Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

The institution has known four great periods, each sealed by a structural reform of a pope. These metamorphoses concern not only the name: each time they express a profound shift in the Church's idea of the relationship between doctrine and tribunal, between defence and promotion, between censorship and dialogue.

Roman and Universal Holy Inquisition (1542–1908)

On 21 July 1542, Pope Paul III instituted by the bull Licet ab initio a permanent commission of six cardinals charged with "watching over questions of faith" in the context of the Protestant Reformation. This body — known as the Roman and Universal Holy Inquisition — functioned first as a tribunal for heresy and schism^[6].

Under Paul IV (from 1555 onwards), the Holy Office saw its field of action notably extended to moral questions, becoming competent to judge also "various kinds of moral questions"^[7]. It was this same Paul IV who promulgated in 1559 the first Index librorum prohibitorum^[8], which would become the most recognizable — and most controversial — tool of the Holy Office for four centuries. In 1571, Saint Pius V created a separate Congregation of the Index specifically charged with keeping this list up to date^[9].

The decisive extension came with the bull Immensa aeterni Dei of Sixtus V of 22 January 1588: the Roman Inquisition then saw its jurisdiction extended to "everything that could concern faith and morals directly or indirectly"^[10]. It is this universal competence, even more than the name "Inquisition", that would define the institution until the 20th century.

Two later constitutions clarified the procedures. Gregory XV confirmed by the constitution Universi Dominici Gregis (30 August 1622) — not to be confused with the homonymous constitution of John Paul II (22 February 1996) on the pontifical election — the competence in matters of solicitation ad turpia (a priest taking advantage of the sacrament of penance to lead a penitent into impure acts)^[11]. Above all, Benedict XIV published Sollicita ac provida (9 July 1753), a foundational text which sought to improve the objectivity of procedures through "a more attentive and impartial examination"^[12]. In the 18th century, an effort towards objectivity is thus documented: Benedict XIV wanted theologians to be assisted by persons of great learning and the accused or their representatives also to be heard^[13].

Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office (1908–1965)

On 29 June 1908, Saint Pius X reorganized the whole Roman Curia by the apostolic constitution Sapienti consilio and gave the institution the name of Sacra Congregatio Sancti Officii — the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office^[14].

Nine years later, on 25 March 1917, Benedict XV made this competence more coherent by the motu proprio Alloquentes: he suppressed the Congregation of the Index created by Pius V in 1571 and transferred its attributions to the Holy Office, which thus inherited the management of the Index librorum prohibitorum.

It is in this form that the Congregation, in session on 13 July 1938, condemned three works associated with the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta — L'Orologio della Passione di Nostro Signor Gesù Cristo, con un Trattato sulla Divina Volontà, Nel Regno della Divina Volontà and La Regina del Cielo nel Regno della Divina Volontà — and had them entered in the Index ("damnarunt atque in indicem librorum prohibitorum inserendos mandarunt"): a decision approved by Pius XI on 14 July 1938 and promulgated by decree dated 31 August 1938_PLACEHOLDER___P18_PLACEHOLDER___. According to the reading given by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in the Positio of the cause of PLACEHOLDER___P140_PLACEHOLDER__ (vol. II, Rome, 1988, p. 715) — a passage reported by S. Patton —, the measure targeted the 5th edition of 1934 reworked by Don Benedetto Calvi, who announced in his preface his wish to "make it more conformable to the original", and not the four previous editions revised by Saint Annibale_PLACEHOLDER___P19_PLACEHOLDER___. Patton further specifies that Calvi acted with Luisa's agreement and with the consent of the superior of the time.

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1965–2022)

Integrae servandae (1965): from the repressive to the promoter

On 7 December 1965, the last day of the Second Vatican Council, Saint Paul VI published the motu proprio Integrae servandae which profoundly reformed the Congregation. The Pope set out in solemn terms the guiding principle of all subsequent development:

"But because perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), the protection of the faith will be better assured by an office charged with promoting doctrine." — Saint Paul VI, motu proprio Integrae servandae, 7 December 1965^[15]

Three changes followed. (1) A new name: Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei. (2) A positively reoriented mission — the Pope "gave precedence, over the punitive aspect of condemnation, to the positive aspect of correcting error, of guarding, preserving and promoting the faith"^[16]. (3) A rethought procedure: hearing of authors, greater transparency, dialogue before any eventual condemnation.

A few months later, on 14 June 1966, the CDF published the Notification concerning the abolition of the Index signed by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani. The text stipulates that the Index "no longer has the force of ecclesiastical law with the censures attached to it", but that it retains a "moral value" insofar as it continues to require that "the conscience of the faithful beware of writings that may endanger faith and morals"^[17]. Four centuries of censorship by official list came to an end; bishops retain, however, "the right and duty to watch over and to keep harmful books away" in their diocese.

Pastor bonus (1988): the mission consolidated by John Paul II

On 28 June 1988, Saint John Paul II promulgated the apostolic constitution Pastor bonus which restructured the whole Roman Curia. The CDF's proper mission is defined there in a formula that has become classic: "to promote and safeguard the doctrine on faith and morals throughout the Catholic world" (art. 48) — everything touching this domain, in one way or another, thus falling within its competence^[18].

It is under Pastor bonus that a new procedure for doctrinal examination, more respectful of authors' rights, was approved on 29 June 1997.

Doctrinal notifications: Küng, Boff, Schillebeeckx

From the end of the 1970s to the mid-2000s — essentially under Joseph Ratzinger (prefect from 25 November 1981 to 2 April 2005) —, the CDF issued a relatively limited — but resounding — number of "Notifications" regarding contemporary theologians. Far from the inquisitorial trial of old, these notifications consist of a public notice pointing out positions judged not in conformity with Catholic doctrine, sometimes accompanied by a suspension of the missio canonica (the authorization to teach in the name of the Church).

These cases, above all that of Hans Küng in 1979 and that of Leonardo Boff in 1985, profoundly marked the public perception of the CDF^[20]. The method codified by Paul VI — hearing, dialogue, public calling-into-question only after failed rectification — was applied there with rigour but without the criminal character of the old trials.

Dominus Iesus (2000): a major act of the magisterium

On 6 August 2000, the CDF — still under Cardinal Ratzinger — published the declaration Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church. This solemn text remains, to this day, one of the most discussed magisterial acts of the post-Council era.

"There exists, therefore, a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him." — Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, declaration Dominus Iesus, 6 August 2000, no. 17^[21]

Dominus Iesus reaffirms in clear terms the salvific unicity of Christ against every form of religious relativism that would present religions as equivalent for salvation, and the unique subsistence of the Church of Christ in the Catholic Church — without thereby denying that "elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside its visible bounds.

Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (2001 / 2010): the disciplinary dimension

On 30 April 2001, Saint John Paul II promulgated the motu proprio Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (SST) which reserved to the exclusive competence of the CDF a number of "grave delicts" — the delicta graviora —, notably sexual abuse of minors committed by clerics. The text promulgated five substantive norms and twenty-one procedural norms^[22].

On 21 May 2010, Benedict XVI promulgated a major revision of SST which codified seven previous modifications: extension of prescription to twenty years, the faculty of lifting that prescription on a case-by-case basis, the possibility for the Pope to dismiss a guilty party from the clerical state without an ecclesial trial, the Dicastery's jurisdiction extended to cardinals, patriarchs, legates of the Holy See and bishops by pontifical mandate^[23]. These norms constitute today the canonical frame of reference for the Roman instruction of abuse cases.

Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (since 2022)

Fidem servare (11 February 2022): the split into two sections

Even before the overall reform of the Curia, Pope Francis prepared the ground: on 11 February 2022, he published the apostolic letter Fidem servare which split the CDF into two autonomous sections, each coordinated by a Secretary assisting the Prefect^[24]. The Pope justified the measure by "the experience acquired over time by the Congregation in various fields of work, and the need to give it an organization better suited to the fulfilment of its proper functions".

Praedicate Evangelium (19 March 2022): inscription in the new Curia

Five weeks later, on 19 March 2022, Francis promulgated the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium which reorganized the whole Roman Curia. The text entered into force on 5 June 2022, the solemnity of Pentecost^[25].

Two changes directly affected the Dicastery.

First, the DDF no longer comes first in the constitution. For the first time since 1542, it is the Dicastery for Evangelization that opens the list (art. 53–68), the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith coming second (art. 69–78) — an order of presentation with no juridical significance, curial institutions being "all juridically equal" (Praedicate Evangelium, art. 12 § 1)^[26]. This shift expresses the priority Pope Francis wanted to give to the "outgoing" mission over the function of guardianship.

Second, the new denomination — Dicasterium pro Doctrina Fidei — confirms the split into two autonomous sections provided for by Fidem servare: a doctrinal section and a disciplinary section (articles 70 to 76 of Praedicate Evangelium)^[27]. Three bodies remain attached to the Dicastery: the International Theological Commission, the Pontifical Biblical Commission (articles 77–78) and, endowed with its own statutes, the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

According to Praedicate Evangelium, the Dicastery is called to "assist the Roman Pontiff and the bishops [...] by promoting and safeguarding the integrity of Catholic doctrine on faith and morals" (art. 69)^[28]. This generic mission is spelled out today in five distinct competences, each with its procedures, its timeframes and its forms of notification.

Promoting and accompanying theology

The doctrinal section (articles 71 to 75 of Praedicate Evangelium) "facilitates and supports study and reflection on the understanding of faith and morals". It collaborates with bishops to preserve doctrinal integrity, intervenes on "authorization to teach theological disciplines" in Catholic institutions, receives the documents of the other dicasteries concerning faith and morals, and — article 74 of Praedicate Evangelium — examines, through its Matrimonial Office, "in law and in fact, everything concerning the privilegium fidei" — the "privilege of the faith", that is, the dissolution, granted by the Pope on a case-by-case basis, of a valid but non-sacramental marriage, in favour of the faith^[29].

It is in this spirit that Pope Francis, in his letter of 1 July 2023 to Cardinal Fernández, explicitly asks that the Dicastery "encourage the charism of theologians and their scholarly efforts":

"The Church grows in her interpretation of the revealed word and in her understanding of truth, without this implying the imposition of a single way of expressing it. […] This harmonious growth will preserve Christian doctrine more effectively than any mechanism of control." — Pope Francis, letter to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, 1 July 2023^[30]

Examining problematic writings

This is the historically most visible function: the doctrinal section "examines writings and opinions which seem contrary" to the Catholic faith^[31]. The procedure today follows the norms approved on 29 June 1997 under John Paul II^[32]. It provides for an internal study by the Dicastery's consultors, a dialogue with the author and with the competent bishop, then — only in the event of persistent divergence on a genuinely doctrinal point — a public notification.

The concrete sanctions range from the withdrawal of the Nihil obstat for a publication, to the withdrawal of the missio canonica (the authorization to teach in the name of the Church), down to the extreme case — now rare — of the declaration of excommunication for formal heresy. But the declared objective remains the one set by Integrae servandae: "while correcting errors and gently bringing back to the right path those who have strayed from it"^[33].

Discerning alleged supernatural phenomena

Since 17 May 2024, the DDF has had an entirely renewed framework for discerning alleged apparitions, locutions, stigmata, miracles and other supernatural phenomena. The Procedural Norms for the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena, signed by Cardinal Fernández and approved by Francis on 4 May 2024, entered into force on 19 May 2024 — the solemnity of Pentecost^[34].

They break with the binary system of the 1978 Norms ("constat de supernaturalitate" or "non constat") and introduce six nuanced qualifications:

None of the first five qualifications commits the Church on the directly supernatural character of the phenomenon — a capital point which answers several long-standing criticisms: the Church now pronounces first on the pastoral value and the doctrinal conformity of the observed fruits, reserving its judgment on supernaturality itself.

Giving the nihil obstat to causes of beatification

For every cause of beatification, the writings of the Servant of God are transmitted to the DDF for doctrinal examination: its nihil obstat conditions the continuation of the cause at the Roman stage. The case of Luisa Piccarreta illustrates this at every step — Non Obstare in 1994 for the opening of the cause, with the agreement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith^[35], then the DDF's Nulla Osta in June 2024, notified on 8 July 2024, for its resumption^[36].

Disciplinary section: delicta graviora

The disciplinary section (article 76 of Praedicate Evangelium)^[37] deals with delicts reserved to the Dicastery, which it treats by means of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Apostolic Tribunal established there (art. 76 § 1). The list of delicta graviora — fixed by Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela (2001) and revised by Benedict XVI (2010) — comprises:

• sexual abuse of minors committed by clerics (extension: abuse of vulnerable persons, child-pornography images);
• sacrileges against the Eucharist (profanation, throwing away, retention for sacrilegious ends);
• attacks on sacramental confession (solicitation in confessione, direct violation of the seal);
• delicts against the faith — heresy, apostasy and schism (art. 2 of the 2010 Norms: first instance falls to the Ordinary, with appeal or recourse to the Dicastery)^[38];
• attempted sacerdotal ordination of a woman (added in 2010).

It is this section which today instructs the great majority of canonical trials for abuse. Its burden has become, in practice, one of the heaviest of the Holy See.

The succession of prefects since 1981 traces — beyond the pastoral emphases proper to each — a remarkable doctrinal continuity over nearly half a century. Four of the last five prefects are theologians of the highest level; the only one not to have been a career academic, Cardinal Levada, led the great Archdiocese of San Francisco.

The central figure remains Joseph Ratzinger, whose twenty-four years at the head of the dicastery — to which are added the eight years of his pontificate as Benedict XVI — profoundly shaped contemporary magisterial theology. His appointment in 1981 by John Paul II marks the moment when the post-Vatican II CDF found its balance between promotion and vigilance; his legacy — clarification of the doctrinal bases of interreligious dialogue, redress of liberation theology, the beginning of the instruction of abuse cases — still weighs on the Dicastery's agenda.

This succession illustrates, despite differing pastoral emphases, the continuity of the office: the Dicastery remains the Roman organ charged with examining questions touching faith, morals and the disciplinary cases reserved to the Holy See. The exact tenures are contrasted: nearly twenty-four years for Ratzinger (25 November 1981 — 2 April 2005), more than seven years for Levada (13 May 2005 — 2 July 2012), four years and 364 days for Müller (2 July 2012 — 1 July 2017, one day short of five full years), six years for Ladaria (1 July 2017 — 1 July 2023) and two years and four months for Fernández (in office since 1 July 2023, as of 4 November 2025) — a sign of an institutional stability rare in the contemporary Curia, contrasting with the accelerated rotation of other dicasteries.

Cardinal Fernández's mandate, barely begun, has already been marked by four major magisterial acts, which show both continuity with earlier doctrine and the pastoral inflection requested by Pope Francis. The controversies raised — particularly around Fiducia supplicans — recall that the Dicastery remains the magisterial institution whose acts resonate most widely in the Catholic world.

Fiducia supplicans (18 December 2023)

The declaration Fiducia supplicans, signed by Cardinal Fernández and approved by Pope Francis, concerns the pastoral meaning of blessings. It affirms that the Church may bless couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples without validating their status or modifying the teaching on marriage, by clearly distinguishing the liturgical blessing (reserved to sacramental marriage) from the pastoral blessing (a spontaneous, non-ritualized gesture)^[40]:

"It is possible to bless couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples, in a form that must not be fixed ritually by the ecclesial authorities, so as not to create confusion with the blessing proper to the sacrament of marriage. […] This blessing will never be performed at the same time as civil union rites, nor even in connection with them." — Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, declaration Fiducia supplicans, 18 December 2023, nn. 31 and 39^[41]

The reception of the declaration was particularly tense. As early as 4 January 2024, Cardinal Fernández published a clarifying communiqué specifying that the declaration authorizes no "liturgical" blessing and that it may be applied differently according to cultural contexts. A week later, on 11 January 2024, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu — Archbishop of Kinshasa and president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) — published in the name of the African episcopate a joint declaration affirming that such blessings "cannot be performed in Africa without exposing oneself to scandal"^[42]. The text acknowledges that Fiducia supplicans does not modify the Church's teaching on sexuality and marriage, but judges its language "too subtle for simple people".

Dignitas infinita (8 April 2024)

Published on 8 April 2024, the declaration Dignitas infinita "on human dignity" is the second great magisterial act of Prefect Fernández. The text, whose central formula immediately became famous, grounds human dignity in the very ontology of the person, independently of every circumstance or capacity:

"An infinite dignity, inalienably founded in his own being, belongs to every human person, in all circumstances." — Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, declaration Dignitas infinita, 8 April 2024, no. 1^[43]

On this basis, the declaration enumerates and condemns as grave attacks on human dignity: abortion (presented as "deliberate and direct murder"), euthanasia and assisted suicide, surrogacy (which "gravely harms the dignity of the woman and of the child"), gender theory in its ideological aspect (which "erases differences"), sex change, the death penalty, extreme poverty, war, human trafficking, sexual violence and digital violence.

The text is distinguished by the universality of its moral scope: the same analytical grid applies to abortion and to the death penalty, to war and to trafficking, to surrogacy and to extreme poverty. This broad doctrinal reach aims — according to the prefect himself — at moving beyond traditional political divides by reinscribing the defence of life within an integral Christian anthropology.

Norms on the discernment of supernatural phenomena (17 May 2024)

On 17 May 2024, the DDF published the Procedural Norms for the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena which introduce the six qualifications detailed above (cf. the Current competences section) in replacement of the binary system of the 1978 Norms. The practical scope is immediate: diocesan bishops now have a range of graduated qualifications allowing them to welcome the authentic spiritual fruits of a phenomenon without having to pronounce prematurely — or definitively — on its supernaturality.

Nulla Osta to the cause of Luisa Piccarreta (June 2024)

The fourth major case, set out in detail in the following section: the Nulla Osta of June 2024, which lifts the doctrinal impediment to the continuation of the cause of Luisa Piccarreta — a decision officially notified by the letter of 3 December 2024 signed by Msgr Philippe Curbelié.

The case of Luisa Piccarreta (1865–1947) — Servant of God, mystic of Apulia, author of the 36 volumes of the Book of Heaven and central figure of the spirituality of the Divine Will ("living in the Divine Will" as received by Luisa: not merely doing God's will as a faithful servant, but letting the divine Will itself act within oneself — see The Divine Will) — exemplarily illustrates the Dicastery's work over nearly a century. The journey leading from the 1938 placing on the Index to the 2024 Nulla Osta shows how the same doctrinal authority, faithful to its mission, can revise an old verdict when inquiry shows that the initial grounds are not confirmed.

13 July 1938 — condemnation and placing on the Index under Pius XI

In session on 13 July 1938, the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office condemned three works associated with Luisa and had them entered in the Index by the decree Proscriptio Librorum: L'Orologio della Passione di Nostro Signor Gesù Cristo, con un Trattato sulla Divina Volontà (The Clock of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, with a Treatise on the Divine Will), Nel Regno della Divina Volontà (In the Kingdom of the Divine Will) and La Regina del Cielo nel Regno della Divina Volontà (The Queen of Heaven in the Kingdom of the Divine Will)PLACEHOLDER___P67_PLACEHOLDER__. The decision, approved by Pius XI on 14 July 1938, was promulgated by decree dated 31 August 1938 (Acta Apostolicae Sedis XXX, p. 318). According to that same reading (CCS, Positio of the cause of Annibale, 1988, p. 715), the measure concerned the 5th edition reworked by Don Benedetto Calvi in 1934 — with Luisa's agreement, according to Patton —, and not the original manuscripts kept in the archives of the Holy Office^[44].

28 March 1994 — the Non Obstare to the opening of the cause

Nearly sixty years later, the Roman obstacle to the opening of a cause was lifted: by official letter of 24 February 1994, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints declared, "on behalf of the Holy See", the Non Obstare to the opening of the cause of beatification of the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta^[45]. This was the first official signal of a substantive revision of the case.

According to the postulation, relayed by Chantal Morin, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith presided over by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger gave its agreement to this opening on 28 March 1994, with the approval of Cardinal Angelo Felici, Prefect of the Causes of Saints; the chronology of Maria Rosaria Del Genio records, however, only the nihil obstat of the Causes of Saints (25 February 1994) and ignores this CDF act^[46]. The cause was officially opened on 20 November 1994 by Msgr Carmelo Cassati, Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie.

29 January – 2 February 1996 — access to the archives

Between 29 January and 2 February 1996, on the authorization of Cardinal Ratzinger (requested on 13 November 1995 by Msgr Carmelo Cassati), copies of the first 34 manuscript notebooks of the Book of Heaven seized on 21 May 1938 and kept since in the archives of the Holy Office were made and handed over to the Archdiocese of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie for the conduct of the diocesan cause^[47]. The complete Book of Heaven numbers 36 volumes: at the time of the seizure, the 35th notebook remained untraceable and the 36th unfinished, so they were not handed over; the 34 notebooks copied in 1996 are therefore exactly those seized in 1938. This access to the primary sources finally allowed a serious critical study of the original manuscripts — distinct from the reworked editions targeted by the 1938 measure.

2019 — provisional suspension of the cause

The case entered a new critical phase: in 2019, the DDF's internal examination flagged in the writings "ambiguities of a theological, christological and anthropological nature" which, "without being doctrinal errors in themselves, required deeper evaluation"^[48]. The Dicastery for the Causes of Saints then provisionally suspended the canonical process pending the Postulation's responses.

June 2024 — the Nulla Osta to the resumption of the cause

At the end of five years of in-depth inquiry — with the support of a theologian expert in mysticism charged with clarifying the contested points —, the DDF led by Cardinal Fernández concluded that "in the writings and thought of the Servant of God, there are no affirmations in flagrant contradiction with the doctrine of the Church"^[49]. The Nulla Osta — called Nihil Obstat in the postulator's communication — to the resumption of the cause was issued in June 2024, then formally notified to the Postulator by the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints on 8 July 2024.

On 10 August 2024, the postulator of the cause, Msgr Paolo Rizzi, published an official note publicly summarizing the outcome; taking up Communication no. 4 of Msgr Leonardo D'Ascenzo (4 March 2020), it calls the Divine Will groups to direct or redirect their devotion in the perspective of the mystery of glory^[50]:

"The cross must be looked at, contemplated and welcomed in the resplendent mystery of the resurrection of Christ, victor over evil, sin and death. […] The Divine Will is the merciful call of the heavenly Father addressed to the free will of the men and women of our time, and never a threat to hurl against the world corrupted by sin." — Msgr Leonardo D'Ascenzo, Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, Communication no. 4, 4 March 2020, quoted by Msgr Paolo Rizzi^[51]

3 December 2024 — the Curbelié letter to the French Bishops' Conference

On 3 December 2024, the DDF replied to a request for clarification from the doctrinal Commission of the French Bishops' Conference. The letter, referenced Prot. N. 94/37 — 102675, is signed by Msgr Philippe Curbelié, appointed titular bishop of Utica on 29 July 2024 and consecrated on 28 September 2024, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery (appointed to this office on 6 July 2022). It is addressed to Msgr Benoît Bertrand, Bishop of Mende and president of the doctrinal Commission of the CEF.

The central formula — which constitutes to this day the most recent official recognition of the orthodoxy of Luisa's writings by the Roman doctrinal authority — specifies that the Dicastery "has not noted any doctrinal error in her writings of a nature that would prevent their disclosure" (English as made public; original unpublished)^[52]. The letter thus publicly confirms the Nulla Osta of June 2024: the doctrinal impediment to the continuation of the cause is lifted, the cause remaining ongoing and the dissemination of the writings remaining conditioned on the critical edition requested below.

The letter nevertheless contains a second part, of warning: it points to the uncontrolled proliferation of Luisa's writings after her death — often translated and disseminated with heterodox interpretations — as well as inconsiderate devotions in certain groups, and recommends that the postulator of the cause, with the Archbishop of Trani-Barletta-Bisceglie, publish an official, typical and critical edition of the writings, accompanied by an introduction and notes ensuring their correct interpretation^[53].

This trajectory — 1938 Index → 1994 Non Obstare → 2019 suspension → 2024 Nulla Osta → public letter 2024 — illustrates exactly what Pope Francis's letter to Fernández called "the harmonious growth [which] will preserve Christian doctrine more effectively than any mechanism of control"^[54]. Far from a reversal, the DDF shows here its capacity for methodical revision when facts, original manuscripts and theological dialogue make it possible to redress an earlier judgment.

• Luisa Piccarreta — the mystic of Apulia whose cause exemplarily illustrates the DDF's work over nearly a century.
• The Divine Will — the spirituality on which the Curbelié letter of 3 December 2024 pronounces (no doctrinal error preventing dissemination; critical edition requested).
• The Book of Heaven — Luisa Piccarreta's 36 volumes, the primary sources on which the DDF ruled.
• Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur — the related seals of ecclesiastical approval.
• The Hours of the Passion — the work concerned by the 1938 decree and by the 2024 Nulla Osta.