Interior locution

An interior locution is a mystical concept used by various religions, including the Roman Catholic Church. In an interior locution a person reportedly receives a set of ideas, thoughts, or visions from an outside spiritual source. Interior locutions are most often reported during prayers. An interior locution is a form of revelation, but is distinct from an apparition or religious vision because no supernatural entity is reported as present during the interior locution.

In interior locutions some people report receiving a large amount of information rather quickly. The determination of whether the locution was actually from another source or the person’s mind itself is often the subject of controversy.

For instance, the Vatican biographies of both Saint Teresa of Avila and Mother Teresa of Calcutta refer to their interior locutions, although Mother Teresa often preferred to remain private about them. However, some visions of Jesus and Mary are classified as visions by the Vatican rather than locutions.

Interior locutions sometimes lead to major new religious movements. For example the interior locutions reported by the a Roman Catholic priest Father Stefano Gobbi on May 8th 1972 at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima led to the formation of the Marian Movement of Priests in October 1972. According to the Marian Movement of Priests its members now include over 400 Catholic cardinals and bishops, more than 100,000 Catholic priests, and several million lay Catholics worldwide. Fact|date=May 2008 The attendance at some of Father Gobbi's prayer cenacles at times exceeds 20,000 people. Fact|date=May 2008

External links

* cite web
url = http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_19930321_teresa-de-jesus_en.html
title = Vatican Biography of St. Teresa of Avila

* cite web
url = http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_madre-teresa_en.html
title = Vatican Biography of Mother Teresa of Calcutta