By Christina Hermoso
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has warned the faithful against a group known as Maria Divine Mercy.
(Archbishop Romulo Valles of Davao, CBCP President / MANILA BULLETIN)
Davao Archbishop and CBCP president Romulo Valles, in a letter addressed to all archdioceses and dioceses, urged the faithful to be “very careful with a group called Maria Divine Mercy. They bring confusion and propagate erroneous, false and distorted teachings to our Catholic faithful,” said Valles in a CBCP News post.
According to the CBCP, Maria Divine Mercy is the name assumed by a self-proclaimed Irish seer by the name of Mary Carberry. For years now, Carberry has claimed to have received messages from Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. Among these messages included predictions about Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, and allusions that Pope Francis is a false prophet.
Maria Divine Mercy is said to have significant following in many countries. In the Philippines, their activities are being held in Cebu, Iloilo, Bukidnon, Zamboanga, and Batangas.
Valles’ letter stemmed from complaints raised by Divine Mercy devotees that were coursed through Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos. Santos, who is the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy (WACOM) Asia episcopal coordinator said, the group’s activities in the country “is a cause for alarm.
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza has, earlier, warned against Maria Divine Mercy, whose prayer life, beliefs and teachings, he said, are based on “The Book of Truth.”
“The message of Maria Divine Mercy is not to be taken seriously, discussed or distributed within the Diocese of San Carlos,” said Alminaza in a circular. “The book contains some teachings which are very contrary to the Catholic faith. Adherence to such teachings would lead to confusion and eventually being led astray to what our Magisterium upholds,” Alminaza stressed.