DECEMBER 17, 2012

Vassula Ryden: was she excommunicated?

There appears to be considerable confusion about whether
Vassula Ryden, a Greek Orthodox alleged mystic, promoter of the “True Life In God” messages, who claims that Jesus and other heavenly entities speak through her to the Christian churches, was excommunicated by her Orthodox Church or not. This article is a compilation of information from various Internet sources as well as correspondence with Vassula critic Maria Laura Pio and a couple of TLIG devotees.

Facebook petition against Vassula Ryden

http://www.monachos.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-5017.html,

http://www.monachos.net/forum/showthread.php?5017-Facebook-petition-against-Vassula-Ryden&s=041fdbe8d74afba5da442d146bf61e0d
owned by M.C. Steenberg, Orthodox priest

All Facebook members: Please join the following page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=14650493181&ref=share

to excommunicate the
Heretic “Mystic” Vassula Ryden. We are collecting signatures to send to the Ecumenical Patriarch to have this blasphemer officially excommunicated and to have a statement issued against her heretical teachings. She is poisoning the minds of uninformed Orthodox Christians the world over, and we have had enough!
Have a look for yourself if you think she is not outside of the Church!
http://www.infovassula.ch/tlighome.html. In Christ –Tessa Miljanic, May 20, 2008

Please do! And I pray for this endeavour’s success!
Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of the Philippines is one of the most powerful international protectors and promoters of Vassula Ryden. In fact, he is currently organizing a tour for this heretic in the Philippines.
It is not just you Orthodox who are suffering from the bizarre and cult-like teachings of this woman; we Catholics are, to a greater extent, being victimized by this woman and her followers.
The Vatican has repeatedly and publicly denounced Vassula Ryden, to no avail, because she is technically Orthodox. Only the Ecumenical Patriarchate — or, otherwise, the Moscow Patriarchate — can put an end to all of this silliness. http://www.infovassula.ch/tligchurchposition.htm#levada –Carlos Antonio Palad, May 20, 2008

In 2001, the Committee on heresies of the Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church published their decision regarding Vassula Ryden. In substance, they declared that Mrs. Ryden has de facto left the Greek Orthodox Church.
In my understanding that means an anathema, which is even more grave than excommunication. –Dimitris, May 20, 2008

Contra Vassula Rydén

http://justfortranslat.blogspot.in/2010/01/contra-vassula-ryden.html
EXTRACT

Primary source: http://catechumens-tale.blogspot.com/2010/01/contra-vassula-ryden.html

By Tony-Allen Cucolo, A Reformed Christian, spitfirepilot@gmail.com, January 18, 2010

Most notable on Vassula’s website is the page featuring supposed statements from various religious leaders showing support for her cause (source). She also includes “testimonies” from various clergy from various churches (source). Is this the case? It would seem sad, given that
there are some large names there, especially among the Orthodox Church. Yet is this truly the case? Does she have widespread support among the various Churches? Deeper research proves otherwise. It’s interesting to note that, while she claims to be Greek Orthodox, the Orthodox Church in Greece has declared her self-excommunicated:
The Committee, having examined the evidence, has reached the conclusion that Vassula Ryden has expelled herself from the Orthodox Church, although she still presents herself as a member…

http://web.archive.org/web/20110521091158/http://www.infovassula.ch/tliggreekorthodox.htm

By Maria Laura Pio, March 2011

Important notice (14/04/2011): Since there is an ongoing discussion regarding the interpretation of the Patriarchate’s decree as an excommunication of Mrs. Ryden, I have decided to edit the article below accordingly until the matter can be fully clarified.

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecumenical_Patriarchate) has issued a decree dated March 16, 2011 condemning Vassula Ryden’s teachings and warning her followers, in particular members of clergy who continue to promote her teachings, that they risk disciplinary sanctions. Numerous Orthodox websites and blogs point out that the decree excludes from Orthodox communion whoever promotes Mrs. Ryden’s teachings. That is why many Orthodox blogs refer to it as an ex-communication.
There is however an ongoing discussion as to whether or not it is a formal excommunication of Mrs. Ryden.

This decree is particularly important because it is issued by the competent ecclesiastical authority. Indeed Vassula is a Greek Orthodox of the diaspora (she currently lives in the USA)
and therefore falls under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople
(Patriarch Bartholomew I), and not of the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa (Patriarch Theodoros II), as some of her followers have been affirming.

The original decree was published on the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople (http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=gr&id=1306&tla=gr). A faithful translation to English can be consulted on the Mystagogy blog (http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/03/announcement-on-vassula-ryden-by.html).

We reproduce hereunder the relevant part of the decree:

“In this spirit, and for the beneficial protection of our pious Orthodox plenitude from dangerous spiritual confusion, who do not know well matters underlying the risk of delusion, we denounce from the Mother Church Vasiliki Paraskevis Pentaki – Ryden, widely known as “Vassula”, and her organization founded under the title “True Life In God” which rashly and frivolously proposes teachings based on the supposed “direct dialogue between her and the Founder of the Church Jesus Christ our Lord”, and those conquered by her and the supporters of “True Life In God”, which deviate arbitrarily from the God-given teaching of the Church, but also scandalize the Orthodox phronema [*] of pious believers.

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.

We express, lastly, the profound sorrow of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the acts of some – fortunately few – clergy of the Orthodox Church to be found at talks of the said “Vassula” and give to her a “certificate of Orthodoxy.“

(Translated by John Sanidopoulos, Mystagogy blog)

[*] Phronema is a Greek term that is used in Orthodox theology to refer to mindset or outlook; it is the Orthodox mind. The attaining of phronema is a matter of practicing the correct faith (orthodoxia) in the correct manner (orthopraxia). Source: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Phronema

See also:
My Translation of the Patriarchal Decree Against Vassula Ryden, by John Sanidopoulos (April 2011)

Larger source: http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/apparitions/

http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2012/01/false-mystic.html

By Richard Chonak, January 11, 2012

What do false mystics do, besides peddle spiritual messages and collect money from naive followers? They sue people who try to expose them.

Last March the Patriarchate of Constantinople warned against1 Vassula Ryden’s claims of presenting messages from Jesus. It was an impressive statement from her own church (English translation here)2, which should help to diminish the bad influence of this long-exposed phony3, especially when it is added to the warnings from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1995, 1996, and 20074, 5 and 6.

In March 2011 the critical web site infovassula.ch, based in Switzerland, wrote, apparently incorrectly, that the document was a formal excommunication of Ryden, and in November 2011 Vassula’s organization sued the site author7, Maria Laura Pio. A hearing about some issues was held on January 6.

The impression of an excommunication is understandable, since the Patriarchate’s document stated:

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.

Of course we are dealing with translations, so ambiguities are possible. It sounds at least as if the followers of Vassula are to be denied Holy Communion until they desist.

I wish Ms. Pio all the best in dealing with this legal harassment from the Vassula camp. 2.

NOTES

1 http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=gr&id=1306&tla=gr

2
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/03/announcement-on-vassula-ryden-by.html

3
http://cumbey.blogspot.in/2006/05/dealing-with-saint-that-aint.html

4 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5193

5 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=5194

6 http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7748

7 Vassula’s organization sued the site author –Not opening now; Maria Laura Pio shut down her site www.infovassula.ch after Vassula Ryden filed a court case against her, see below.

There were 16 comments. Selected and reproduced here are 7 out of those
16 Comments:

Indeed the Church (Catholic Church that is) did not excommunicate Vassula, also because she is not Catholic so she falls outside the canonical jurisdiction of the Church, i.e. she is not baptized Catholic, nor a convert to Catholicism, so the Church can’t excommunicate her (excommunication is a canonical punishment, so it applies to those under the canon law of the Catholic Church)

She’s an orthodox, so perhaps the Orthodox Church she belongs to might have excommunicated her, but I have not heard anything about that.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, however, as you also pointed out, condemned her messages as ‘non authentic’ several times because of ‘grave theological errors’.

I encountered Vassula’s writings about 10-15 yrs ago, since some people introduced me to them and indeed right away certain things she wrote were very odd to me if not down right appalling. –X, January 11, 2012

The website with an accurate and detailed account of the communications between Vassula and the CDF is at this address:
www.cdf-tlig.org

And the other thing I mentioned was the elevation to Cardinal (in the last few days) of the priest who communicated with Vassula on behalf of the CDF. This was Fr Prospero Grech and you can read his initial letter to Vassula at this link:

www.tlig.org/en/testimonies/churchpos/cdf2005/grech/. –David TLIG, January 12, 2012

Regarding the validity of the Catholic Church’s documents on Vassula Ryden, I copy hereunder the translation into English of a Warning issued last October by the Bishops of southern France, which was widely spread by the French Catholic media and figures on the website of the Diocese of Marseille (http://marseille.catholique.fr/Mise-en-garde):

WARNING

Several sources have announced that on November 2011 Mrs. Vassula Ryden will be coming to Marseille. The programme mentions conferences, Mass, deliverance and healing prayers.

The Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has pronounced itself several times on her case, by emitting great reservations and not recognizing the supernatural character of her alleged messages. It advises Catholics not to support this person’s activities by participating in her initiatives.

The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has recently pronounced itself in a similar way, since Mrs. Vassula Ryden was a member of that Church.

The bishops of the Province of Marseille want to bring to the attention of the catholic faithful of their dioceses that this event is in no way connected to our Church. The acts of religious nature (Mass, deliverance and healing prayers) – if they take place – will be performed outside the communion with the Catholic Church.

In Marseille, October 22, 2011,

+ Georges PONTIER Archbishop of Marseille

+ Christophe DUFOUR Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence and Arles

+ Jean-Pierre CATTENOZ Archbishop of Avignon

+ François-Xavier LOIZEAU Bishop of Digne

+ Dominique REY Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon

+ Jean-Michel di FALCO LEANDRI Bishop of Gap and Embrun

+ Louis SANKALÉ Bishop of Nice

+ Jean BONFILS Apostolic Administrator of Ajaccio –Y, January 16, 2012

I am happy to read on the Internet that Mrs. Ryden’s suit failed. Congratulations to Maria Laura Pio! –Richard Chonak, February 7, 2012

Vassula and TLIG are at it again and this time may have potentially shut down the one-stop site for truth about the cult – http://www.infovassula.ch/tliglawsuit2.htm

The threats are spurious – and I’ve done some more research on the people behind this. The solicitor who is threatening to sue for legal fees and loss of TLIGI earnings, Anthony Jeremy, is a specialist in CANON law and a fully paid up member of the cult, having posted at length, coincidentally, about the Congregation’s ban on the use of church premises and being mentioned by someone else in a ‘testimony’.

Vassula is a registered trademark, as is TLIGI, which is curious. The attack has no basis; clearly Pio’s site is not trading as TLIG, is not selling a bogus product, in fact is not selling anything and doesn’t even carry advertising! It clearly falls under ‘fair use’, otherwise it would be impossible to ever mention Vassula or TLIG. Also note that nowhere on the TLIG site does it mention that these are registered trademarks and only refers to copyright on the message content. I wonder why?

3.

Also note that TLIG is not mentioned in full, no corporate address or full details of the company. TLIG seems not registered in the UK as a trading entity. Looking at the Foundation, we find that this is registered in Switzerland. It has one office and one employee. The president, Jan Kooger Howard, has currently 19 separate companies running from front offices around Geneva – none has more than 6 registered employees – his main interest seems to be an oil brokerage for Nigerian oil, Sahara Energy Services. And no, that does not appear to be a trademark!

The trademarks are owned by the VP, another Swiss big businessman, Jacques Gay, one of the Freres Gay and the owner of a few watch clasp patents. –Michael Abberton, May 25, 2012

The lawyer’s claims sound spurious to me too. It would be very good if some lawyer in the UK would defend Mrs. Pio from the harassment she’s getting. Alas, she, quite understandably, doesn’t want to deal with it any more. I’ll post a new blog thread about the case. –Richard Chonak, May 25, 2012

I harbor some doubts about her having written exactly what Vassula Ryden might have heard.
Here is one such case:
On October 2, 1987 she also wrote:
Let it be known that My Holy Shroud is indeed authentic, It is the same that covered me; blessed by me, etc.
The message I received from Yeshua Mashiach about his statement:
“I said no such thing.” There was a bit more but that will keep until we meet hopefully.

I was reluctant to write all this down but I had to because Vassula is also being guided by mentors from her new church who have not yet acknowledged her as a member.
(Her old church of Greek Orthodox origins is not quite happy with her line of beliefs thus leaving her neither here nor there.)
For your guidance, The Kingdom of Heaven NEVER works alone giving one absolute right to change the text messages received from there. Always there are witness from within the Kingdom to counteract such tendencies.
(Is this what I want or what you want is always before my eyes in all that I write which including this anecdote and in case of rebuttal, note I have been given the power to forgive sins from El-Shaddai.)
(I am sure Jesus won’t mind, or Mary won’t mind is nothing but heresy not even if I say so.) –Anthony R Pereira, November 20, 2012

The self-excommunication of
Vassula Ryden

Some statements from Orthodox authorities regarding Vassula Ryden‘s ‘True Life in God‘ messages

See
http://web.archive.org/web/20110521091158/http://www.infovassula.ch/tliggreekorthodox.htm

http://web.archive.org/web/20100414095217/http://www.infovassula.ch/tligtheologians.htm
EXTRACT

By Maria Laura Pio

Many are the theologians, bishops, priests and lay persons all over the world who have publicly issued warnings regarding the writings and actions of Mrs. Vassula Ryden, explaining the reasons for a call to prudence and discernment. We present hereunder some examples (all are documented).

Orthodox Church of Greece

In 2001 the Committee on Heresies of the Holy Synod published the following decision regarding Vassula Ryden (non-official translation from Greek):

“The Committee, having examined the evidence, has reached the conclusion that Vassula Ryden has expelled herself*
from the Orthodox Church, although she still presents herself as a member.

In addition it should be known that the Church periodical “Dialogos” in its issues number 14 and 17 (…) has printed extensive reports regarding Vassula Ryden’s organization.

Vassula asked the Greek Minister of Justice to bring to trial for slander and libel both the Secretary of the Greek Orthodox Synodal Commission on Heresies, Fr. Kyriakos Tsouros, and the Church publication. The trial was scheduled for 30 June 2000; however Ryden withdrew the charge two days before the hearing.“
(Dialogos, issue number 25, page 32, 2001.)

*The Greek text uses the word ekpései, which is of difficult translation. In fact, some websites have translated it as “excommunicated”. According to the Orthodox source we consulted, the literal translation of the text would be: “she threw herself out of the Orthodox Church”. Another source suggested: “Vassula Ryden is cut off from the Orthodox Church”. The Committee is therefore stating that Mrs. Ryden
excommunicated herself
from her Church. From what we have been able to gather, the main reason is that she does not act as an Orthodox faithful since she does not respect canonical discipline, for instance by regularly receiving Catholic Sacraments, which is considered a form of resigning from the Orthodox Church (see also: “May Vassula Ryden receive Holy Communion when participating in Catholic Masses?“).

“I was not excommunicated, only accused of heresy”, says Vassula!

Vassula Excommunicated – A Response to This False Statement by the Foundation for True Life in God, Geneva (Switzerland)

http://ad-orientem.blogspot.in/2011/05/vassula-ryden-responds-to-her.html

4.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople has recently published, on its website a statement of condemnation regarding Vassula Rydén and True Life in God faithful of Greek Orthodox faith. A certified translation into English of the Greek original is below. It is to be noted that the Patriarchate has only expressed itself in Greek, leaving people of other languages to themselves.
The statement of the Patriarchate has been misinterpreted by some people who have publicly declared that Vassula has been excommunicated.
Such declarations are wholly untrue and do not accord with the Patriarchs statement which is not a decree of any description and does not refer to excommunication.
What the statement does is to accuse Vassula and the Orthodox TLIG faithful of acting in defiance or in breach, of Orthodox Christian Doctrine and Faith.  That is equivalent to an accusation of heresy. (A denial of or deviation from the doctrine of the Orthodox Church)

The appropriate procedure for dealing with heresy is very clearly laid down in the Canon law of the Holy Church. The statement calls upon Vassula and her followers to discontinue the dissemination of the TLIG messages and to renounce their teachings in order to avoid the appropriate sanctions under the Holy Canons.  Under those Canons, the prescribed penalty for heresy is Excommunication (often called anathema) but, under the  Canonical procedures of the Church a decree of Excommunication can only be made after formal proceedings have taken place before the Ecclesiastical Courts or/and before  a Holy Synod.  Such proceedings involve a formal Complainant, a Defendant and Witnesses, and an appeal procedure (Hierarchical), regulated by Article 44.1 of the Charter of the Church of Greece
Only when this procedure has been exhausted, is the crime of transgression against the faith punished by Excommunication or sometimes by exclusion from the sacramental life of the Church for a temporary period.
There have been no proceedings for Excommunication instituted before the Ecclesiastical Courts or the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in the case of Vassula Rydén. That is not surprising because the Holy Orthodox Church like the Catholic Church or the Anglican Church regards Excommunication as a last resort, an instrument to be wielded with great reserve and caution and only to be imposed after repeated warnings and discussions.  No such discussions have taken place between Vassula and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Vassula has already written to the Patriarch personally, to request that she and her Theologians enter into a proper dialogue with him. Her request is presently under consideration by the Patriarch.
Until due judicial process is established and concluded by the Church, any public comments stating or implying that Vassula and TLIG faithful have been excommunicated by the Holy Orthodox Church are wholly untrue and harmful to her and those members of TLIG  who are of the Greek Orthodox faith.
The present statement is published by the Foundation for True Life in God after due research into this matter. Its purpose is to prevent publication of further ill advised comments and to encourage correction of untruthful statements already published.
Geneva, May 2011

From a friend of the blog who asked not to be named. This woman is a heretic. She excommunicated herself. All the Ecumenical Patriarchate did was confirm this for the benefit of those who might have been confused. –John, May 21, 2011

The last two lines above are the words of the blog owner, John -Michael

The problem with Vassula

http://thatthebonesyouhavecrushedmaythrill.blogspot.in/2010/11/problem-with-vassula.html
EXTRACT

Posted December 2, 2011, by Anonymous*

Vassula Ryden wants to take her critics to COURT.
On November 9, 2011, I received an international document summoning me before a judge in Belgium, accused of having damaged Mrs. Ryden and her Foundation’s honour and reputation, and requesting the reparation of the damage as well as the removal of some articles from the website. Read the article on: www.infovassula.ch

The letter sent to me by Mrs. Ryden’s lawyers begins as follow:
“Mrs. Vassula Ryden is the author of a work titled True life in God: a divine dialogue which contains many messages designed to promote the reunification of the Christian churches under the AUTHORITY OF THE POPE AND THE FOUNDATION’S FOUNDER”( Vassula)!……

*“Anonymous” is most probably Maria Laura Pio herself! Read more on page 12

Litigation shuts down site critical of Vassula

http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?topic=44782.0;wap2

May 2012

Salpy:
This is a shame. The heretic Vassula, through litigation, has finally succeeded in shutting down a very useful website that was set up to warn people about her. It is going to shut down at the end of May:
http://www.infovassula.ch/tliglawsuit2.htm

The history of litigation: http://www.infovassula.ch/tliglawsuit.htm

What a cowardly way to deal with criticism.  I wonder if Vassula is claiming that Christ told her to file the lawsuits. I feel bad for the poor Christian woman who owns the website, Maria Laura Pio. She has worked so hard to help others avoid falling into the trap of Vassula’s heresy, and she has suffered for her efforts.  I think she needs our prayers.
5.

podkarpatska:
Which is why, in the United States of America, our Supreme Court had the wisdom years and years ago, in Times v. Sullivan, a landmark freedom of the press case to set forth the ‘actual malice’ test. The actual malice standard requires that the plaintiff in a defamation or libel case prove that the publisher of the statement in question knew that the statement was false or acted in reckless disregard of its truth or falsity. Because of the extremely high burden of proof on the plaintiff, and the difficulty in proving essentially what is inside a person’s head, such cases — when they involve public figures — rarely prevail. This woman, by her conduct and self-promotion over the years, would surely have met the ‘public figure’ threshold in the States and this case would have been dismissed or not even been brought.

Salpy:
I am very thankful for my first amendment rights. I feel very sorry for Ms. Pio. It seems all she did was reprint a translation of a document by the Ecumenical Patriarch dealing with Vassula. It was translated by a Greek man to say that she was excommunicated.  Vassula claims that it is a mistranslation, and that it is really an accusation of heresy.  As if that is any better. At least that is my understanding of the first lawsuit. If I got this wrong, someone please correct me, but it seems all Ms. Pio did was reprint a translation made by someone else, and because Vassula disagreed with the translation, Ms. Pio was sued.  I don’t think the guy who did the translation was sued, but I could be wrong. I am assuming he was not sued because he lives in the US, where the free speech protections are stronger. Again, someone correct me if I got this wrong.
It seems the latest lawsuit has to do with Ms. Pio using Vassula’s name in her website.  If I understand correctly, it’s like Vassula is claiming some sort of trademark rights over her name and she is suing Ms. Pio for using it. Or something stupid like that.  I think this lawsuit is the final straw and Ms. Pio is just going to take down her website. This really is too bad.  Ms. Pio’s website was a great resource.  You could periodically check it to see what the latest was on Vassula and her heretical happenings.  Ms. Pio was also good about collecting every instance of when a bishop or patriarch warned against Vassula.  It was just a good resource on Vassula, and I don’t know of any others that will take its place. I wish Ms. Pio well, and I hope that the harassing litigation did not take too much of a toll on her.  It must have been very distressing. She’s posted the letters and documents from the suits on her site and people may want to have a look at them before the site goes down.  Reading them, you really get a feeling of how bizarre Vassula is.  Here’s an example from the first lawsuit:
Quote [4] The letter sent to me by Mrs. Ryden’s lawyers begins as follows: “Mrs. Vassula Ryden is the author of a work titled True Life in God: a divine dialogue which contains many messages designed to promote the reunification of the Christian Churches under the authority of the Pope and the Foundation’s founder [= Vassula]”.
http://www.infovassula.ch/thenarrowdoor.htm.
And to think that after Ms. Pio’s website closes, there won’t be any other good resources available to counter this heretic’s activities. Very sad.

Salpy:
A Catholic website has an article about it:
Legal action by Vassula Ryden shuts down critical web site

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14282&amp
Catholic World News – May 11, 2012
Vassula Ryden, a Swiss mystic who has claimed to receive personal messages from Jesus, has taken legal action to shut down a web site operated by one of her critics.
Maria Laura Pio, who operated a site that provided information and analysis critical of Ryden’s alleged visions, has announced that she will shut down the site at the end of May 2012, after receiving a letter from an attorney in Wales threatening legal action against her. The attorney claimed that Pio’s site, entitled ‘infovassula’, misleads visitors by creating the impression that it is authorized by Vassula Ryden.
Pio, who had already successfully defended herself against a similar legal action brought by Ryden in Belgium, announced on her site that “I do not have the means financially nor mentally to face another lawsuit,” so she has acceded to the lawyer’s demands.

In 1995 the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a warning about the work of Vassula Ryden, saying that her visions should not be regarded as supernatural, that her statements contain doctrinal errors, and that she has been “creating an ecumenical disorder” by sharing regularly in the sacraments of the Catholic Church although she is Greek Orthodox. The Vatican statement instructed bishops “that no opportunity may be provided in their dioceses for the dissemination of her ideas.”

Free speech, part II

Larger source: http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/apparitions/

http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2012/05/free-speech-par-1.html

By Richard Chonak, May 25, 2012

Some months ago the non-Catholic false mystic Vassula Ryden sued [http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2012/01/false-mystic.html] Swiss resident Maria Laura Pio, in a court in Belgium, demanding to take down Mrs. Pio’s web site of critical articles, infovassula.ch. The choice of Belgium as a venue was puzzling, since both Pio and Ryden are residents of Switzerland. Maybe some foolish lawyer in Belgium is a follower of Mrs. Ryden and volunteered to do the dirty work at no charge, thinking that he’s serving God by persecuting Mrs. Pio.

When the case came to a hearing, the court in Belgium promptly dismissed it on procedural grounds, so that went nowhere. 6.

Well, Mrs. Ryden has found another foolish lawyer to do her dirty work, and this time she may get her way. A lawyer in Cardiff, Wales, has threatened to sue Mrs. Pio, claiming that the domain name of her web site infringes on Mrs. Ryden’s trademarks. Mrs. Pio has decided not to spend any more time defending herself from such vexatious litigation and has announced [Not opening; Maria Laura Pio shut down her site because of the Vassula Ryden-filed court case] (here’s a copy*) that she’s closing the site this month.

A commenter on the previous blog post observes: **

Vassula and TLIG are at it again and this time may have potentially shut down the one-stop site for truth about the cult – http://www.infovassula.ch/tliglawsuit2.htm [Not opening; as above]
The threats are spurious – and I’ve done some more research on the people behind this. The solicitor who is threatening to sue for legal fees and loss of TLIGI earnings, Anthony Jeremy, is a specialist in CANON law and a fully paid up member of the cult, having posted at length, coincidentally, about the Congregation’s ban on the use of church premises and being mentioned by someone else in a ‘testimony’.
Vassula is a registered trademark, as is TLIG, which is curious. The attack has no basis; clearly Pio’s site is not trading as TLIG, is not selling a bogus product, in fact is not selling anything and doesn’t even carry advertising! It clearly falls under ‘fair use’, otherwise it would be impossible to ever mention Vassula or TLIG. Also note that nowhere on the TLIG site does it mention that these are registered trademarks and only refers to copyright on the message content. I wonder why?
Also note that TLIG is not mentioned in full, no corporate address or full details of the company. TLIG seems not registered in the UK as a trading entity. Looking at the Foundation, we find that this is registered in Switzerland. It has one office and one employee. The president, Jan Kooger Howard, has currently 19 separate companies running from front offices around Geneva – none has more than 6 registered employees – his main interest seems to be an oil brokerage for Nigerian oil, Sahara Energy Services. And no, that does not appear to be a trademark!
The trademarks are owned by the VP, another Swiss big businessman, Jacques Gay, one of the Freres Gay and the owner of a few watch clasp patents.

I’ll take your word as to the lawyer’s identity, since I don’t know it for myself. His claims seem spurious to me too: Mrs. Pio isn’t engaged in trade, so it seems strange to claim that she’s violating a trademark. And the claim that Vassula’s followers can’t tell a critical website from a supportive one is really an insult to them.

How a lawyer can make such implausible assertions without turning purple from embarrassment is beyond me, but some people have a natural skill for it.

[Update (August 2012): clarified the description of the Belgian court’s action.

**http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2012/01/false-mystic.html#comment-209614

*http://www.webcitation.org/67vNs3X4s

Unfortunately, I can take no more of this. So,
I am going to close the website at the end of May and unfortunately, since I do not have the means financially nor mentally to face another lawsuit (see tliglawsuit.htm), no matter how ridiculous it is, I am constrained to hand over the domain name to Vassula
in June 2012. Infovassula will then cease to be a critical website and will join the cohort of pro-Vassula websites that proliferate in the Internet.

Maria Laura Pio

3 May 2012, (minor edits 8 May)

7.

 8.

9.

See also:
Another lawsuit against Infovassula.ch, this time in England (Infovassula)

Lawsuit against critical website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassula_Ryden
EXTRACT

In late 2010, Maria Laura Pio, a former follower of Ryden’s teachings, published a website critical of Ryden. The website, www.infovassula.ch, hosted a collection of documents and interviews that were critical of Ryden’s teachings.

10.

Niels Christian Hvidt cited the website in his book Christian Prophecy: The Post-Biblical Tradition. In May 2012 the website was closed because of the threat of legal action from Ryden’s attorneys, who argued that the term “Vassula” was trademarked, that a website named “Vassula” must belong to Ryden. Pio announced on 3 May 2012, “I am going to close the website at the end of May and unfortunately, since I do not have the means financially nor mentally to face another lawsuit, no matter how ridiculous it is, I am constrained to hand over the domain name to Vassula in June 2012.”*

*http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marialaurapio_eng/message/48

http://catinfor.com/en/2012/05/12/vassula-ryden-condemned-by-vatican-in-1995-for-doctrinal-errors-uses-lawsuit-to-shut-down-website-of-critic/

May 12, 2012

Vassula Ryden, condemned by Vatican in 1995 for “doctrinal errors”, uses lawsuit to shut down website of critic…
Vassula Ryden, a Swiss mystic who has claimed to receive personal messages from Jesus, has taken legal action to shut down a web site operated by one of her critics. Maria Laura Pio, who operated a site that provided information and analysis critical of Ryden’s alleged visions, has announced that she will shut down the site at the end of May 2012, after receiving a letter from an attorney in Wales threatening legal action against her. The attorney claimed that Pio’s site, entitled “infovassula,”misleads visitors by creating the impression that it is authorized by Vassula Ryden.
newadvent.org

From Maria Laura Pio, www.infovassula.ch:

November 2011
Lawsuit against this website
[The link does not open now –Michael]

The Judge declares the [TLIG Foundation and Mrs. Ryden] demand inadmissible because outside that court’s competence. Legal costs will be borne by the plaintiffs (TLIG Foundation and Mrs. Ryden). The decision and its motivation can be read in French here.

From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
prabhu
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2011 2:23 PM

Subject: Re: [infovassularyden_english] The Bishops of the Province of Marseille warn against Vassula’s activities

Very dear Michael, 

I have been having serious problems with Vassula in the last months. Her lawyers sent me in July a letter threatening me of a lawsuit, and two weeks ago, I received a summons to present myself in January before a judge in Belgium!. Basically I am accused of denigrating Vassula and her “status of mystic”, and of having referred to the Patriarchate’s document as a “decree of excommunication” (a mistake I corrected in April). So, do keep me in your prayers, so I remain faithful to God’s will at all times. Maria Laura

From:
prabhu
To:
Maria Laura Pio
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 1:02 PM Subject: LAWSUIT!

Dear Maria Laura,

That is most awful. I Thessalonians 5: 16-18.

Has she made it public – her lawsuit against you – on her web site? If you corrected it in April BEFORE her lawyers wrote to you, she has NO case. Regarding your challenging her status as a mystic, once again you are not the only one to do so. And you are mostly reproducing what the bishops’ conferences or individual clerics pronounce. We have the right to free speech. These are religious matters and we are free to determine whether certain private revelations are genuine or not in the light of Church teaching!

A genuine mystic would NOT have lawyers on hire!!! The Holy Spirit would be her defender. That alone – that she works in the flesh – shows that she is NOT genuine. You can quote me. I too have received such threats from powerful priests and Catholic organizations even writing to me on the Bishops’ Conference letterhead once. I am sure that you will remain resolute and I pray that the Lord will vindicate you and that this will backfire/rebound on her. Michael

From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
prabhu
Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 6:34 PM Subject: Re: LAWSUIT!

Very dear Michael,

Thank you so much for your words of support! I corrected my article on the Patriarchate’s document in April and in May I even included the press communication of Vassula’s foundation regarding that document. I was never contacted by Vassula before July regarding this matter. Maria Laura

11.

From:
Maria Laura Pio
Subject: [infovassularyden_english] VASSULA RYDEN WANTS TO TAKE HER CRITICS TO COURT To:
infovassularyden_english@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, 25 November, 2011, 8:52 AM*

 On November 9, 2011, I received an international document summoning me before a judge in Belgium, accused of having damaged Mrs Ryden’s and her Foundation’s honour and reputation, and requesting the reparation of the damage as well as the removal of some articles from the website.

Last July, I had already received a prior letter from Mrs Ryden’s lawyers, then accusing me of offences of a criminal nature punishable by imprisonment. The letter strongly suggested in the letter that all this could be avoided if I accepted a list of Mrs Ryden’s demands.

Briefly, the present civil cause summons charges me of having written in March 2011 that the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s document was a “decree of excommunication” [1] and of having intended to damage Mrs. Ryden “by belittling her status of mystic among her faithful“. The importance given to this action in court is evidenced by the fact that the Foundation asked Mrs Ryden’s followers for donations in this sense [2].

Are my articles denigrating or are they the expression of my freedom of opinion? Mrs Ryden is a public and controversial personality. She openly says that the messages she writes come from directly from God and that a public challenge to their divine origin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit [3]. Such declarations unavoidably arouse critical questioning.

Even though Mrs Ryden focuses her message on the unity of the Churches [4], she takes public actions which, from my point of view, contradict the search for unity. Indeed, I am being charged for qualifying as “schismatic” the nature of Mrs Ryden’s decision to proceed with her tour of conferences in Europe in spite of the severe document of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Mrs Ryden’s lawyers wrote:

“Even if the Patriarchate has indeed asked Mrs Ryden to cease her activities among the orthodox community, one has to admit that Mrs Ryden has submitted to the Patriarchate’s will. Indeed, since the Patriarchate’s communication, Mrs Ryden has only participated in conferences that took place exclusively in northern Europe, where the Orthodox Church is almost absent. Nothing impedes Mrs Ryden from meeting Catholic or Protestant faithful. It therefore results that this “choice of a schismatic nature” is a strict obedience to the Patriarchate’s requests.“

When Mrs Ryden expresses herself in public, even in front of a non-Orthodox audience, she is presented as an Orthodox faithful. Now, it is the orthodoxy of her teachings that is denied by the Patriarchate. It doesn’t matter to whom Vassula addresses her teachings: a person who declares herself Orthodox – according to the Patriarchate’s document – must not spread those teachings. Those who nevertheless do so “are not admitted to ecclesiastical communion” (http://www.infovassula.ch/tliggreekorthodox.htm ).

There is also the question of knowing who should discern charismas: we or the Church? Can someone proclaim himself “mystic”? Does such a proclamation confer a “status” that cannot be questioned?

Moreover, it is inaccurate that Mrs Ryden “has only participated in conferences that took place exclusively in northern Europe, where the Orthodox Church is almost absent“. For instance:

The Belgian meeting “Unis par Christ” (United by Christ) to which Mrs Ryden participated on April 2 and 3, 2011, after the publication of the Patriarchate’s document, was an ecumenical event, open to the participation of the Orthodox faithful. There are between 70.000 and 80.000 Orthodox people in Belgium [5] and the Patriarchate of Constantinople is present with a local Metropolis: the Holy Metropolis of Belgium based in Brussels.

On October 23 Mrs Ryden held a conference in Berlin. There are 1,200,000 Orthodox people in Germany, including 400,000 Greeks, and a local Metropolis: the Holy Metropolis of Germany based in Bonn .

On November 20, a whole day conference and prayer meeting is scheduled in Marseille. There are 300,000 Orthodox faithful in France, a local Metropolis based in Paris and an important Orthodox community in Marseille (4 Greek-Orthodox parishes). Incidentally, the Catholic bishops of the region have issued a warning regarding this event (see: http://www.infovassula.ch/tligmarseille.htm ).

It seems to me that I am mostly charged for not accepting the interpretation given by Mrs Ryden on the documents issued against her by the Churches, as well as questioning the actions she takes. Although Infovassula is “home-made” and cannot compete with the many websites, blogs, Facebook page, etc. supervised by Mrs Ryden’s organization, my website’s articles are a nuisance because they provide difficult to find information and raise the real questions that any believer needs to ask when confronted with the discernment of a private revelation such as this.

Maria Laura Pio, www.infovassula.ch, November 25, 2011

Notes

[1] The Patriarchate’s document is not a “decree of excommunication”, but rather a condemnation (the Foundation for TLIG considers it an “accusation of heresy”). The document states that “the proponents of these unacceptable innovations [= TLIG teachings] and the supporters who maintain them (…) henceforth are not admitted to ecclesiastical communion”. See: http://www.infovassula.ch/tliggreekorthodox.htm

[2] In September 2011, the Foundation for True Life in God made a “Call for donations for the defence of Vassula”. The author of the letter, Albert Muller, the Foundation’s Executive Secretary, wrote: “The persecution recently suffered by Vassula and the True Life in God messages has increased to the point of spreading the rumour of her excommunication by her Church. (…) We are examining the measures that can and must be taken for the public defence of Vassula with all the means available. (…) We therefore call upon the True Life in God family, so that it unites and rises to defend Vassula and our faith in the True Life in God messages. (…) In order to choose the best way of sending us your donations, we invite you to consult the section “Donations and Support” on the website www.tlig.org“.

*Source:
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/SLCXcQb3fTk
12.

[3] See http://www.infovassula.ch/tligmortalsin.htm A long-time follower of Vassula described her as “one of God’s great Prophets, comparable with the Prophets of the Old Testament. The prophecy of the True Life in God messages is not an optional extra. This treasure from God is one of God’s great gifts to mankind. If rejected, it really does seem to me to amount to the unforgivable rejection of the Holy Spirit” (http://www.tlig.net/newphpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1576&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=16 ).

[4] The letter sent to me by Mrs Ryden’s lawyers begins as follows: “Mrs Vassula Ryden is the author of a work titled True Life in God: a divine dialogue which contains many messages designed to promote the reunification of the Christian Churches under the authority of the Pope and the Foundation’s founder [= Vassula]“.

[5] Numbers taken from “Histoire de l’Eglise orthodoxe en Europe occidentale au 20^ème siècle” http://orthodoxie.ch/p/2004-2005/news_12.shtml.

Secondary source: http://www.bloggen.be/levend_geloof8/archief.php?ID=1649332.

From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Sent: Monday, January 09, 2012 4:31 PM Subject:

Dear Michael,

Last Friday took place the hearing in front of the Belgian Judge. As I had told you, I chose to go without a lawyer and defend myself on my own. I’ve put a very brief update on the matter on my website (http://www.infovassula.ch/tlighome.html). The hearing was a bit of a confusion at the beginning, because there were procedural mistakes from my part (which was to be expected, since I am not a lawyer) but also and more surprisingly from Vassula’s lawyers too. In fact, their mistake in the procedure excluded their demand for damages (although I don’t know if they can present it again in a separate trial). Maria Laura

From:
Maria Laura Pio
Subject: [infovassularyden_english] Update on Lawsuit
To:
infovassularyden_english@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 10 January, 2012, 10:33 AM

Dear Friends, As reported in my previous mail, a lawsuit against me has been engaged by Mrs Ryden and the Foundation for True Life in God. The hearing in front of the Judge took place last Friday (January 6) and concentrated mainly on the matter of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s document, which I incorrectly reported on my website from March 24 to April 14, 2011 as being a formal excommunication of Mrs Ryden. What is in question is to know if the way the information was corrected can be legally considered as a retraction. If not, a formal retraction must be made and communicated correctly. The Judge’s ruling should be known towards the end of January. Maria Laura Pio

Source: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/MX1nLRcz7-U

From: Maria Laura Pio
Subject: [infovassularyden_english] Lawsuit: the judge’s decision
To:
infovassularyden_english@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, 3 February, 2012, 9:57 AM

I have received the judge’s decision regarding the lawsuit against me engaged by Mrs. Ryden and her Foundation for TLIG:

The Judge declares the demand inadmissible because outside that court’s competence. Legal costs will be borne by the plaintiffs (TLIG Foundation and Mrs. Ryden). The decision and its motivation can be read in French here: http://www.infovassula.ch/thenarrowdoor.htm#trib. Maria Laura Pio www.infovassula.ch

Source: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/drQ-LIrY2ss  

From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2012 3:20 PM

Subject: RE: FYI: Fw: In Defence of Vassula and True Life in God

Dear Michael, I got the Judge’s decision a few days before leaving and posted the result on my website (http://www.infovassula.ch/tlighome.html) and sent the communication through my Yahoo group.

Thank you very much for the TLIG internal communication you sent me. The case was indeed dismissed on the basis of procedural mistakes made by Vassula’s lawyers. If they wish to continue with the case, they have to reintroduce it in front of a different Judge and a different civil court. (The full hearing already took place on January 6 in front of the Judge who dismissed it). Maria Laura

From:
A one-time TLIG organizer
To:
michaelprabhu@vsnl.net
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 9:18 AM

Subject: Fw: In Defence of Vassula and True Life in God

From: True Life in God <tlig@tlig.org> To:
pdsouza@unicef.org
Date: 20-02-12

Subject: In Defence of Vassula and True Life in God

The Foundation for True Life in God has just issued the following statement.
The earlier statement from May 2011, referred to in the letter, can be read at this link:
http://www.defending-vassula.org/orthodox-patriarchate-foundation?lang=en

Foundation for TRUE LIFE IN GOD
Fondation pour LA VRAIE VIE EN DIEU
Stiftung für DAS WAHRE LEBEN IN GOTT
Fundación para LA VERDADERA VIDA EN DIOS
Geneva (Switzerland)
e-mail: foundation@tlig.org – phone: +41 21 803 1794
postal address : PoBox 714 – 1110 Morges 1 (Switzerland)

13.

Geneva, February 20, 2012

In Defence of Vassula and True Life in God.
This statement is issued by the Foundation for True Life in God and Vassula Rydén.
It concerns the case brought before the Civil Tribunal of Brussels against the author of a widely published untruthful* statement we commented upon in our statement of May 2011. *Read Maria Laura Pio’s letter to me on page 16
Our case has not been dismissed, contrary to what the publication of the interim statement of the Court seems to insinuate. The case is continuing. The Tribunal has simply held that it has no competence to deal with the matter urgently, so that it will now proceed normally to a full hearing.
Thank you for your support.
Foundation for TLIG
Albert Muller

MORE ON WHAT VASSULA RYDEN AND TLIG HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE ISSUE

The false statement of “Vassula excommunicated” is unveiled at last

http://www.defending-vassula.org/spip.php?page=article_print&id_article=391&lang=en

The news of Vassula’s alleged excommunication was published in March 2011 on the website, misleadingly called www.infovassula.ch by its author, Maria Laura Pio Cafaro.

From:
prabhu
To:
‘A one-time TLIG organizer‘*
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 8:27 AM *See page 13

Subject: CONCERNING TLIG’s LATEST STATEMENT

Dear ‘A one-time TLIG organizer‘,

What I have been receiving from you is TLIG propaganda. I appreciate that anyway because otherwise I would not know what TLIG is up to in India and elsewhere.

My latest exposes are on the women priests’ movement in the Indian Church, led by two lay women, Virginia Saldanha and Astrid Lobo…

You can see that when I research and write, the documentation is thorough. Even bishops are named…

I have also compiled an article of some of the best Internet information on Private Revelation because I come across good Catholics who are ready to listen to the seers and promoters of Medjugorje, Julia Kim, Vassula Ryden, etc. but not their Bishops on them.

PRIVATE REVELATION
http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PRIVATE_REVELATION.doc

The main ones regard the translation of the original decree in Greek. Those objections are addressed in an article of the Mystagogy blog (http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/04/my-translation-of-decree-against.html).

Yesterday however, I have been made aware of objections of a canonical nature, regarding the procedure that should be followed to excommunicate a person from the Orthodox Church. Although I am not a Canon Law expert nor an Orthodox, I consider those objections reasonable. In fact, as one of the persons I consulted made me notice, the decree is formulated as a global condemnation of Mrs Ryden’s teachings rather than a personal excommunication; and the non admittance in “ecclesiastic communion” touches all those who not only propose those teachings (which includes of course Mrs Ryden) but also those who promote them. This is perhaps why the decree does not follow what was presented to me as normal procedure for an excommunication and why the measure was taken centrally by the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople: because of its outreach. Indeed the measure is taken globally against the teachings, the TLIG organization, its leader and her supporters, all together. 15.

So, in the light of this new information, I have decided yesterday to edit the article on the decree in accordance to the above remarks, and refer to it as a “condemnation” (http://www.infovassula.ch/tliggreekorthodox.htm). UNQUOTE

Source: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/ohnYrCnMxcU

The clarification is self-explanatory. It admits that infovassula/Maria Laura erred in calling the condemnation an excommunication. But the way that TLIG is gloating over its alleged success in extracting a Retraction a year later does not inspire confidence in me that TLIG is a work of God. Knowing very well that infovassula/Maria Laura Pio had indeed committed a mistake in construing a condemnation as an excommunication and that they would win a civil suit, TLIG went to the courts even after she had publicly acknowledged that mistake. Of course, they knew in advance that they would, and have taken mileage out of it. Publishing a Retraction would catch the eye of anyone and convince people that infovassula/Maria Laura Pio is malicious. How many will like me examine the chronology minutely?

I simply cannot get over TLIG’s taking pleasure in humiliating people, especially someone who has already discovered and rectified a blunder. 

I have much more to comment but shall leave it for my forthcoming expose. Basically, if TLIG were genuinely of God and a channel of messages from God, they would not act like any secular organization but conduct themselves as a Christian ministry and not attack a Christian ministry like infovassula/Maria Laura Pio’s just because she opposes TLIG.

I can write my proposed expose with confidence because I was one of TLIG’s earliest promoters in India. I was saved from the error of becoming one of her devotees [yes, most of them devour TLIG literature but have never read the Vatican II and other Church documents, the lives of saints, the Early Church Fathers or the Catechism of the Catholic Church] because I kept an open mind on what others in the Church, especially the Bishops, are speaking.

It is indeed a sad day when many good Catholics give precedence to the words of a Vassula Ryden or a Michael Prabhu without discernment, without comparing their revelations with the Church’s position on private revelation which can be and usually are in line with the Church to the extent of 99.999%. It’s the other 0.001% that really matters.

We need to learn from and be like the Bereans, Acts 17:11.

Love and kind regards, Michael

*See page 14.
From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
prabhu
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2012 12:49 PM

Subject: Re: CONCERNING TLIG’s LATEST STATEMENT

Dear Michael,

Thank you for taking my defence and for sending me the copy of the TLIG statement. They have misquoted my retraction**, because I used the word “incorrect”
and not “untrue”, which they wanted me to use, but I refused, because “untrue” implies a lie. Maria Laura **Vassula and TLIG never above without deceit; see also page 18

From:
Maria Laura Pio
Subject: [infovassularyden_english] Lawsuit against Infovassula.ch: the whole story
To:
infovassularyden_english@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, 27 April, 2012, 8:57 AM

As reported previously, I have been the object of a lawsuit initiated by the Foundation for True Life in God and Vassula Ryden. The cause was dismissed by the judge for technical reasons in January 2012, and since then I have been exchanging letters with TLIG’s Belgian lawyers. I was in fact waiting to see if the matter could be settled before reporting again. But since the Foundation for TLIG has recently issued a partisan conclusive statement regarding this whole matter, I have decided that the moment has come to give you the detailed account of what happened. 

You will find the article here: http://www.infovassula.ch/tliglawsuit.htm. Warmly in Christ, Maria Laura Pio

Also at https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/sPFJq1UXCyo

From:
Maria Laura Pio
Subject: [marialaurapio_eng] Another lawsuit against Infovassula.ch, this time from England

To:
marialaurapio_eng@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, 3 May, 2012, 9:32 AM

I received yesterday (May 2, 2012) a letter from UK solicitors representing Vassula Ryden and the Foundation for True Life in God, demanding that I turn over to them the domain name Infovassula, because “Vassula” and “True Life in God” are registered international trademarks and I cannot use those words in my domain name. They state that I am using the domain name infovassula.ch as an instrument of fraud, because it contains negative information regarding Vassula. They claim they have been damaged because some of their followers (apparently suffering from severe reading problems) didn’t get it that it is a critical website and not an official website of Mrs. Ryden’s. They also accuse me of trying to pass myself as a member of Vassula’s organization! I’m not even going to comment the letter, just download it from here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marialaurapio_eng/files/.

Unfortunately, I can take no more of this. So, I am going to close the website
at the end of May and unfortunately, since I do not have the means financially nor mentally to face another lawsuit, no matter how ridiculous it is, I am constrained to hand over the domain name to Vassula in June 2012. Infovassula will then cease to be a critical website and will join the cohort of pro-Vassula websites that proliferate in the Internet.

You can help me by informing of this situation any website that has links to pages of www.infovassula.ch.  

Thank you and warmly in Christ, Maria Laura Pio, 3 May 2012

Also at
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/marialaurapio-eng/OaXf6ADJlEc

From: notify@yahoogroups.com notify@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [marialaurapio_eng] infovassula_english group name/addresses have changed To:
marialaurapio_eng@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, 3 May, 2012, 9:15 AM

Hello,
The moderator of the infovassula_english group has changed the group’s name.
This means that both the group’s email address and the group home page location have changed.
The group email address: marialaurapio_eng@yahoogroups.com
The group home page location: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marialaurapio_eng
If you have links which point to this group or an address book entry for the group, you should update them, as the old addresses will no longer work.
Regards,
Yahoo! Groups Customer Care

I RECEIVED A LETTER SUBJECT “Statement from the TLIG Foundation” ON THE “FORMAL RETRACTION” FROM TLIG-INDIA. IT IS NOW NOT TRACEABLE.

HOWEVER, IN REPLY, I COPIED THE
‘A one-time TLIG organizer‘
LETTER, SEE PAGE 15, TO THEM:

From:
prabhu
To:
Michael Prabhu
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 3:05 PM

To:
Agnello Fernandes; Celine Vieira- TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp; Sally & Reggie Pereira-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp; Fr. Stephen Raphael-TLIG West Bengal; Ashley &amp; Carmen-TLIG Goa; Paul Datta-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp; Sanjay TLIG – Mumbai Core Grp; Marilyn Fernandes-TLIG Mumbai; Maria Martin-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp;

Subject: Re: Statement from the TLIG Foundation

Dear TLIG activists, Reverend Sisters and Reverend Fathers,

Before any of you rush off a response to this communication from me, may I request you to kindly spend a few minutes checking out this Catholic apologetics ministry’s web site www.ephesians-511.net, not forgetting the compiled information in PRIVATE REVELATION for which I have given you the link, http://ephesians-511.net/docs/PRIVATE_REVELATION.doc.

Here is my already [three weeks ago] circulated response against the recent TLIG Statement, a copy of which was sent to us now by Agnello. I write this also as one of the earliest promoters of TLIG in India, though I am certain that almost none of you would be aware of that.

By the way, Fr Anand Mathew IMS who is on your group mailing list and to whom I am marking a copy of this letter, is a supporter of the Hinduisation [of course he calls it inculturation and other euphemisms] of the Church through yoga, Surya Namaskar, OM chanting, etc., from his correspondence with this ministry I wonder how he and the rest of you reconcile that with the syncretistic-ecumenical vision and goals of Vassula Ryden?

Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice,

Michael Prabhu

www.ephesians-511.net

From:
Agnello Fernandes
To:
Celine Vieira- TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp ; Sally & Reggie Pereira-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp ; Fr. Stephen Raphael-TLIG West Bengal ; Ashley &amp; Carmen-TLIG Goa ; Paul Datta-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp ; Sanjay TLIG – Mumbai Core Grp ; Marilyn Fernandes-TLIG Mumbai ; Maria Martin-TLIG Mumbai-Core Grp

Cc:
prabhu
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 3:32 PM Subject: Re: Statement from the TLIG Foundation

Dear TLIG Friends,

Do not be perturbed by these arguments, each of us know the treasures of TRUE OF LIFE IN GOD. Even the Vatican takes people to court when attacked personally.

Judas too was one of the first apostles, let us remain like rest of them and strengthen our lives with the power of These Messages.

God Bless you all, Agnello

From:
Maria Laura Pio
To:
prabhu
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 1:08 PM

Subject: Re: YOUR MINISTRY’S NEW STATUS

Very dear Michael and Angela,

Thank you for your kind words and support, which are very comforting at this time… Several websites and blogs have copied some of the articles of the website to theirs, so not all will be lost. I of course keep a complete copy of the website for my archive. I am shutting down the website this Friday.

Regarding reactions, I have had really so so many mails from people telling me how useful the website has been and asking me to continue elsewhere. Unfortunately, I really believe that I am the main problem of the website, the weak link that made it vulnerable. How can I fight people that use deceit and lies, paired with money and lawyers? If I open the website elsewhere, I will just continue to receive letters from lawyers threatening ridiculous lawsuits. Scientology uses this same method with critical former members. It doesn’t matter if they lose the lawsuits, what is effective is the financial and mental harassment endured by the victims. It is a form of vexatious litigation.

Do keep me in your prayers. Very warmly in Christ, Maria Laura

I RECEIVED THE “Statement from the TLIG Foundation” FROM ANOTHER TLIG-ER, AND I REPLIED:

From:
prabhu
To:
‘A TLIG organizer‘
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 5:00 PM Subject: Fw: TLIG e-news May 21, 2011

Dear Name Withheld,

Many, many thanks very much for this. I am aware of it. I will send you the response to it in a following email. 17.

I recently concluded a VERY lengthy study on the matter of private revelations in general. It will be on my web site in a couple of weeks at most. In that study, I found that only those locutionists, seers, visionaries and prophets are/have been genuine who submit to the Church, not fight its episcopal representatives on a continuous basis. Vassula might turn out to be a genuine prophetess, but never if she rebuts the Church on every single thing that the Bishops say to her. Catholic Church history has indeed shown that genuine modern mystics had had to suffer persecution and rejection and censure, but it also shows that they submitted in obedience and humility and let the Lord vindicate them, which He always did in time and very powerfully. Examples are Fr. Pio and Sr. Faustina who are now canonised Saints.

As for Vassula Ryden herself, what I can truthfully say is that I feel a great spiritual unease whenever I read anything that Vassula says or writes since the last few years. Her/TLIG reactions to the recent statements of her Church do not seem to show any of the usual saintly potential. In fact, I have become very fearful of her. Remember that I was probably the first person to show her video tapes in Mangalore in 1998 or 1999. I have also found that other friends of mine, now in TLIG who will listen to Vassula but not to the Bishops who speak to/on her on behalf of the Church [not those Bishops who might follow her on a personal basis]. It has become such that her word takes precedence over that of the Bishops. If the Bishops turn out to be wrong, the Lord will use the Church to vindicate and honor Vassula one day, but what happens [to her followers] if Vassula is false?

She says a lot of good things, but there are many things that she says were given to her by Jesus to say that don’t sound like they are from Him. He would never fight or criticise His Bishops. The lives of other mystics are testimony to that.

The type of ecumenism that she is proposing is definitely not Catholic to say the least. When I believed in it [the three streams being welded together] I was absolutely ignorant of Church teaching and apologetics and poor in Scriptural exegesis.

There are many, many things about her “messages” that worry me, because several of my dear friends like you believe utterly in her. In dealing with some of these friends [one whom I know from 20 years before I met you, has even taken Vassula around to other cities], I have noted that they are not at all ready to listen to anything the Church says, on other issues for instance. They select some things and reject others that do not fall in line with their already-made choices. For me that is a very bad sign. I am reminded of a good and holy priest we all know, Fr. Jerry Sequeira SVD who did the same and has no credibility now except among his diehard supporters who have put him above the Church. Even a great charismatic healer like Archbishop Milingo* put himself above Church authority despite the Pope’s personal intervention. Where is he now? In the Moonies cult, married to an acupuncturist, promoting MarriedPriestsNow and the ordination of female priests. *A supporter of Vassula Ryden,
he has addressed her gathering at the Holy Land Pilgrimage 2000 – A Divine Bridal Call for Reconciliation and Unity – March 14th – 26th 2000,
http://www.tlig.org/en/pilgrimages/holyland2000/vassview/. 

http://www.infovassula.ch/tlighome.html:

FORMAL RETRACTION:

The Patriarchate’s document is not a decree of excommunication of Mrs. Ryden.

Between March 24 and April 14, 2011 this website reported an information – proved erroneous – spread by several Orthodox websites, who referred to the document of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople dated March 16, 2011 as a formal excommunication of Mrs Ryden. On April 14, 2011 I came across arguments of a canonical nature that brought into question the exactitude of that interpretation, since the document did not seem to be the result of the canonical procedure necessary for a formal excommunication. I deeply regretted this mistake, because my intention is always to inform correctly. Maria Laura Pio – February 27, 2012.

The words “erroneous” and “mistake” used by Maria Laura Pio are replaced by “untrue” in the TLIG version which has a very negative, dishonest connotation. As I keep repeating, typical Vassula!

See

VASSULA RYDEN-PROBLEMS WITH ROME BUT WELCOME IN INDIA

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-PROBLEMS_WITH_ROME_BUT_WELCOME_IN_INDIA.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-A CDF NOTIFICATION BISHOPS WARNINGS AND THEOLOGICAL CRITIQUES

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-A_CDF_NOTIFICATION_BISHOPS_WARNINGS_AND_THEOLOGICAL_CRITIQUES.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-THE REASONS FOR THE CHURCH’S NEGATIVE REACTION

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-THE_REASONS_FOR_THE_CHURCHS_NEGATIVE_REACTION.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-FR FRANCOIS MARIE DERMINE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-FR_FRANCOIS_MARIE_DERMINE.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-FR MITCH PACWA

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-FR_MITCH_PACWA.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-MARK WATERINCKX

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-MARK_WATERINCKX.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-A CRITIQUE-DIALOGUE CENTRE INTERNATIONAL

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-A_CRITIQUE-DIALOGUE_CENTRE_INTERNATIONAL.doc

VASSULA RYDEN’S JESUS-INGERLISE PROVSTGAARD

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDENS_JESUS-INGERLISE_PROVSTGAARD.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-RICHARD SALBATO

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-RICHARD_SALBATO.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-JOE NICKELL

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-JOE_NICKELL.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-CONSTANCE CUMBEY

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-CONSTANCE_CUMBEY.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-RONALD L CONTE

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-RONALD_L_CONTE.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-AN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-AN_ORTHODOX_CHRISTIAN.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-LAURENCE ENGLAND

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-LAURENCE_ENGLAND.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-MURIEL

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-MURIEL.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-RICHARD CHONAK

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-RICHARD_CHONAK.doc
VASSULA RYDEN-TERRY NELSON

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-TERRY_NELSON.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-CATHOLIC ANSWERS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-CATHOLIC_ANSWERS.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-CATHOLIC DOORS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-CATHOLIC_DOORS.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-EWTN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-EWTN.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-SUSAN BRINKMANN

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-SUSAN_BRINKMANN.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-DANIEL KLIMEK

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-DANIEL_KLIMEK.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-TONY-ALLEN CUCOLO

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-TONY-ALLEN_CUCOLO.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-SGERBIC

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-SGERBIC.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-TESTIMONIES

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN_TESTIMONIES.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-NOTIFICATION
CDF, OCTOBER 6, 1995

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-NOTIFICATION.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-THE TLIG APOLOGISTS

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-THE_TLIG_APOLOGISTS.doc

VASSULA RYDEN-THE EUCHARIST AND INTERCOMMUNION ONE DATE AND PAN-CHRISTIAN ECUMENISM

http://ephesians-511.net/docs/VASSULA_RYDEN-THE_EUCHARIST_AND_INTERCOMMUNION_ONE_DATE_AND_PAN-CHRISTIAN_ECUMENISM.doc

Categories: False Mystics

Tags: Vassula Ryden