A new bishop was installed in the relevant Diocese around Jan. 2009. I sent the following e-mail to check on the current attitude:
Most Rev. Dr. Callistus Chukwuma Onaga,
Bishop of Enugu,
Holy Ghost Cathedral,
Ogui, Enugu,
Enugu State, 400001,
Nigeria.
info@CatholicDioceseEnugu.orgAugust 4, 2009.
Your Excellency,
re:
Alleged Private Revelations to Barnabas Nwoye and Consequent Devotions Greetings from Australia. I am a parishioner in the Catholic Diocese of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia who has been given various material outlining the alleged revelations given to the above Barnabas Nwoye. There appears to be a small, but “busy” group in this Diocese who are disseminating this and other unapproved private revelations.
Frankly, I was sceptical regarding the material – but hasten to add that I accept most of those private revelations which have been approved by the appropriate Church authorities as being “worthy of credence.”
Further investigations led me to an evaluation of Barnabas Nwoye’s private revelations by Mr Ronald Conte, Jnr – an American, who claims a bachelor's degree in philsophy/theology from Boston College and whose evaluation “Claims of Private Revelation: True or False? An Evaluation of the messages to Barnabas Nwoye” is attached hereto in “WORD” format.
His evaluation examines the following points:
1. The false claim that the Antichrist is in the world today and that he will reign during this generation.
2. The false claim that the Antichrist will take the highest seat in the Church [i.e. become Pope]
3. The false claim that the only way to be protected from the Antichrist is by following the devotions offered in the messages to Barnabas Nwoye
4. Specifics About The Seal
5. Devotion to the so-called Archangel Uriel
6. Promotes a baptism after death for aborted babies
7. Worldly language
8. Are indulgences granted through claimed private revelation?
9. The claim that Jesus and Mary still suffer and need consolation
10. Exaggerated Claims
11. Altered and Distorted Devotions
The Crucifix of Jesus Christ
and A List of the Many Devotions
12. The Glorious Reign has begun?
and concludes:
“There are very many false private revelations which make similar claims to this one, saying that the Antichrist is in the world, and that the only hope lies in one particular private revelation and its novelties. But the false private revelation to Barnabas distinguishes itself in disgrace, above many of the others, by taking good and holy devotions, including those to the Precious Blood and the Crucifix, and distorting these for the purpose of exalting a claimed private revelation. The errors in the messages to Barnabas are numerous and severe. Therefore, I conclude that the claimed private revelation to Barnabas Nwoye is false and is not from Heaven.”
I am aware that an Imprimatur was apparently given by your predecessor, and I am also aware that Imprimaturs do not imply that the giver of the Imprimatur necessarily agrees with the content. I also am aware that higher authority may order the removal of an imprimatur – such as in the case of the Vatican overruling the 1994 decision of the English Bishop Peter Smith. (See “Vatican orders bishop to remove imprimatur” at
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_1 ... _20358695/ ).
I would be grateful if you could advise the current situation under your new leadership in the light of Mr Conte’s evaluation.
With kind regards and God bless,
F. John Loughnan
41/18 Cooinda Drive
Delacombe, Vic. 3356
Australia
03 5335 1941
jloughnan@hotmail.com
