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DICASTERIUM PRO DOCTRINA FIDEI

“FOGLIO” FOR THE AUDIENCE

False Mysticism and Spiritual Abuse

The term “false mysticism” appears in the regulations of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) within a very specific context: namely, issues related to spirituality and alleged supernatural phenomena, which now are handled by the Doctrinal Section. This includes “problems and behavior connected with the discipline of the faith, such as cases of pseudo-mysticism, alleged apparitions, visions, and messages attributed to supernatural origin...” (Art. 10, 2).

In this context, “false mysticism” refers to spiritual approaches that harm the harmony of the Catholic understanding of God and our relationship with the Lord. It is in this sense that the phrase appears in the Magisterium. For example, in the encyclical Haurietis Aquas, Pope Pius XII rejects as “false mysticism” the conception of God present in Jansenist groups, which did not account for the mystery of the Incarnation in their spirituality:

“It is wrong, therefore, to assert that the contemplation of the physical Heart of Jesus prevents an approach to a close love of God and holds back the soul on the way to the attainment of the highest virtues. This false mystical doctrine the Church emphatically rejects as, speaking through Our predecessor of happy memory, Innocent XI, she rejected the errors of those who foolishly declared: ‘(Souls of this interior way) ought not to make acts of love for the Blessed Virgin, the Saints or the humanity of Christ; for love directed towards those is of the senses, since its objects are also of that kind. No creature, neither the Blessed Virgin nor the Saints, ought to have a place in our heart, because God alone wishes to occupy it and possess it.’” (Encyclical Letter Haurietis Aquas, 15 May 1956, IV: AAS 48 [1956], 344).

There is no delict in Canon Law classified by the name “false mysticism,” even though canonists occasionally use the expression in a manner that is closely tied to crimes of abuse.

However, in the new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, the DDF specified that “the use of purported supernatural experiences or recognized mystical elements as a means of or a pretext for exerting control over people or carrying out abuses is to be considered of particular moral gravity” (Art. 16). This consideration allows the situation described here to be evaluated as an aggravating circumstance if it occurs together with delicts.

At the same time, it is possible to classify a delict of “spiritual abuse,” avoiding the overly broad and ambiguous expression of “false mysticism.”

It is proposed to entrust to the Dicastery for Legislative Texts and the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith the task of analyzing this possibility and presenting concrete proposals, forming a working group between them, chaired by the Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.

Víctor Manuel Card. Fernández
Prefect

Ex Audientia Die 22.11.2024
Franciscus

The Prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts accepted the proposal and is proceeding to establish the planned Working Group, composed of members indicated by both Dicasteries, to fulfill the task entrusted to it as soon as possible.