Catholic Church abandons plan to build a giant “sin-forgiving” cross

A regular cross in Dozulé. Photo: Wikipedia

The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that the apparitions associated with the alleged visionary Madeleine Aumont in the French town of Dozulé “must definitively be considered non-supernatural.” The statement was signed by Cardinal Prefect Víctor Manuel Fernández, and the decision was approved by Pope Francis on November 3, 2025.

Between 1972 and 1978, Madeleine Aumont claimed that Christ had appeared to her 49 times, asking for the construction of a so-called “Glorious Cross of Dozulé.” The cross was to be fully illuminated and reach a height of 738 meters, with crossbars 123 meters long, so that it could be seen from afar as a sign of universal salvation.

According to the alleged messages, “all who come to repent at the foot of the Glorious Cross will be saved,” “the Glorious Cross will forgive all sins,” and “all who come in faith to repent will be saved in this life and in eternity.” The Dicastery described these claims as “incompatible with Catholic teaching on salvation, grace, and the sacraments.”

As early as 1983, the then bishop of the diocese, Jean-Marie-Clément Badr, stated that “under no circumstances can the construction of a monumental cross in Dozulé (…) be regarded as a true sign of the manifestation of the Spirit of God.” In 1985 he added that he saw no evidence that would allow the alleged “apparitions” to be recognized as authentic.

Among the problematic elements, the Dicastery noted that “certain formulations contained in the so-called messages of Dozulé insist on the construction of the ‘Glorious Cross’ as a new sign deemed necessary for the salvation of the world or as a privileged means for obtaining forgiveness and universal peace.”

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith emphasized: “The Cross does not need 738 meters of steel or concrete to make itself known: it is raised every time a heart, moved by grace, opens itself to forgiveness, when a soul turns back to God, when hope is rekindled where it once seemed impossible.”

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Major Archbishop Shevchuk had approved the UGCC’s new prayer book for exorcisms.

Read also