some thousands worldwide. History The movement was founded by a group of priests and seminarians in Innsbruck, Austria in 1949. It drew inspiration from accounts that, from 1949 to her death, Gabriele Bitterlich (1896-1978) gave of private revelations that she claimed to have received. In 1961, the Bishop of Innsbruck established the canonical Confraternity of the Guardian Angels. Other associations followed, including a priestly sodality and in the following two decades the movement spread to many places in the world. Controversy In her many writings, Mrs Bitterlich also proposed some novel theories about the functions, groupings and personal names of angels and demons and about an on-going "spiritual warfare" between the two. These theories and the practices based on them gave rise to controversy and on 1 December 1977 Cardinal Joseph Höffner, Archbishop of Cologne, brought them to the attention of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which began to study them shortly after Mrs Bitterlich's death in the following year. The Congregation carried out the requested investigation and responded on 24 September 1983 with a letter, known by its incipit, Litteris diei, which laid down: In fostering devotion to the Holy Angels, Opus Angelorum must respect the teaching of the Church and of the Holy Fathers and Doctors. In particular, it is not to spread a form of devotion to the Angels using the "names" derived from the alleged private revelation attributed to Mrs Gabriele Bitterlich, nor may it use those names in any prayers of the community. Opus Angelorum is not to demand or even propose to its members what is called the Promise of Secrecy, although with regard to the internal affairs of the Opus Angelorum, it is lawful to maintain the discretion that befits members of the Church's institutes. The Opus Angelorum and its members will strictly observe the norms of the liturgy, especially regarding the Eucharist. This holds in particular for the so-called "Communion of expiation". This was followed by a decree of 6 June 1992, which repeated the contents of the 1983 letter and, in view of incorrect interpretation and application of that letter, laid down the following rules: The theories originating from the alleged revelations of Mrs Gabriele Bitterlich concerning the world of the angels and their personal names, groupings and functions cannot be taught or in any way, whether explicitly or implicitly, be used in the organization and structure of