Liberato De Caro, a physicist and researcher at the National Research Council’s Institute of Crystallography in Bari, is the author of numerous scientific papers published in international journals. Married and the father of two daughters, he completed his theological studies, required for the Permanent Diaconate, at the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences Odegitria and the San Martino Oasis of the Diocese of Bari-Bitonto.
In the introduction to the fourth volume of I cieli raccontano, he writes:
Having a scientific background, I have always believed that it is the strength of reason that demonstrates whether something is true or false.
When I was first introduced to Maria Valtorta in 2013, I had never read any of her incredible literary output, the fruit, according to her, of mystical visions. Since then, I have devoted countless hours to studying her writings. The synthesis of my personal study of Valtorta’s work has led me to write, with this last one, four books. I wanted to fully investigate, based on my ability to discern and understand, whether what the Author described in her visions could be a gift from Heaven, the surprising result of an unusual breadth of knowledge across many fields of human knowledge, combined with extraordinary literary skill, or the result of a pathology, or even the consequence of a preternatural intervention contrary to divine grace. My investigations have convinced me, with the strength of reasoning derived from a scientific analysis of her writings, that Maria Valtorta was not suffering from a mental illness while she was writing her work. Nor can this be attributed to an uncommon culture and literary skill, since a careful analysis of her writings has revealed information that no one knew at the time. Therefore, not even Maria Valtorta could have known it. Nor can one assume that diabolical seduction lies behind Maria Valtorta’s visions, given the abundant spiritual fruits derived from reading her writings: “Every tree is judged by its fruit” (cf. Luke 6:44).
This information in her writings, which goes far beyond Maria Valtorta’s expertise and awareness, has been described in detail in the previous three volumes of “The Heavens Tell” and in this final book, which concludes this series of studies on Valtorta’s work. In particular, the focus of this fourth study is on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. This topic has taken us beyond astronomy, which has been the underlying theme of the main analyses of Valtorta’s work discussed in our previous studies. It has led us to studies on the Shroud of Turin and the Veil of Veronica, given that Maria Valtorta refers to them several times, affirming that the former actually covered the body of Jesus and clearly indicating that the latter is not the result of a pious legend.
Therefore, in this fourth volume, astronomy will not be the only focus to demonstrate the wealth of information present in Valtorta’s work, information beyond the author’s own knowledge and understanding. Historical research, thanks to our ongoing collaboration with Fernando La Greca, will not be the only focus to reveal the many “pearls” of knowledge of the Greco-Roman world hidden in Valtorta’s writings. But, in the style that has always characterized our analysis of Valtorta’s work, without assuming anything before adequately investigating it, we will also discuss the Shroud of Turin, the Veil of Veronica, and everything Maria Valtorta wrote about them, which scientific and historical research seems to have already clarified.
When discussing the resurrection, it would seem impossible to discuss it from a scientific perspective. Before this exploration of Valtorta’s writings, it seemed to us that the same was true for the visions of mystics. In the humility of one who knows that reality can be totally different from what we perceive, the reader who approaches the following pages without preconceptions will embark on a cognitive adventure rich in surprises, stimuli, research, insights, and possible answers, while nevertheless leaving the Mystery virtually untouched. Indeed, the sole objective of this cognitive journey, through the four volumes of “The Heavens Tell,” is to share with the reader the beauty of the many personal discoveries made in studying Valtorta’s work. These discoveries, precisely because they were obtained through the most rigorous scientific analysis possible, rather than dispelling it, have strengthened the sense of mystery one experiences when reading Maria Valtorta’s pages. Few lines in which my spirit has not sensed the presence of the Almighty, who, in the age of science, seems to want to push us to the limit.
