The Divine Mercy Devotion is a private revelation. Public Revelation differs from Private Revelation. Public Revelation
refers to the revealing action of God directed to humanity as a whole. It finds its expression in Sacred Scripture and
Tradition where God gradually made himself known to men, to the point of becoming man himself. It is not a matter of
intellectual communication, or the transmission of knowledge, but a life-giving process where God meets man. Public
revelation is valid for all time. It reached its fulfillment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and
came to an end with the fulfillment of the mystery of Christ.
Private Revelation can be for all peoples and all times, or directed to specific people at specific times. The Divine
Mercy Devotion is a private revelation. Public Revelation is related to dogmas of the Faith which all Catholics are required
to believe. Catholics are not required to believe a private revelation. However, our Holy Catholic Church, after intensive
investigation, has approved many private revelations as worthy of belief – the revelations of Lourdes, Fatima, and Divine
Mercy are examples. Given the many approvals by the Magisterium, far exceeding that of other devotions, it is clear that
Catholic Church has complete confidence in the Divine Mercy Message.
So what steps has the Church taken to assure that the Divine Mercy Devotion is worthy of belief?
The ban on the Divine Mercy devotion was lifted and Faudtina's writings were reexamined. The ban was imposed due
to incorrect copying and editing of Faustina's diary entries.
St. Faustina had tuberculosis and was moved 25 times in the last 13 years of her life. After the ban was lifted,
additional documents were discovered that supported her cause for sainthood and futher validated her mystical
experiences with Christ.
A critical analysis of Faustina's writings was performed by Fr. Ignacy Rożycki, a renown theologian and one of
Saint Pope John Paul II's seminary professors. Fr. Rożycki found the text to be theologically consistent with the
Catholic Faith and further identified the five parts of the Divine Mercy Devotion.
The theologian, Fr. Kosicli, helped translate Faustina's diary.
St. Faustina was canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2000 and, as customary for canizations, her picture was
displayed in St. Peter's Square.
The Church declared the Second Sunday of Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday in the liturgical calendar, just as Jesus
requested in her diary.
The Church instituted an indulgence for Divine Mercy Sunday. Although the blessings of Divine Mercy are greater than
a plenary indulgence, the Church instituted the indulgence as further validation of the Feast of Divine Mercy. In a
decree dated August 3, 2002, the Apostolic Penitentiary announced that in order “to ensure
that the faithful would observe this day (Divine Mercy Sunday) with intense devotion, the Supreme Pontiff himself
established that this Sunday be enriched by a plenary indulgence…so that the faithful might receive in great abundance
the gift of the consolation of the Holy Spirit.”1
Saint Pope John Paul II called himself the Divine Mercy Pope on many occasions, and wrote the encyclical
Dives in Misericordia, or Rich in Mercy, which reflects on the Mercy of God.
Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, and Priests have spoken on Divine Mercy and celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy
all over the World with the approval and blessing of the Holy Catholic Church
There are no further actions the Church can take, in regard to a private revelation, to further authenticate the
Divine Mercy Message, the validity of St. Faustina's writings, and her mystical experiences with Christ. Divine
Mercy is real and for all. Few private revelations approach the verification that has been granted to the Divine
Mercy Message and Devotion.
References
Images
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