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Rome, 26th June, 2002
Most reverend Fr. Prospero Grech
Collegio Sta Monica
Via Paolo VI, 25,
I-00193 Rome
Answer of Vassula Rydén to the letter of Father Prospero Grech, written on behalf of H.E.
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and dated 4th
April 2002.
Dear Fr. Prospero Grech,
First of all, I wish to thank you for granting me the opportunity of responding to the
questions you have to my writings and my activity, expressed most respectfully in your letter
of 4th April 2002, and that reiterate the points of critique contained in the “Notification” of
1995.
I am aware of the task and responsibility assigned to your most holy congregation of “trying
the spirits” (1. Jn 4:1). I have somewhat realized, during these years, the complexity of this
task of discernment and how delicate it is, as I myself have met along my way many people
who approached me claiming they had divine experiences as well, which they wanted to
mingle with mine. For prudence and for reasons of responsibility I have made it a principle
not to notice any of them. Therefore, I do appreciate the importance of your work of
protecting the faithful from any harm and keeping the faith pure
from unauthenticexperiences, but equally to safeguard the true charisms that could benefit the church.
I am also grateful to you that you are giving me the opportunity to clarify and shed light on
certain expressions that might appear unclear as they are written in imagery and poetic or
symbolic style. I am equally aware that my speaking to Catholic Christians though being
Greek Orthodox is unusual, but rather than seeing it as disorder, I humbly desire this to be
my small contribution to the healing of the dissentions between Christian brethren. And so, I
will respond the best I can to the questions you have deigned to present to me in complete
honesty and lucidity, assured equally of your generosity, good will and comprehension
towards my limitations in expressing the full panorama contained in the 12 volumes of the
books entitled True Life in God (TLIG).
Question 1: Relationship between TLIG and Revelation.
You know very well that, for both Catholics and Orthodox there is only one Revelation
that of God in Jesus Christ, which is contained in the Holy Scriptures and in Tradition.
Within the Catholic Church even accepted “private revelations” as in Lourdes or
Fatima, although taken seriously, are not matters of faith. In which sense, therefore, do
you define your writings as revelations and how should they be accepted by your
hearers and readers?
I never had any lessons of catechism let alone theology, nor did I know of any theological
nuances as the ones mentioned above at the beginning of my call and my conversion. I was
taught these differences gradually as the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit proceeded. In the
very beginning of this call, I was very confused and early, during the manifestation of my