Has anyone out there heard anything about this priest Father Ignacio (known in Spanish as Padre Ignacio)? My mom just forwarded this link to me, in Spanish. Padre Ignacio is said to perform many healings and to be able to read souls. He is said to celebrate Mass is a most profound and reverent way, and that sometimes his voice even cracks with emotion as he tries to hold back tears of emotion and joy while consecrating. There are comparisons drawn to Padre Pio. People flock to him for blessings and healings.
The info I have found in Spanish has been overwhelmingly positive - there seem to be few if any detractors. But I cannot find much information on him in English. He lives in Rosario, Argentina and has been there for the past 20 years. He is originally from Sri Lanka. They call him the "Healing Priest". Supposedly he has only ever granted one interview to the media, and otherwise shuns media attention (though I did find several videos on YouTube where he speaks directly to the camera and gives these sort of homilies or advice about suffering, dignity, overcoming obstacles by being positive or topics like that. Here is the only interview he is said to have granted, and it is published in El Clarin, which is a major Argentine newspaper: http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2009/07/08/um/m-01954869.htm
I am fluent in Spanish, but am more comfortable in English so I wanted to find more information on him in English... if anyone out there has any blog sites, articles or anything else that sheds light on this priest, please let me know. I am interested in learning more about him and whether the things he teaches are in keeping with the teachings of the Catholic faith.
I found this blog article which is critical of him, but then again I think the writer is either not Catholic or is actually a Catholic in Name Only... the impression I get from reading the blog is that he does not view the world through the lens of faith. He is very critical of Fr. Ignacio but then at the end of the post says, "What I find uncomfortable is the mass phenomenon, not the man."
In short, there is really nothing there to discredit the priest other than the writer does not like all the attention that surrounds him. It says more about the pilgrims who come to see him than it does about him, I thought.
Everything else I have read about him so far is totally in line with the teachings of the Catholic faith. He says that it is not him who heals, but Jesus, and that Jesus has said that where there is no faith there can be no miracles. He refers to himself as a mere instrument of God and that whereas others have the ability to hear confessions for 18 hours a day or have other talents, this is what God is using him for. That sounds about right to me.
Anyway, do any of you know anything else about him?
