Perhaps because of the skepticism of the period following the great war, great caution was placed in the Catholic Church hierarchy such that anything related to the supernatural would be suspect as an archetypical expression after a period of violence and great depression. Besides, all the Marian apparitions involve Caucasians from countries in Europe and Teresita Castillo does not fit in as she is a Filipina and therefore an Asian.
Likewise, the Filipino clergy despite the fact that the archipelago had been Christianized some hundred years back are still dependent on foreign leaders particularly white men who are charitable enough to act as pastors in the islands.
Hence, when at least two Filipino monsignors became sympathetic to the said apparitions, an apostolic delegate, Italian Egidio Vagnozzi removed at once Alfredo Versoza and Alfredo Obviar promptly disallowing them to continue their conduct of investigations in Lipa. Without even giving them the benefit of some interview concerning what they have already known, Vagnozzi instead designated Rufino Santos as the new Apostolic Administrator to conduct instead the investigation.
Santos for his part, formed a Special Episcopal Commission (SEC) composed of six prelates he personally chose. The six-man commission was composed of Archbishop Gabriel Reyes, his Auxillary, also from Manila, Vicente Reyes, Mariano Madriaga of Lingayen, San Fernando Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero, Jaro Bishop Jose Maria Cuenco, and the Archbishop of Nueva Segovia, Jose Sison. according to a note sent by a certain “L. Ottaviani”, the SEC was to be tasked by Vagnozzi to make a negative decision on the Lipa apparitions per will of the Pope expressed during an audience, 29th of March, 1951. Being tasked to do what should necessarily be done, Vagnozzi lost no time and in an unprecedented six-hour conference as Bishop Vicente Reyes would later reveal in an interview, the negative verdict was decided unanimously such that the Lipa apparitions have no supernatural origin and is not worthy of belief.
Based on the decision the Apostolic Administrator kept the nuns in Carmel virtual prisoners such that all visitations and all forms of communication such as letters are disallowed. Only one nun was allowed to go out so as to see to the needs of those confined. Likewise, everything related to the apparitions were ordered to be burned. Santos even sent rose stalks to be burned as if the roses which fell from nowhere were plucked from them. He even ordered the image of the Mediatrix of All Grace to be burned with the rest. However, two conscientious nuns kept it such that its likeness is preserved until now for public veneration.
Prioress Cecilia de Jesus after being made to make a “confession” that the nuns of Lipa Carmel just made the up the apparition story was sent to the Jaro Carmel where she was made to work as a scullery maid. The infirmarian who also believed was sent to Laoag. Teresita, the visionary was banished never to return because of the technicality that she wasn’t able to have a complete year as postulant in Carmel. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to complete even a year since she had been sick and was always out for the investigations. For the record, Vagnozzi never gave her a proper interview. He would always castigate her with threatening words if she was lying. On the other hand, Santos showed her too much kindness and yet in the end didn’t even listen to her story as he already had a preconceived one. Angel de Blas, an independent psychologist from UST was the only one who really asked her questions and he found her an “authentic visionary”. His findings however were never used by the SEC. The handling of the investigation under Vagnozzi and Santos was indeed bizarre and deliberately meant to find a negative conclusion from the very start.
Thus, all the nuns in Carmel were reduced to liars. Even by today’s standards of printing the rose petals from Lipa Carmel couldn’t possibly replicated as each petal has its own pious design. The antagonists were accusing the nuns of using blowers to make the petals fly and yet during those times, Carmel didn’t have electricity and industrial blowers are still unknown. But they blew it because even if the nuns were silenced and most of the petals burned, those that were not burned became efficacious in healing and the word got around through the common people. Hence, the public veneration continued for the Mediatrix of All Grace.
Meanwhile Vagnozzi and the truthful others have to live the lie. For more than seventy years, the faithful waited for the proper continuation of the saga. Perhaps even the ones who crafted the lie have forgotten how they lied and thus, when the time was ripe for asking, they have to hurry and make up other lies. Rather than attach an official decree from the Pope which should have been published in his official acts, the one in charge of the dicastery attached instead the “confession” of Mother Cecilia admitting fraud. Bishop Garcera who was the end recipient of the protocol even asked the other nuns if it was indeed the penmanship of the prioress and comparing it with other specimens, they admitted it was. Of course, it was her penmanship! He’s got to be kidding because no one else would be ordered first to write a “confession” but the Prioress of Carmel-she is priority! Reduced to being just a maid in Jaro, the prioress was pleasantly surprised when rose petals started falling there much to the great excitement of the Jaro nuns. Sister Mary Tayamora was appalled that the Lipa prioress wasn’t as excited as they were. She just said that she was happy that Our Lady had followed her even there.
After her return to Lipa and later in the brink of death, Mother Cecilia requested that public veneration of her image be returned and this was kindly allowed. In 1982, Mother Cecilia actually offered her own life so that the veneration may be returned and she was happy to die with the wish granted. In a related event, Teresita Castillo in her dying breath maintained that she really saw Our Lady, the Mediatrix of Grace. Clearly there was no motive for them to deceive the Lipa faithful.
As a Korean, I’m also aware of the events in Naju and why the Church gave it a negative decision but I think it was spurious from the very start. I however sympathize with the people of Lipa as they were deceived.
So, if the question was who deceived the people of Lipa concerning their faith, I think you would know the ones who have the real motives because pride is such a terrible master which can make one stiff and steep in his role in the hierarchy especially if there is a greater promise of fame in this world.
