Ludum Science Centre in Sicily claims to have translated a 17th-century letter supposedly written by a nun while she was possessedby Satan.
In a plot straight out of a horror movie, scientists in Italy have used software (usually kept for intelligence services to crack codes) to decipher a 300-year-old letter, supposedly written by a possessed nun named, Sister Maria Crocifissa della Concezione.
Sister Maria lived the Benedictine convent at Palma di Montechiaro from the time she was 15. It is believed that she screamed and fainted while writing letters, having no memory of the act upon waking. The text is made up of a bewildering mix of Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic and Runic languages.
The Ludum Science Centre who deciphered the letters explain that the Nun had become an accomplished linguist while living in the convent. They then assume that the letters (of which this is the only one remaining) are written in a language of her creation, jumbled together based in those of which she was fluent.
“I personally believe that the nun had a good command of languages, which allowed her to invent the code, and may have suffered from a condition like schizophrenia, which made her imagine dialogues with the Devil,” Daniele Abate, director of the centre said to The Times.
“My theory was that this is a precise alphabet, invented by the nun with great care mixing symbols she knew. Each symbol is well thought out and structured, there are signs that are repeated, perhaps intentionally or perhaps unconsciously.”
While the fully translated document has not yet been revealed, the text is said to contain references to the River Styx and focus on the relationship between God, humanity and Satan, describing God and Jesus as ‘dead weights’.
“God thinks he can free mortals,” the text says, “This system works for no one”.
Since announcing their translation of the letter, the group has been contacted several times by Satanists.
The Science centre has issued a statement saying the full text will soon be available.
