I'm not always 'against them'.
I was reading Garrigou-Lagrange again and thought I should add this for clarity on the subject of locutions:
WHAT SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF PRIVATE REVELATIONS
Those who receive divine revelations, recognized as such, should
most certainly, after prudent and authoritative judgment, incline
respectfully before this supernatural manifestation.(2) St. Margaret Mary followed this rule in regard to devotion to the Sacred Heart; so also did St. Bernadette in respect to the revelations she received at Lourdes, after favorable examination by diocesan authority.
According to certain theologians, a person who receives a private divine revelation with the certitude of its divine origin, like St. Joan of Arc, should believe in it with divine theological faith, for, in their opinion, the revelation contains the formal motive of infused faith, the authority of God revealing.(3)
According to other theologians, and their opinion seems more exact, anyone who receives a certain private revelation should adhere to it immediately, not through divine faith but by prophetic light. This supernatural certitude may last or, on the contrary, give way to a moral certitude when the prophetic illumination disappears; but this illumination may return in order to restore the first certitude. (4)
When the Church approves private revelations made to the saints, she simply declares that they contain nothing contrary to Scripture and to Catholic teaching and that they may be proposed as probable to the pious belief of the faithful.(5) Private revelations may not be published without the approbation of ecclesiastical authority.(6)
Even in revelations approved as probable by the Church, some
error may slip in; for the saints themselves may attribute to the Holy Ghost what proceeds from themselves, or may falsely interpret the meaning of a divine revelation, or interpret it in too materialistic a manner, as, for example, the disciples interpreted Christ's remark about St. John to mean that the latter would not die.(7)
The explanation of this possibility of error lies in the fact that there are many degrees in prophetic light, from the simple, supernatural instinct to perfect revelation. When there is only prophetic instinct, the meaning of things revealed and even the divine origin of the revelation may remain unknown.(8) Thus it was that Caiphas prophesied, without being aware of it, when he said, "that it was expedient that one man should die for the people." (9) - Source
Thus we understand how and why St. Bernadette and Sr. Lucia of Fatima possessed such 'moral certitude' in their particular mission to promote the messages of the Blessed Virgin, freeing them to testify to the veracity of their content, as well as affirm that the requests of heaven had been fulfilled accordingly.
The current free for all.
Although "private revelations may not be published without the approbation of ecclesiastical authority" - in our Internet age, they are. Although I'm not sure permission of a spiritual director is the same thing as ecclesiastical authority.
Though Monsignor Esseff's name seems to be no longer connected to Locutions to the World site, apparently the locutions continue to be published. Nothing contrary to the doctrine of faith is related, yet the locutions appear to contradict official statements the Church has made regarding Fatima. Especially as it concerns the consecration of Russia. According to the anonymous locutionist at Locutions to the World, the consecration has not been made. This contradicts what Sr. Lucia herself said.
Even though I speak as clearly as possible, it is only when all the events culminate, that the world will see what I have been trying to describe. Present in the world today is the great evil planted in the soul of Russia in 1917 with the Communist Revolution. This evil has gone out to the whole world, resulting in the horrible deaths of millions. That evil continues, in a new but unabated form. Russia fuels the revolutions and the unrests. It arms many of the terrorists and does everything possible to destabilize the world.
In October 1917, at the little cove in Fatima, I planted the great seed of peace which was to come forth as the antidote to the Russian poison. There was to be a great victory and an exultation of the Catholic Church which would provide such a great power. None of this has happened because my request for the Consecration of Russia has not been fulfilled. - August 16
I also came across an error on the website concerning the fact that the consecration would take place but it would be late. The locutionist attributed the following prophecy to Our Lady when in fact it was revealed by Our Lord in a separate apparition to Sr. Lucia:
“They did not wish to heed My request! ... Like the King of France, they will repent of it, and they will do it, but it will be late. Russia will already have spread its errors in the world ...” - The apparition at Pontevedra/Rianjo 1931
A small detail perhaps - but an error nonetheless. Russia had already spread her errors and the errors continue their course - that Pandora's box was opened before St. John Paul II made the consecration - which indeed was 'late'. The errors of Russia, promoted by the Soviet Union destabilized political systems, nations, institutions, and culture well in advance of the papacy of St. John Paul II.
The Middle East
Likewise, I find the specificity of the locutions regarding Iraq and Syria and terrorists, as well as the Obama administration a bit too political. Supposedly "Mary" said:
I can only use the word “magnitude” because the terrorists will bring about the collapse of an existing government. World leaders do not grasp the hearts of the people who have been told so many things which they no longer believe. - June 13
What did the United States do when invading Iraq and toppled Saddam Hussein? That particular war has been called unjust. I'm by no means defending terrorists, but that particular statement doesn't make sense.
Another difficulty within this particular series of locutions are messages promoting the papacy and the Pope as a world leader ...
I speak now of a third moment, a future moment close at hand, when political leaders will be completely helpless in the face of the events. In this moment of great darkness every political leader will be powerless.
At that moment, I will raise the papacy to its greatest height. - June 12
The Holy Father heads the Church but the papacy should not just be a teaching office. - June 15
I may be reading it wrong, but that seems to me to go against the Holy Father's vision of what the papacy should be in the modern world. I may be wrong.
Why is this a problem?
I know a few of my readers eat this stuff up. Online Catholic news portals do as well. (
Fr. Amorth seems to do so as well.) We live in terrible times, confusing times and we all seek some sort of stabilizing message to assuage our fears and remove our doubts. New media is the perfect tool to foment doubt and division, and we'll latch on to anything that seems to reassures us, even to the point of confirming our worst fears. That's a problem.
We place private revelation over what the Church has said.
To be clear, I'm certainly no authority and I have no expertise here, but I'd be careful about forming your world view and spiritual life based on dubious messages which contradict what the Magisterium pronounces - especially as it concerns Fatima.
What?
