Vatican questions Virgin Mary vision

9:29am Tuesday 25th September 2007

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The Vatican has refused to recognise a religious group formed after an apparition of the Virgin Mary was seen in a pine tree.

The Family of Divine Innocence was formed in 1984 after 67-year-old Patricia de Menezes claimed she saw The Madonna in the tree near her Surbiton home.

“As loyal Catholics we will do all we can to communicate accurately the Way of Christ’s Divine Innocence to the authorities of the Catholic Church.”

The vision was nicknamed Our Lady of Surbiton.

But in a statement the Vatican said the group has no recognition from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark or the Holy See.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which investigates doctrinal orthodoxy for the Vatican, launched an investigation into the group.

It raised four areas of concern, including the use of inappropriate words and phrases attributed to Jesus and a demand from the group that aborted foetuses be considered martyrs.

In a statement released this morning the group said they were surprised by the findings of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The statement reads: "As loyal Catholics we will do all we can to communicate accurately the Way of Christ's Divine Innocence to the authorities of the Catholic Church."

It adds: "We recognise and are grateful to the Church for her uncompromising stance against the evil of abortion'. It is our desire that it considers the martyrdom of these children as a witness to the truth of the right to life of unborn human beings."

The Most Rev Kevin McDonald, Archbishop of Southwark, said: "In view of the very serious concerns raised by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it must be clearly stated that the Divine Innocence has no recognition or approval whatsoever either from the diocese of Southwark or the Holy See and that there is no ecclesiastical approbation for Catholics to meet as the group known as Divine Innocence."