SOME EXPERIENCES OF MARIA SIMMA
(DeepL translator)
-Mary, what happened to you the first time you received a visit from a blessed soul from Purgatory?
-The first time I woke up because someone was walking around my room. I have never been easily frightened, and I would not be frightened unless someone jumped in my face. Then I thought, "Who is this person?" It was someone completely unknown who was walking around impatiently at the foot of the bed and I said, "Hey! Who are you?" There was no answer. So I jumped out of bed, walked up to him and tried to grab him, saying: "Get out! You're not doing anything here!" But there was nothing there! Then I thought, "I wasn't dreaming. I saw it and I heard it." And as soon as I got into bed again, there he was just like before, walking around. I cried out again: "Now you're going to tell me who you are and get out of here!" And he was still there, as if he hadn't heard me. I watched him for a while and thought, "As long as he doesn't come near me... ". Then I got up again and tiptoed over to him and I thought, "Now I'll see if I can hold him." And again, there was nothing!
I didn't understand anything. I was confused. Wasn't I right in the head? I went to bed again but I couldn't sleep. The next day I ran to the priest and explained what had happened. "I don't know what happened last night. Have I gone crazy?" To which he replied: "Why do you say that? If it happens again, don't ask who it is, ask better: What do you need from me? It could be a soul from purgatory." To which I replied, "If it comes to me, it must be a relative." "No", answered the priest, "it doesn't necessarily have to be like that, because you have always prayed a lot for them".
The next night, there he was again! This time I asked: "What do you need from me?" That individual stopped, turned and looked at me saying: "Let three masses be celebrated for me, then I will be released". And he disappeared instantly. I knew then that he was a soul in purgatory. I told the priest and he said: "Well, if it happens again, tell me.
-Have you ever been afraid?
-No, not at all, I wasn't even afraid as a child. My mother used to tell me: "You're an unusual girl. Others get scared often." When she told me someone was out in the dark, I'd jump up and down: "Give me a light and I'll go out and see who it is."
-Maria, you seem to be quite well known today, but at first you were very secluded. How did your supernatural experiences begin to be recognized as authentic?
-Firstly, when the things she said proved to be true over time, and secondly when she said things which were known only to the members of the family. In other words, when what I had said was confirmed.
-Pardon the boldness of my question, but have you ever been examined by doctors or psychologists?
-Yes. A long time ago a professor of theology asked me if I was willing and I said yes. The result of the study was six professionally written sheets which are available and which were compiled by a Doctor of Psychology from Innsbruck. A copy of the study was kept in the archives of the publisher of a small book about my experiences that was published twenty-five years ago. It was written by my old friend and spiritual director, Father Alfons Matt, and it includes my experiences.
-Do your experiences have any official recognition from the Church?
-I obey the priest of my parish and the bishops, who have told me that as long as everything is theologically correct, as it has been until now, I will continue with my apostolate.
At first, Bishop Wechner was not very happy that I could receive answers for other people. He called me and asked me where those answers came from, so I answered him exactly how it all began.
Soon after that I asked a soul where they got the information from. I thought perhaps they were returning to Purgatory to meet the other soul and ask her what she needed to be released, but instead she answered me herself: "No, all the information we bring you comes from and with the consent of the Mother of Mercy. When my good bishop heard this he said: "Well, in that case, I cannot and will not say anything against it".
-Who do you mean by "Mother of Mercy"?
-Oh, this is one of the many names given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus and therefore the mother of us all.
-Mother of us all?
-Yes! -She should be the model of mother and guide of all. And because she is the Mother of Jesus, she is also our mother.
-How many bishops have there been since she had these experiences?
-Have they all supported her? What are their names?
-Three bishops have succeeded each other up to this day. Their names are Tschann, Wechner and Küng. Monsignor Tschann quietly supported me, simply stating that he knew that Father Matt was no dreamer and that therefore everything must be fine. Msgr. Wechner actively supported me, and I thank God for that.
The current bishop, Msgr. Küng, has so far chosen not to express himself either in favor or against.
-It must have been very disconcerting for you at first. -Who helped you the most in those early years?
-No doubt it was my dear friend Father Alfons Matt. He was parish priest here in Sonntag from 1938 to 1978. At his funeral, where forty priests and thousands of faithful were present, Bishop Wechner said: "The most beautiful thing that can be said about a priest is that he was a priest according to the Heart of God. So was our Father Alfons Matt, an essentially good and holy priest. May he rest in peace. I doubt very much that I would have been able to do God's will as I have tried to do it without his support and love in the early years of my apostolate for the blessed souls in Purgatory.
-At first, did you expect these experiences to last so long?
-No, not really; but I understood after some time that Father Matt did.
-Are you happy to live these experiences or is it something difficult and painful at times?
-I don't find it difficult because I not only help the souls in purgatory but I also help the living to have faith again or to find faith and this is what gives me so much joy.
-And when you see the souls, what do they look like?
-They look exactly as they did here on Earth, and this is something I can, of course, confirm myself because many have come to whom I myself knew well. Yes, in the same clothes, their work clothes. This is because our duties here are the most important. They always come in their work clothes and not in a bathrobe or a Sunday suit. Our daily work is our mission.
-How old are they when they appear to you? What I mean is that if a young man of twenty dies and then, say, ten years later appears before you, does he appear to be thirty or does he still appear to be twenty?
-He still looks twenty when I see them. They always look the same age as they did when they died.
What, exactly, would be the difference between your experience and that of the spiritists or so-called mediums or intermediaries?
-If readers were to believe only one thing I say, I wish it were this. The difference is very simple and very clear, and we must cling to it in all seriousness. What happens with spiritists is that they believe they are calling the souls of the dead; but if there is any reaction to their call, it is always and without exception a response from Satan and his co-workers. Spiritists and mediums do something very dangerous both to themselves and to those who approach them for advice. They live an enormous amount of lies. We are not allowed to call the dead! That is totally forbidden! In my case, I have never called them, I never have and I never will. Jesus allows this through his Mother.
But Satan, of course, can copy and simulate anything and also everything that comes from God. He makes fun of God and of everything that God does. He can imitate the voices of the souls and copy their appearance, but whatever the answer is, it is always the evil one. Don't forget, Satan can also heal, but that kind of health never lasts.
-Mary, how do you know if the visitor is a soul in purgatory or a living person of flesh and blood?
-When he comes at night, I immediately recognize a soul from Purgatory by its light. They have the same light as if they were in the daytime. They do not radiate any light, so everything around them remains dark, but they themselves have light, and of course I recognize them immediately as blessed souls from Purgatory.
-Do they also come during the day?
-They do, but when they come during the day I only really realize that they are a soul of Purgatory when they disappear. Until that moment, I cannot be sure. In both cases, night and day, if I tried to touch them there would be nothing there.
-Have any souls come to visit you here, in your home, during the day? And in that case, how would you know it was a blessed soul?
-Well, souls don't knock as you have done, and of course they don't shake hands. It would be two signs to realize that this is a soul from Purgatory.
-Have any of them been here during the day lately?
-Yes, and recently something unusual happened about it. I was sitting here writing, and when I looked up there was one sitting right there in that chair. It hadn't happened to me before, and I must say I was a bit surprised.
-How many souls did you see?
-Three bishops have succeeded each other up to this day. Their names are Tschann, Wechner and Küng. Monsignor Tschann quietly supported me, simply stating that he knew that Father Matt was no dreamer and that therefore everything must be fine. Msgr. Wechner actively supported me, and I thank God for that.
The current bishop, Msgr. Küng, has so far chosen not to express himself either in favor or against
.
-It must have been very disconcerting for you at first. -Who helped you the most in those early years?
-No doubt it was my dear friend Father Alfons Matt. He was parish priest here in Sonntag from 1938 to 1978. At his funeral, where forty priests and thousands of faithful were present, Bishop Wechner said: "The most beautiful thing that can be said about a priest is that he was a priest according to the Heart of God. So was our Father Alfons Matt, an essentially good and holy priest. May he rest in peace. I doubt very much that I would have been able to do God's will as I have tried to do it without his support and love in the early years of my apostolate for the blessed souls in Purgatory.
-At first, did you expect these experiences to last so long?
-No, not really; but I understood after some time that Father Matt did.
-Are you happy to live these experiences or is it something difficult and painful at times?
-I don't find it difficult because I not only help the souls in purgatory but I also help the living to have faith again or to find faith and this is what gives me so much joy.
-And when you see the souls, what do they look like?
-They look exactly as they did here on Earth, and this is something I can, of course, confirm myself because many have come to whom I myself knew well. Yes, in the same clothes, their work clothes. This is because our duties here are the most important. They always come in their work clothes and not in a bathrobe or a Sunday suit. Our daily work is our mission.
-How old are they when they appear to you? What I mean is that if a young man of twenty dies and then, say, ten years later appears before you, does he appear to be thirty or does he still appear to be twenty?
-He still looks twenty when I see them. They always look the same age as they did when they died.
What, exactly, would be the difference between your experience and that of the spiritists or so-called mediums or intermediaries?
-If readers were to believe only one thing I say, I wish it were this. The difference is very simple and very clear, and we must cling to it in all seriousness. What happens with spiritists is that they believe they are calling the souls of the dead; but if there is any reaction to their call, it is always and without exception a response from Satan and his co-workers. Spiritists and mediums do something very dangerous both to themselves and to those who approach them for advice. They live an enormous amount of lies. We are not allowed to call the dead! That is totally forbidden! In my case, I have never called them, I never have and I never will. Jesus allows this through his Mother.
But Satan, of course, can copy and simulate anything and also everything that comes from God. He makes fun of God and of everything that God does. He can imitate the voices of the souls and copy their appearance, but whatever the answer is, it is always the evil one. Don't forget, Satan can also heal, but that kind of health never lasts.
-Mary, how do you know if the visitor is a soul in purgatory or a living person of flesh and blood?
-When he comes at night, I immediately recognize a soul from Purgatory by its light. They have the same light as if they were in the daytime. They do not radiate any light, so everything around them remains dark, but they themselves have light, and of course I recognize them immediately as blessed souls from Purgatory.
-Do they also come during the day?
-They do, but when they come during the day I only really realize that they are a soul of Purgatory when they disappear. Until that moment, I cannot be sure. In both cases, night and day, if I tried to touch them there would be nothing there.
-Have any souls come to visit you here, in your home, during the day? And in that case, how would you know it was a blessed soul?
-Well, souls don't knock as you have done, and of course they don't shake hands. It would be two signs to realize that this is a soul from Purgatory.
-Have any of them been here during the day lately?
-Yes, and recently something unusual happened about it. I was sitting here writing, and when I looked up there was one sitting right there in that chair. It hadn't happened to me before, and I must say I was a bit surprised.
-How many souls come to you during the night compared to those who come during the day?
-At first they only came during the night, but from the Marian year 1954 they also began to come during the day. Today I would say that almost as many come during the day as during the night.
-Maria, can you tell me another case, apart from yours, where souls of dead people have been seen in broad daylight?
-Yes, it happens often. Two men from our valley were driving a horse-drawn carriage full of wood, and for some reason the animals stumbled and some of the load fell into the way. As they started to pile up the wood again, one of them commented: "My God, I wish someone would come and help us so we wouldn't block the traffic any longer! Suddenly, two men appeared and began to help them, and within minutes they had cleared everything away, rearranging and securing the wood in the car. When they finished, the first two said "thank you" and the other two walked away.
Soon after, one of these people who had been helping with the wood appeared to me and told me that if they had said "thank you to God," instead of just "thank you," they would have gone directly to Heaven. Since this was not the case, I had to pray a little for their release.
As you know, love often manifests itself in small gestures, in words and in actions. So it is also with the blessed souls in Purgatory. Even washing the kitchen floor when one really doesn't feel like it, if it is done out of love and offered for the souls in Purgatory in general, or for one in particular, it will help them enormously to go on their way. If it is a matter of cleaning the kitchen, it will help someone who did not keep their house tidy for their family during their lifetime.
-When a soul from Purgatory visits you, is she aware of her surroundings or only of you? Is there any evidence that she is aware of the room and the objects in it?
-Yes, I think so, because when they walk around the room they do not cross the table, and they must know of the existence of the chair if one of them, as I have already told you, sat in that chair recently.
-When they appear, do they come through the wall?
-No, they just appear, or they come in through the door and close it behind them. It varies, but usually they wake me up with a knock or a call, and when I wake up they are at the foot of the bed. That's the most usual thing.
-How long is the visit?
-It usually happens very quickly and they disappear again. Just a couple of seconds. Most of the time, when one shows up, I usually just say, "What can I do for you?" And she answers me, for example, "I need five masses." And in that instant she disappears. But if they stay there that's a sign, it means that I can ask her questions or give her names of those who have asked me for information. This can last two or three minutes and on rare occasions I get an immediate answer. Usually that soul disappears and I have to wait weeks or even months for another to come and answer those questions. But on very rare occasions they answer immediately.
-Have you ever allowed anyone to be present when a blessed soul from Purgatory visits you?
-Many people have asked me, but the souls have told me that we should not be curious about these matters, so they really do not want anyone to be there. Once I was in a town with a woman who had a house full of tourists, and she asked me if they could be present when one visited me, to see or hear something. I said, "Well, they may hear something, but I doubt very much that anyone will be able to see anything. I made sure to ask if there was anyone with heart problems. There were, so I said no. I asked because if someone has a heart condition and sees or hears something and believes that it is a soul in purgatory he might have a heart attack. Then my friend asked me if I could sleep in the room next to hers and leave the door open. And I agreed, thinking that if the souls didn't like it, then they wouldn't show up. But one did show up after all, and asked me to say an Our Father with her. I prayed it in silence and it was impossible, therefore, for anyone to hear me. But the soul prayed it in a normal voice and then disappeared. The next day my friend was acting strangely, which made me to ask me what was wrong with him. So I said, "Are you okay?" "Yeah, but let me ask you something: Was a soul praying the Lord's Prayer with you last night?" "Why do you say that?" "Last night I heard an Our Father being prayed and it sounded like it came out of the bottom of a deep cave. I was so scared I couldn't stop sweating."
And then I had to tell him that he was the first person I knew who had heard anything during one of my experiences.
-You said, "If the souls in purgatory don't like it...
-Yes, yes, but that's just a way of speaking, because whether they appear or not depends on the Mother of Mercy with Jesus' permission.
-Has a soul ever come while I was with other people, living people, I mean?
-Yes. Once a nun and her brother were here with me and suddenly a soul appeared. I asked him what he needed and I did it very quietly so that no one would notice. I received an answer and it disappeared. Then the nun asked me: "Did you just have a visitor?" "Why do you ask?" "For a moment he seemed a little distant." "Yes, she just had one, but I did everything I could to keep it quiet." "Ah yes, but I still felt her," said the nun.
-Now that I have been here with you, does it increase the possibility of my dead relatives visiting you?
-No, it doesn't. Only your prayers, your efforts, and a love with deeds for them would increase the possibility that God will allow them to come to you or to me. Souls can come to me only if God allows it. Nothing that anyone can do here will in any way affect their coming to me or anyone else.
-Has anyone ever recorded their conversations with the souls in Purgatory?
-Once in Vienna someone had hidden a tape recorder in my room. But when they took it out and turned it on, all that was heard were my questions and the knocking that had awakened me. The answers I was given, and there were answers that night, were not recorded.
-Did you try to spy on her while she was talking to a soul?
-Yes. -It happened to me many years ago when some children climbed a ladder, at night, to watch and listen. They were a bit frightened when they saw me taking some notes and heard me asking some questions. Besides, I had my sufferings at that time, which affected them even more, but they didn't hear anything or see the soul that was with me at that moment. When I learned what had happened but that the children had not seen or heard anything, I asked a soul how that could be. The conversation that followed was the following; it told me that they could not see anything because: "The children are still alive". "Yes, but I'm alive too after all and yet I can see and hear you." "You belong to us. We are in the dark. The path to you is light." "But what if I don't accept you?" "By God's mercy we can ask you, because you belong to us." "What do you mean, 'you belong to us'?" "By your vow you gave yourself to the Mother of Mercy in a special way. She gave you to us. That is why the path to you is light for many souls. You do well to accept us with love and pain. In this way you can free us more quickly, you suffer less, you are given more graces and merits, and you can also ask us about the people for whom you are asking.
-The path to you is light. How do you explain this?
-Because of my vow to the Mother of Mercy, the veil, as some would call it, has been lifted so that I can experience it clearly. And then, they can come to me for help.
-Have you seen all the souls you have asked for?
-No, certainly not. And this is because when a soul comes to me, he can only give me up to twenty names at a time as an answer. Therefore, I have really seen only a small proportion of all the souls for whom I have asked.
-Have they ever shown any sense of humor?
-Well, on one occasion. He was a teacher, and as he stood before me I asked him, "Where do you live? He said, "In a house." And when I told the priest about it, he said, "You see, Mary, you mustn't be so curious.
But except for that one time, they don't really show a sense of humor. I've never seen them laugh. They tend to show a patient, suffering appearance.
-And has anything funny happened to you with anyone else who can't get a sense of what you're experiencing? Can you think of any funny situations?
-Yes, on one occasion. It happened to me once when a person I knew came to me and found the door open, he went up to her, right here, and just pushed it open without knocking. When I looked up, as I'm so used to visitors, I saw a face sticking out and I asked, "What can I do for you? He instantly shouted: "I'm not a soul! I'm not a soul!" (laughs).
-Have you ever tried to touch a blessed soul, apart from the first time? -No.
-Not really, but it did happen to me that once (I imagine I must have been sleeping soundly) I woke up because I felt a hand touching my face and I thought: "What is this?" And when I woke up completely I saw that it was a soul. I really felt its hand, but when I try to touch one I don't feel anything, or at most I feel a little cold.
-Do they just appear one at a time or do they appear in a group as well?
-No.
-Very seldom do they come in a group, and on those occasions they all need the same thing to be released.
-Have any blessed souls appeared to you that were not from Central Europe, so to speak, Austrian, Swiss or German? And if so, how did you understand them?
-Yes. -Many, many times. I have been visited by the souls of African and Asian people, and when they speak to me, they speak in German, standard German, although sometimes it is a half-cut German. It may be the soul of a Japanese person who has all the appearance of being Japanese, of course, but who speaks to me in German. Also, I have been visited by the souls of people from America, Spanish, Hungarian, Polish, and many others.
-In the case of the soul of the Japanese person, did their Japanese relatives come to you and bring you their names?
-No, in most cases from distant countries they are allowed to come without their relatives asking. In fact, I have had many foreigners here, but not from Africa or Asia. Recently a bus arrived with pilgrims from Polynesia, and that is a long way away!
-Mary, do the souls in Purgatory appear to you with predictable frequency, and can you know in advance whether they will be coming on, say, Tuesday or Thursday?
-No, there's usually no way of knowing. But I can be sure that one will come on the first Friday and Saturday of each month.
-And how often do they visit you lately?
-Approximately three times a week, and during the month of November they come more frequently, as well as during Lent and Advent.
-If we pray for the souls in Purgatory and then ask them for something, does it make any difference whether we ask them or we ask them through you?
-No, there isn't. The only difference would be when I ask you to tell me what you need in particular to be released from Purgatory. It's a very clear way of making sure of that. But with the usual prayers and the other requests, souls would not react differently if you asked them or if I asked them for you. It depends on your faith and trust. And also on your ability to observe and listen.
-And when we ask them to help us, is it enough to think what we want or should we ask out loud?
-The souls cannot read our minds, but they know our sufferings and by that they also understand many of our true needs and therefore they will intervene for us.
Asking for it aloud guarantees that they will hear it, but you can be sure that a whisper is enough. They are always around us, but I would not recommend that you start talking about them in public. And, of course, Jesus knows our thoughts, so if we ask Him silently, our request will also be conveyed to them by the Mother of Mercy.
-If someone sends you a letter asking for a name and you don't get an answer for a long period of time, I don't know, between eight months and a year, what do you think they should think then?
-If I never get an answer that means that soul is lost and in hell, but not getting an answer for a long time doesn't mean it is so. I simply cannot start writing letters saying that for such and such a question I have not yet received an answer. It is also possible that a soul is already in Heaven when a family member or a friend asks me about it, and if that is the case I find out quickly. But I am practically certain that of all the names I have been asked about I have obtained an answer if they were in Purgatory at the time. And remember also that letters can be lost; sometimes it happens.
-Mary, looking around I see that there are many small drawers. I wonder if there are thousands and thousands of names of people in them who are waiting for an answer.
-No, not really. In those drawers I keep a lot of papers and other things of mine. Don't forget that only a mere twenty-five percent of priests believe in my testimony and my experiences, let alone non-practicing Catholics, not to mention non-Catholics and non-Christians. At one time, until a few years ago, there were several hundred names, but lately the number of names is over a thousand; however, there have never been thousands.
-Do you ask anything in return for helping people in this way?
-Never! The special love that God has for those who trust Him is what takes care of me.
-Can anyone send a soul to another person?
-No, he can't. How often I wish I could, especially with those people who laugh at the souls in Purgatory or at the visitors I receive!
-Can it be considered a sin not to believe that the souls of the dead visit us?
-No, it is not a sin, but that does not mean that these things should be made fun of. It is not a dogma of faith and therefore it is not a sin.
-What do you think is the difference between those who experience the nearness of the blessed souls in Purgatory and those who do not?
-It seems to me that the more sensitive and observant people realize it more clearly than others.
-What can be done to experience their closeness more vividly?
-Pray for them a lot and also keep ourselves as clean as we can. I mean to be in grace and to keep our bodies free from everything that interferes with clarity. A balanced, healthy, moderate diet, and of course no drugs or excessive alcohol. Fasting is also a great help.
-Can the blessed souls in Purgatory help to shorten the purgatory of your relatives who are still alive?
-Yes, they can pray a lot for us, and the souls have told me that they usually do so.
-How can souls show themselves to their relatives?
-The most common way is by knocking. A friend of mine experienced it and counted the blows to determine how many masses that particular soul needed. He never heard the blows again when he had completed the number of masses they had asked for. And when it happened again on another occasion, he knew it was a different soul because he gave a different number of strokes and because he gave them in another area of the room.
Souls can also call us by our names. Sometimes we can recognize the voice very clearly and that serves as a reminder to pray for that particular person. Souls can also become even more active by causing, what you call, poltergeist activities. For example, if we find on the floor the clock which was hanging on the wall the previous evening; or if windows are closed or doors are slammed open. All this happens just to attract our attention and to stimulate our prayers for them. They are souls who need a lot of attention, because they are in the deepest levels of Purgatory. They can also hear footsteps on the upper floor, or they can leave a precise clue so that we know immediately who it is.
-Do they only appear to members of their own families?
-In most cases yes, but in some cases they appear to very close friends or to people like me who have been entrusted by God to spend a lot of time praying for them and helping them. I have heard of people who have friends who were very close to them when they were children, who go to them some time after they have died. As a rule, they appear to those who have loved them very much, to the most sensitive, to the most affectionate and/or to those who pray the most. But I know of cases wherein some souls in purgatory have manifested themselves to persons whom they had not known in life and also to persons who held a grudge against them in their hearts.
A farmer that I knew was building an extension to his barn, and when he reached a certain height with one of the walls, the next day he appeared to fall. He had put up many walls in his life and it was causing him too much trouble. He even called in professional masons to help him and tell him what he was doing wrong, but they told him he had been doing everything right from the start.
They called me to come and see him and, of course, I went. I asked him about his family and his farm, and if he knew of anyone he needed to forgive. At first he couldn't remember, but I dug a little deeper and his memory became clearer. A few years ago I had a neighbor who was always saying nasty things about his wife. That man died and other people moved in. At first he had refused to forgive him, saying that his neighbor deserved all he had received, and that he would never forgive him for his rudeness. Then I kindly explained to him that we must forgive each other in order to come closer to God and that if he did not, he would not only harm others but was guaranteed to suffer much later. Then he understood and never had any problem with that wall again.
-How else can souls show themselves to us?
-In dreams, but they seldom do, and you can't rely much on that. In dreams they have to ask us for prayers, for something to open their way to Heaven, otherwise something else is happening.
-Without counting those whom you knew personally in life, have souls come to you whom you recognized as famous people?
-Yes, there are famous people who have been released because their relatives came to me for help. For example, Marshal Hermann Goring, an infamous Nazi, came to me because his family had come to see me for help. He is in heaven now. God did not stop loving him and still loves him. We must never judge.
I've been visited by other famous people too. Once a man came, and although I could not know where he came from or when he had lived, I knew immediately that he was someone important because of the way he moved and because of his clothes. When I asked him what he needed from me, he told me and then added, "I am Pope Paul.
At first I hesitated, thinking it might be a hell of a hoax: "No, you're not," I said. "I met Pope Paul and you're not him!" "I am Pope Paul IV, not Paul VI." He had been in purgatory since the mid-16th century because during his pontificate he could have done much more than he did. It seems to me that he had also ordered the Jews of Rome to be grouped in ghettos, which was certainly not in God's plan. In this case, of course, it wasn't his descendants who came to see me to ask about him (laughs).
So a well-known Nazi has spent much less time in purgatory than a Pope. Some people would then think that it is better to be a Nazi than a priest, a bishop, and even a pope.
-No, by God, no! The difference in the atonement each one needs is that the Pope had been revealed much more of God's truth than Hermann Goring. And Father Matt also told me that Goring had been led by deception into that horrible situation, with relatively few means to protect himself. God's love and justice, equally infinite, balanced these differences; and today both are in Heaven with Him, but certainly not on the same level.
***
-When I leave, can I give you the name of a famous person I'd like to ask about? -I'll give you the name of the person.
-Yes, of course.
-I would like to know what became of President Kennedy who, as you know, was very much loved by many Americans and Irish people, as well as by millions of other people throughout the world.
-You don't have to ask!
-What do you mean?
-He got to Heaven quickly after his assassination. A soul told me, even though no one in his case came here to ask about him either.
-Excellent! May I then ask about your brother Robert F. Kennedy, who was also murdered years later?
-Of course you may. If I remember correctly, he died with a rosary in his hands, and that would certainly mean that Our Lady was with him, and therefore it is all right, I am sure. Furthermore, I have been told that his last words were: "Is anyone hurt?". This tells us even more of the love that was in his soul. But yes, you can write your name for me later.
-16th century? That struck me. Are there other souls who have suffered in purgatory for so long and who have come to you for help afterwards?
-Yes, I was asked to help an officer who died in Corinth in 1660. And also a priest from Cologne who died in 555. I had to accept what I needed entirely on my own, otherwise I would have remained in purgatory until the last day. I had taken part in the martyrdom of some followers of St. Ursula. I can also remember the years 1740 and 1810, but I have now forgotten who they were.
-Have the souls told you something specific about their own future?
-Not in detail, but on several occasions they have said that something very important is at the gates, right in front of us; but I don't know if I will still be here to see it. As I said before, it will come from God and it will be for the conversion of all. God will make his existence very clear, but still not everyone will convert their hearts to Him. Apart from this, I only receive warnings or directives for other people, as in the avalanche I told you about earlier.
-And have the blessed souls in Purgatory ever helped the police to solve a crime?
-No, not that I recall. But in many cases my testimony, based on what the souls had told me, helped to prove that the Evil One was involved. We must not forget that the people who come to me here are, for the most part, deeply Christian and so much prefer to pray for other people than to persecute and accuse them.
-Have souls ever said anything to you about the future of your visits?
-No, they have never said anything about it.
-When souls or you yourself speak of conversion, what precisely do you mean? Does it mean that everyone should join the Catholic Church?
-No, conversion doesn't mean that. Conversion is changing the heart, the mind and all our life into the existence of God. While it is true that all divisions among Christians are owe to the hand of man and that the Catholic Church holds the only truth, as she taught it Jesus, we cannot expect men to be able to erase all these differences. God will make it produce the union of the Churches, and I personally believe that this will also happen very soon
-Just as there are people who are better than others, spiritually speaking, are there also places in the world that are better than others, in a spiritual sense? Have the souls in purgatory said anything to you about this?
-Yes, there are better places than others. The blessed souls have told me that Africa is on the way to conversion and therefore is on the right path. North America and Western Europe are on the wrong track. I think both continents are going to have to make a lot of repairs and very soon. And as far as the former Soviet republics are concerned, I would say that are somewhere in the middle of the other two cases because they suffered a lot and for many years under communist oppression. South America is also somewhere in between. But the one we should pray for most is the United States. There they have not suffered a war in their own land during this century, and pride, greed, occultism, sects, abortion, and materialism abound. What is at hand, souls say, will dramatically affect the United States.
-On the subject of God's justice, what happens when a person very dear to you dies and many millions of prayers are offered for him compared to an unknown person who could have lived a holier life?
-Our Lady takes care of everything and distributes the extra graces where they are most needed. She never forgets any of her children!
-Are animals sensitive to the presence of the blessed souls in purgatory?
-Yes, they are, especially horses, dogs and chickens. I have heard of many cases of horses refusing to pass by a particular house, and then it was pointed out that there were souls wandering about trying to attract attention.
-You mention dogs. Well, the souls in Purgatory should know, of course, that dogs are happy when they are given orders. Do you know if souls can give an order to a dog, for example, to go and fetch its owner because the barn is in danger?
-No, that is not the case because dogs do not have souls.
But when it comes to animals, Saint Hildegard of Bingen did say that Satan hates dogs more than any other animal because they are so close to humans, and I can tell you that he once tried to annoy me in this respect. One afternoon a dog suddenly appeared in my room and jumped around and barked and fooled around for a few minutes until I ordered him in the name of Jesus to leave.
-If people want to know where their loved ones are or what they need to be sent to Heaven, what is the best way to contact you and what should they do?
-The best way is to simply write a list of people, leaving a little space between names. They should write the full name, the city where they died, and their date of birth and death on one line. In the space between the names they send me, I will then write the answer the souls bring me and I will return the same sheet. Most answers are short and simple. Don't wait out of curiosity, pray for them while they wait. That will speed up the process.
-Has it ever happened to you that you don't get any answers because you were asked the questions just out of curiosity?
-Yes, it happened to me many years ago. Someone came and asked me about Hitler and Stalin. I saw no harm in accepting their request. Some time later I received an answer, which was as follows: "There will be no answer because the person who asked never intended to pray. This turned out to be true because they never returned.
-Well, do you think Hitler could have gone to Heaven after all?
-I know, on the other hand, that he is in hell. And this is because it has been identified in people possessed while they were praying for them.
-Oh! -Has it ever happened that a soul appeared to him but without uttering a word?
-Yes, in such cases I know that it needs prayer, and in most cases it will come back later with permission to tell me what it still needs.
-Have you ever had wrong answers returned to you?
-Some years ago I received an answer which I then passed on back to the one who had given me the name. When I gave it back to him he laughed and said, "Now I know you're a fraud because this person is still alive!" This situation distressed me and made me so angry that I ran to the priest and told him that I wanted it all to be over if I was getting false answers. He calmed me down and told me not to worry, because it had been the sin of that man that had caused Satan to intervene.
On the other hand, I also found that some people, not many, received wrong answers when they asked about people who were still alive. But they were not brave enough to communicate it to me openly. Those who lie like this invite Satan.
His dishonesty brings more lies, and as a consequence
Satan disguises himself to slander me. If they come to me with dirty hearts, then it is they who are imprisoned. And so, since then, I have grown much in discernment.
And to be totally clear to those who doubt me because of wrong answers, I would like to add the following. Souls are never wrong if it is something that has happened in the past or something that is happening in the present; but they can be wrong, so to speak, when it is something that has not yet happened. The reason for this is that God can sometimes change his will.
Therefore, it can happen that a response concerning the future may turn out to be different from what finally happens. This only means that God has changed His plans and in no way does it imply that the souls were wrong or that I am a fraud.
-Do you know if any of those who tried to deceive you, showing themselves to be at least insecure, if not openly lying, were priests?
-Yes, among them there were priests, but please don't think that this has happened many times, because it hasn't happened.
-Can you remember any other public figure who, according to the souls, is also in Heaven? I ask this in the hope that your answer will succeed in emphasizing, again, Jesus' teaching that we should never judge each other.
-Yes, I can, and that teaching is very important if we really want to meet Him as soon as possible. The two people who come to my mind had to suffer a lot and both received very little religious education in their teens.
About three years ago, souls told me that Norma Jean, whose stage name was different, of course, was already in Heaven. And recently I learned that John Lennon was in Heaven as well. John Lennon was killed by a man who was at that time in diabolical possession and who, while in prison, was released by a good-hearted parish priest who, from the outside, said a prayer for his release. In any case, Jesus' mercy towards these people has been very generous, certainly much more generous than that of many of us here on earth. It had to be a friend of mine who explained to me who exactly John Lennon and Norma Jean had been because when I had these names with me I was not aware that they were famous.
-Have you ever received an answer that could have been dangerous to the person who asked the question?
-Yes, something similar has happened. The souls once confirmed a very evil act and also warned, for their own safety, that the person who had asked about it should never speak of it again.
In the case of people living in democratic countries, is voting in elections a God-given duty? Souls have told me that voting is not a God-given duty.