Vatican publishes new norms to discern alleged supernatural phenomena

[Michie]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has published new norms for the church to discern alleged supernatural phenomena, such as Marian apparitions and mystical visions, which streamline the discernment process for bishops, allow the Vatican to avoid making definitive judgments on the authenticity of the events and reaffirm that Catholics are not obliged to believe in the purported phenomena.

In the document released May 17, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, laid out six possible conclusions that can be reached when discerning a possible supernatural phenomenon, ranging from a declaration that an event is not of supernatural origin to authorizing and promoting piety and devotion associated with a phenomenon without affirming its divine nature.

Discerning supernatural phenomenon​

The significant development in the text, signed by Pope Francis, is that “as a rule, neither the Diocesan Bishop, nor the Episcopal Conferences, nor the Dicastery will declare that these phenomena are of supernatural origin,” though “the Holy Father can authorize a special procedure in this regard.”

Continued below.

Vatican publishes new norms to discern alleged supernatural phenomena

The Vatican has published new norms for the church to discern alleged supernatural phenomena, such as Marian apparitions and mystical visions, which streamline the discernment process for bishops, allow the Vatican to avoid making definitive judgments on the authenticity of the events and...

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Michie]

Clergy, experts applaud new Vatican norms on alleged supernatural phenomena

On May 17, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued revised norms "for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena," replacing the Vatican's previous guidance, which was issued in 1978.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

 

[Cosmic Charlie]

I know Mich here never actually expresses an opinion on a lot of the she posts but ......


....can someone help me with this ? Is this good, is this bad, is this power consolidation or just making sure we don't start worshiping a piece of French toast the as what looks like a vision of Mary on it?

 

[Michie]

I know Mich here never actually expresses an opinion on a lot of the she posts but ......


....can someone help me with this ? Is this good, is this bad, is this power consolidation or just making sure we don't start worshiping a piece of French toast the as what looks like a vision of Mary on it?

Michie here.

Nobody is worshipping toast. The thing was bought by a casino in Vegas last I heard.


The second article clarifies it.

Excerpt:

Focus on ordinary faith practices​

Father Lampert said that the document is “trying to clarify the things that originate from God,” since “down through history, there have always been some alleged apparitions (and) visions that prove not to be of God, but maybe of a demonic nature.”

He also commended the norms for “reinforcing the deposit of faith” by underscoring that “any revelation or vision isn’t presenting anything new. It may just be amplifying or focusing a particular component of our faith that maybe just needs to be heard a little bit more clearly in the world today, just because of where the world finds itself.”

Father Lampert also said that a healthy spiritual life — including the lifelong battle against sin and evil — can actually look rather unremarkable, at least on the surface.

“You look at some apparitions (where) people are ready to jump on a bus and drive halfway across the country, yet you might look at a lot of churches today and at daily Mass, there’s hardly anybody there,” he said. “I always try to tell people as an exorcist that we need to focus more on the ordinary aspects of our faith. We don’t have to do extraordinary things to defeat the devil; it’s the ordinary things. … If you’re going to Mass, you’re praying, you’re reading the Bible, you’re celebrating the sacramental life of the church and living your faith — the devil’s on the run. It may sound simplistic, but it really is (down to) the ordinary parts of our faith.”

 

[RileyG]

Thank you for posting