated that the "attentive examination of the entire question" had brought up "a number of basic elements that must be considered negative in the light of Catholic doctrine" as well as "several doctrinal errors". It also questioned the "suspect nature of the ways in which these alleged revelations have occurred" and considers the fact that "the aforementioned errors no longer appear in Ryden's later writings is a sign that the alleged heavenly messages are merely the result of private meditations". The Notification concludes by requesting "the intervention of the Bishops" to prevent the dissemination of Mrs Ryden's ideas in their dioceses and "invites all the faithful not to regard Mrs Vassula Ryden's writings and speeches as supernatural".
In November 1996, following a series of declarations from Ryden's supporters affirming that the Notification was not a valid document, the Congregation issued a press release, stating that the Notification "retains all its force" and "was approved by the competent authorities and will be published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the official organ of the Holy See".[45]
On March 16, 2011 the Greek Orthodox Church (the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople) issued a disapproval of her teachings and instructed all Orthodox Christians to not associate with this movement:
"Hence, we call upon the proponents of these unacceptable innovations and the supporters who maintain them, who henceforth are not admitted to ecclesiastical communion, not only to not be involved in the pastoral work of the local Holy Metropolis, but also to not preach their novel teachings, to prevent the appropriate sanctions under the Holy Canons."[46]
In 1999, Theologian Dr. Niels Christian Hvidt interviewed the then president of the CDF, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict XVI. In his interview Hvidt raised the question as to whether the 1995 Notification on Rydén's writings was a condemnation. Cardinal Ratzinger replied:
You have touched on a very problematical issue. No, the Notification is a warning, not a condemnation. From the strictly procedural point of view, no person may be condemned without a trial and without being given the opportunity to air their views first. What we say is that there are many things which are not clear. There are some debatable apocalyptic elements and ecclesiological aspects which are not clear. Her writings contain many good things but the grain and the chaff are mixed up. That is why we invited Catholic faithful to view it all with a prudent eye and to measure it by the yardstick of the constant faith of the Church.[8][7]
When asked by Hvidt if the procedure to clarify the question was continuing, Ratzinger answered:
Yes, and during the clarification process the faithful must be prudent, maintaining a discerning attitude. There is no doubt that there is an evolution in the writings which does not yet seem to have concluded. We must remember that being able to set oneself up as the word and image of interior contact with God, even in the case of authentic mysticism, always depends on the possibilities of the human soul and its limitations. Unlimited trust should only be placed in the real Word of the Revelation that we encounter in the faith transmitted by the Church.[8][8]
After a request was made by Rydén in 2000 to the aforementioned congregation (the CDF), the then Cardinal Ratzinger invited Rydén, in 2002, to answer five questions about her messages and its relation to the Holy Bible and Sacred Tradition. Rydén sent her replies to the Congregation later that same year. At the end of this dialogue, the former president of the CDF, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict XVI, formally requested that Rydén publish the full correspondence between herself and the CDF in the published TLIG books. Later still, the Cardinal wrote a letter, dated July 10, 2004, to five episcopal conferences who had been negative about Rydén and her writings indicating that she had given "useful clarifications regarding her marital situation, as well as some difficulties which in the aforesaid Notification were suggested towards her writings and her participation in the sacraments". The whole process was concluded with a private audience between Rydén, the then Cardinal Ratzinger and Dr. Niels Christian Hvidt who had first requested the dialogue in 1999.[47][9]
At the end of 2004, the True Life in God Association published a booklet titled "Clarifications with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" presenting the written dialogue and suggesting that the Notification was no longer valid.[48] Fr. Geoffrey Attard states in The Catholic Times: In a publication entitled True Life in God – Clarifications with the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who is a promoter of Rydén's good cause, had this comment to make in September 2004 after the Congregation's removal of any suspicion regarding Rydén's writings: "I am extremely happy that Cardinal Ratzinger perfectly mirrors the attitude of the Holy Father whose great obsession, and probably the reason for the life and energy he manifests, is the Unity of Christianity."[49] The booklet was distributed by the local True Life in God associations to Catholic clergy worldwide.[50]
In 2005, the True Life in God writings were granted a Nihil obstat by Bishop Felix Toppo S.J. (India) and Imprimatur by Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles (Philippines).
Many critics were surprised by what seemed to be a full approval of Mrs Ryden's writings. Seeking confirmation, an ex-member of Mrs Ryden's association wrote to the Episcopal Conference of Switzerland (who was one of the 5 Episcopal conferences who had been informed of the dialogue) asking for confirmation. In a letter dated February 23, 2005, the Secretary General answered that "The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith maintains all its reservations regarding the writings and actions of Mrs Ryden".
In September 2005, the spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland warned people against going to Mrs Ryden's conference in Edinburgh. Referring to the 1995 Notification, he said Rydén "certainly did not" operate with the approval of the Church and that "the advice to Catholics is not to attend her gatherings due to the suspect nature of her alleged revelations, which contain doctrinal errors."
In January 2006, the Cathedral of Los Angeles (U.S.) withdrew its invitation to play host to a conference where the main speaker was Mrs Ryden. The withdrawal was approved by the archbishop of Los Angeles Card. Roger Mahony. Mgr. Kostelnik, pastor of the Cathedral, explained in a press release that the organizers had assured him that Mrs Ryden's writings had "been cleared by the Vatican", but that he had discovered that those assurances were "a serious misrepresentation of the current Vatican view of Mrs Ryden's speeches and writings" and that the 1995 and 1996 Vatican statements cautioning Catholics against following Ryden remained "in full force".[51]
Finally, in a letter dated January 25, 2007, the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, William Cardinal Levada, following continued requests for clarifications on the writings and activities of Rydén, wrote to the Catholic hierarchy around the world stating that "the Notification of 1995 remains valid as a doctrinal judgment" of the writings, which should be seen as her own personal meditations and that Catholics should not take part in prayer groups established by Ryden.
As a result of the continued confusion and apparent conflict with previous statements from the CDF, many Catholic clergy, including Bishops and Cardinals, have chosen to continue their support for Rydén and even promote TLIG. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, in a statement he made to his Archdiocese dated June 2009, said regarding Rydén that she has been called by Jesus.[52]
Fr. Attard believes Pope Benedict himself is inspired by Rydén's writings in the cause of Christian unity:
...I would like to consider the possibility that Pope Benedict's enthusiasm for the ecumenical cause may stem from, among other sources, his friendship and ongoing interest in the writings of a Greek Orthodox woman who for the past two decades has been experiencing intimate revelations from Jesus which she puts to paper and which are now even published in book form in various languages. The more I read from Vassula's writings and the more I hear Pope Benedict's plea for Christian unity, the more I come to believe that His Holiness may be finding Vassula's writings quite inspirational for the cause of Christian unity and ecumenism.[49]
Supportive views
Critical views
