BY Thomas Small | November 5 | 
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Cardinal Levada warns of Austrian splinter group
The head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a warning against a splinter group of a traditionalist movement in Austria.
It came to light yesterday that Cardinal William Levada (above) sent a letter to the heads of all Catholic bishops conferences on October 2 warning them of a small group of traditionalists who are in association with the Opus Angelorum movement and carry out ‘activities that disturb the ecclesiastical community.’
The movement, which was formed half a century ago in Austria, claims that women who have abortions are possessed by the devil. Members also pray to angels to combat demons who are battling for the control of human beings.
The Opus Angelorum movement was founded by Gabriele Bitterlich, an Austrian housewife who died in 1978. Ms Bitterlich claimed to have seen an archangel, and to have written down the names of the hundreds of angels and demons who were fighting for the control of human beings.
The activities of Ms Bitterlich’s followers, including dozens of Catholic priests and nuns, were drawn to the Vatican’s attention following her death, prompting an investigation.
A letter sent by the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in 1992 stated that members of Opus Angelorum agreed to follow the Doctrine of the Church in return for their official recognition.
“They were reminded of the duty to follow strictly all liturgical laws, including those of the Holy Eucharist,” the letter states.
However, Cardinal Levada’s recent letter, made public yesterday, warns that in recent years certain members of the movement ‘have not accepted the norms established.’ They also want to ‘work to re-establish what in their view is the real Opus Angelorum.’
In his letter Cardinal Levada issues a final warning that ‘very discreet propaganda in favour of this wayward movement, which is outside of any ecclesiastical control, is taking place, aimed at presenting it as if it were in full communion with the Catholic Church.’
He concludes by saying: “To be vigilant with regard to such activities, disruptive as they are of ecclesial communion, and to forbid them if they are present within their dioceses.”
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CONGREGATION FOR DOCTRINE OF FAITH ON “OPUS ANGELORUM” http://visnews-en.blogspot.com/2010/11/congregation-for-doctrine-of-faith-on.html: ‘VATICAN CITY, 4 NOV 2010 (VIS) – Given below is the complete text of the English-language version of a circular letter issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated 2 October and signed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the congregation. The letter was published today by “L’Osservatore Romano” and concerns the current doctrinal and canonical position of the association known as “Opus Angelorum”.
More than thirty years ago, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith began to examine the theories and practices of the association called Opus Angelorum (Engelwerk). At the present time, the dicastery believes that it would be helpful for the bishops of [episcopal conferences] to be informed regarding the developments which have taken place in these years, so that they may exercise effective oversight in this area.
I. The initial examination was brought to a conclusion with the publication of a letter on 24 September 1982, communicating certain decisions approved by the Holy Father (AAS 76 [1984], 175-176); this letter was followed by a Decree entitled ‘Litteris diei’ of 6 June 1992 (AAS 84 [1992], 805-806).
In essence, these two documents stated that, in promoting devotion to the Holy Angels, the members of the Opus Angelorum were to follow the doctrine of the Church and the teaching of the Church Fathers and Doctors. In particular, the members were not to make use of the “names” of angels derived from the alleged private revelations attributed to Mrs. Gabriele Bitterlich and they were not to teach, spread or make use of the theories originating from these alleged revelations. Furthermore, they were reminded of the duty to follow strictly all liturgical laws, in particular those relating to the Holy Eucharist. The Decree of 1992 entrusted the implementation of these measures to a delegate named by the Holy See and possessing special faculties; he was also given the task of regularising the relationship between the Opus Angelorum and the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross.
In the years that followed, the delegate, Fr. Benoit Duroux O.P., successfully completed the work entrusted to him. Today, thanks to the obedience of its members, the Opus Angelorum can be considered to be living loyally and serenely in conformity with the doctrine of the Church and with canonical and liturgical law. On 13 March 2010, given the advanced age of Fr. Duroux, Fr. Daniel Ols O.P. was named delegate, with the same powers as described in the Decree of 1992.
The process of normalisation can be seen in particular in the following elements. On 31 May 2000, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith approved the formula of a consecration to the Holy Angels for the Opus Angelorum. Having received the positive opinion of this dicastery, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life approved the “Statutes of the Opus Sanctorum Angelorum”, in which, among other things, the relationship between the Opus Angelorum and the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross was defined. According to the Statutes, the Opus Angelorum is a public association of the Catholic Church with juridical personality according to the norm of canon 313 of the CIC; it is joined to the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross according to the norm of canon 677, para. 2 of the CIC and placed under the direction of the Order in conformity with canon 303 of the CIC. The Constitutions of the Sisters of the Holy Cross were approved by the bishop of Innsbruck. Finally, the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, whose central government had been named by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life on 30 October 1993, was able at the beginning of 2009 to elect its own superior general and the members of the general council.
Therefore, in its present state, the Opus Angelorum is a public association of the Church in conformity with traditional doctrine and with the directives of the Holy See. It spreads devotion to the Holy Angels among the faithful, exhorts them to pray for priests, and promotes love for Christ in His Passion and union with it. Therefore, there are no remaining obstacles of a doctrinal and disciplinary kind which would prevent local ordinaries from receiving this movement into their dioceses and promoting its development.
II. At the same time, however, the congregation wishes to draw the attention of ordinaries to the fact that, in the course of these years, a certain number of Opus Angelorum members, including some priests who either left or were expelled from the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, have not accepted the norms given by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and seek to restore what, according to them, would be the “authentic Opus Angelorum”, that is, a movement which professes and practices all those things which were forbidden by the above-mentioned documents. The congregation has learned that very discrete propaganda in favour of this wayward movement, which is outside of any ecclesiastical control, is taking place, aimed at presenting it as if it were in full communion with the Catholic Church.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, therefore, asks ordinaries to be vigilant with regard to such activities, disruptive as they are of ecclesial communion, and to forbid them if they are present within their dioceses.’
“… agreed to follow the doctrine of the Church in return for their official recognition …”. This is outragious! If anyone does not follow the doctrine of the Church, he is no longer Catholic, and he is the prime loser. There is no place for bartering on this matter. Official recognition is a separate and independent consideration.