Account of the meeting which took place at the Vicariate of Rome on 1st april 1998 at 3 p.m., between the ecclesiastical authority and Fr. Claudio Gatti.

Father Claudio Gatti, since he refused to deny the Eucharistic miracles, was suspended from the exercise of sacred functions (a divinis) by the Cardinal Vicar Camillo Ruini. The Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia said to Fr. Gatti that he will be admitted again to the exercise of sacred functions only if he aknowledges he was mistaken when he allowed people to adore the consecrated Hosts brought by Jesus or the Mother of the Eucharist into the thaumaturgical place.

Fr. Gatti was obliged to choose whether to obey God and to accept the Eucharistic miracles or to obey the great men of the Church and to deny the Eucharistic miracles. Fr. Gatti wants to make an appeal to the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of Rome.

Below is reported the translation of the minutes of the meeting.

To view the original two-page document in Italian, please click here. [ pagina 1 ] - [ pagina 2 ]

Minutes of the meeting

Today, on 1st April 1998, in the palace of Laterano, under the chairmanship of H.E. Mons. CESARE NOSIGLIA, delegate of Cardinal Vicar, in the presence of Rev. Fr. GIUSEPPE TONELLO, clerk of the Vicariate and in the presence of Fr. PIETRO B. MARTINELLO, judicial vicar assistant at regional tribunal of Lazio, in his capacity as notary, appeared the Rev. Fr. CLAUDIO GATTI, born in Rome on 15th July 1938, presbyter in the diocese of Rome.

Mons. Nosiglia read the text of the letter of the Cardinal Vicar, dated 27th march 1998 and invited Fr. Gatti to speak his mind and to make his remarks.

Fr. Gatti stated his wish to entrust his defence to God and at the same time, not to accept in all conscience the decrees which he considered null and void, because they were not according the law.

Mons. Vice-director asked Fr. Gatti for what he had to say about the mass that he celebrated in via delle Benedettine 91, on 8th march 1998.

Fr. Gatti answered that he celebrated with enormous suffering and that, in his own small way, he lived Abraham’s laceration; Peter’s words were an encouragement to him: "It is necessary to obey God instead of men".

Mons. Vice-director then asked Fr. Gatti about the rites which took place in via delle Benedettine 91 on 15th march 1998.

Fr. Gatti answered that on that occasion 160 (one hundred and sixty) Hosts were distributed to those present and that they had been brought in that place by Jesus, Our Lady, the Angels and the Saints. He stated that they were surely of different places of origin which could be deduced because they had different size and thickness: some of them were small, some others bigger.

Fr. Gatti added: "In all conscience, I am completely serene before God, Who will be judge of all of us".

Mons. Vice-director asked Fr. Gatti if he was willing to repent for having celebrated the Mass "out of obedience" to presumed directions of a supernatural nature and in open disobedience of the Cardinal Vicar’s order.

Fr. Gatti answered: "If I had done so on my own initiative, I would have no difficulty, aknowledging that I disobeyed, but since I am sure that it was an order of God, with suffering - as I have already said - and conscious I would lay myself open to heavy judgements and to unjustified censures, I bent my head before God. If it is true, just as it is true, that the apparitions of Our Lady are of supernatural origin and the Eucharistic miracles are authentic, I couldn’t disobey God. If God puts someone in difficult situations and if He allows also the death of a just man, He certanly will give a reward in Heaven and maybe the rehabilitation on Earth of the guiltless man who was condemned".

Mons. Vice-director asked if in the future, Fr. Gatti intends to refrain from the celebration of the Holy Mass and to respect the decrees about no Eucharistic worship, which have been notified to him.

Fr. Gatti answered: "About the celebration of the Holy Mass, since it had been asked just once, I have no difficulty confirming that it won’t be celebrated anymore until the competent and united with the Pope ecclesiastical authority, gives me permission. About the Eucharistic miracles, as I can’t be responsible for them, I can’t give any warranty of observing the decrees, since many times the Hosts are put in the tabernacle or directly on the altar before I realize it, because those people who come into the chapel just become aware of these miraculous presences and inform the priest. I conclude saying that I respect orders on condition that they don’t rape my conscience, where only God can enter".

Rome, 1st April 1998.

Signed by

Fr. Claudio Gatti

Mons. Cesare Nosiglia

Fr. Giuseppe Togonolo

Pietro B. Martinello, notary