Local Catholic authority warns against fake preachers
SINGAPORE — The Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore has warned against fake foreign preachers, citing an example of a woman who came to speak in Singapore last November who had claimed to be a prophet.
Noting it might sometimes be hard for Catholics to distinguish genuine from false preachers, the Chancery, which is an arm of the Archbishop’s offices, noted in an article in the latest edition of Catholic News how false preachers often presented un-Catholic messages alongside more orthodox elements.
In the article, it said that the Singapore archdiocesan authorities had found a following of the “self-proclaimed” Irish seer called Mary Carberry last year. According to them, Ms Carberry has publicly claimed, for several years, to have received messages from Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. But her “ministry” has been soundly rejected by European, American and Australian dioceses.
Last November, a woman named Fabienne Guerrero came to Singapore and gave lectures to private audiences, and had originally intended to speak at venues such as the Church of the Risen Christ in Toa Payoh. Ms Guerrero had provided what were supposedly testimonials from Catholic priests outside Singapore. But even if they were endorsed by these priests, the Chancery said the testimonials may not have been provided for the type of messages that the speaker was proclaiming in Singapore.
“Attendees of her lectures reported hearing a troubling mix of her story of reconversion to the Catholic faith after years of self-inflicted spiritual abuse and her explicitly mentioned ‘divine revelations’ that she was a prophet,” it said. She also “strenuously avoided” Singapore’s Catholic authorities, and those who repeatedly organised her talks had ignored archdiocesan Chancery regulations for foreign speakers to first obtain permission to conduct ministry there, the Chancery said.
“This is why Chancery regulations regarding foreigners doing local ministry, as well as official Chancery notices against certain individuals, groups, or activities, exist; these protect the local Catholics from the confusion and theological, doctrinal and spiritual harm that could be spread by unapproved activists,” said the Chancery, which had also put up a notice on its website on Nov 16 to warn the community of talks given by Ms Guerrero. SIAU MING EN
