Bruno Cornacchiola, although a baptized Catholic, did not lead a model Christian lifestyle. He would eventually leave the Church at a time when he was fighting in the Spanish Civil War. During this time he decided to adhere to Protestant beliefs and eventually became a Seventh Day Adventist.He was an abusive husband to his Catholic wife, had affairs with other women and habitually spoke using obscenities. During a picnic with his three children, he was preparing a speech that he planned to give which attacked the Church’s teaching on the Immaculate Conception. On the way to the picnic he approached a statue of Our Blessed Lady. He decided to vandalize it by writing on the base: “You are neither Virgin nor Mother.”
Bruno’s hatred for the Catholic Church even extended to a plan in which he would assassinate Pope Pius XII. He planned to carry it out on 8 September 1947, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
During the picnic with his children, one of them came to him and asked him to help them find the ball they were playing with. Bruno put down the speech he was preparing along with his Protestant bible and helped them search for the missing ball. While searching he saw his youngest son kneeling in prayer at the entrance of a cave. He was so deep in prayer that it’s possible he was in ecstasy. He kept repeating the words, “Beautiful Lady!” This scene frightened Bruno. Not long after, Bruno’s remaining two children also dropped to their knees and seemed to be in ecstatic prayer. Then all three of his children were saying: “Beautiful Lady!” Bruno tried to nudge them and distract them but with no success.
Bruno then went blind but not in total darkness, instead his eyes were filled with light and he felt weightless. When he regained his sight he also saw in the cave the beautiful Lady. He described her as a woman with black hair, a white dress with a rose sash and a green mantle. The beautiful Lady identified herself as: “Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Spouse and Temple of the Holy Spirit.” She wasn’t wearing any shoes and on her feet was a black cloth which had on it a smashed Crucifix.
Here’s what the Lady said: “I am the one that is of the Divine Trinity. I am the Virgin of the Revelation. Return to the pure source of the Gospel.” Then saying directly to Bruno: “You persecute me – enough of it now! Enter into the true fold, which is the Celestial Court on earth. The nine first Fridays of the Sacred Heart have saved you, which your faithful wife persuaded you to observe, before you walked down the road of lies. Live the divine doctrine. Practice Christianity. Live the faith. The Hail Marys that you pray with faith and love are like golden arrows that go straight to the Heart of Jesus. Pray much and recite the Rosary for the conversion of sinners. I promise this special favor: with this sinful soil, I will perform great miracles for the conversion of sinners and unbelievers.” She was referring to the soil of the cave. She continued: “Science will deny God and refuse His calls. My body could not and did not decay. I was Assumed into heaven by my Son and the angels. You must go to the Holy Father, the Pope, the Supreme Pastor of Christianity and personally tell him my message. Bring it to his attention.”
When Our Lady was finished, she smiled at Bruno and disappeared as she walked through the walls of the grotto.
After a very intense investigation in which Bruno and his children were interrogated separately, no differences in their accounts were discovered. The Vicariate of Rome approved the apparition. On 5 October 1947, a special statue was made and blessed by Pope Pius XII.
Of course, all of this led to Bruno’s return to the Church. On 9 December 1949, Bruno along with others were invited to pray the Rosary with Pope Pius XII in his private chapel. After praying the Rosary His Holiness asked if anyone would like to speak with him. Bruno, without hesitation, knelt before the Holy Father, showing him the dagger he planned to use to kill him. Bruno did so with tears flowing from his eyes. He begged the Pope for his forgiveness which he naturally granted.
In a more recent interview, Bruno Cornacchiola also revealed this among other things that Our Lady spoke of: “The Virgin spoke to me of Christian unity. She stated clearly that there is only one Church, and only one true apostolic faith. She reveals that Christian unity lies in the understanding that there is one flock, and one Church, with one leader in the Church.”
