Anthony de Mello priest: Encyclopedia - Anthony de Mello priest

Anthony de Mello (priest)

The Rev. Anthony de Mello, S.J. (1931—1987) was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist who became widely known for his books on spirituality. He hosted many spiritual retreats and was considered by some a gifted public speaker. Father de Mello was born in Goa, the former Portuguese colony in India. He traveled to many countries to study and later to teach, most notably Spain and the United States.

De Mello established a prayer center in India. He died suddenly in 1987. His works are still in print and additional writings were published after his death.

In 1998, after his death, his writings were condemned by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI wrote for the Congregation:

'But already in certain passages in [his] early works and to a greater degree in his later publications, one notices a progressive distancing from the essential contents of the Christian faith. ... With the present Notification, in order to protect the good of the Christian faithful, this Congregation declares that the above-mentioned positions are incompatible with the Catholic faith and can cause grave harm.' [1]

In spite of this, his writings are available in many Catholic book shops and he is read and respected by many Catholics.

Anthony de Mello priest - Bibliography

• Contact with God
• The Song of the Bird
• Wellsprings
• One Minute Wisdom
• One Minute Nonsense
• The Prayer of the Frog
• Sadhana: A Way to God
• Awareness
• The Way to Love

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Anthony de Mello priest", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki