In a new crackdown aimed to prevent scams, hoaxes and heresies, the Vatican has updated its guidelines for reviewing apparitions, visions and alleged revelations, and reaffirmed that only a pope could formally deem something to be “supernatural.”
The document, “Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena,” was released by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on May 17. It tasks bishops with investigating such cases, but mandates that they receive Vatican approval before ruling on the validity of alleged supernatural events.
The guidelines outline six potential conclusions that may be reached and that even the highest level of approval from the Vatican office — Nihil obstat (“nothing hinders”) — does not express certainty about the event itself, but grants permission for the bishop to promote its pastoral value.
The update comes at a time when social media has led to an explosion of new claims of supposed apparitions or visions — including Jesus appearing on food and weeping statues of the Virgin Mary — and at a moment when even traditional Catholic devotions, such as Our Lady of Fatima, have become increasingly politicized and the source of seemingly endless conspiracy theories.
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), where this article originally appeared.
