VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Weeping Madonnas, bleeding hosts and saintly apparitions will have to be approved by the Vatican’s doctrinal office, according to a new document issued by the same office on Friday (May 17), at a time when social media spreads reports of supernatural occurrences well beyond diocesan borders and away from church oversight.
The new norms “are not intended to control or (even less) stifle” the spirituality of the faithful, read the statement by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, but “in some events of alleged supernatural origin, there are serious critical issues that are detrimental to the faithful.”
While the Shrines of Lourdes, Fatima, Aparecida and Guadalupe are widely known sites of miracles and Marian apparitions, there are hundreds of supernatural reports every year. Since the 1950s only six cases have been officially investigated by the Vatican, meaning that most cases “were either handled differently or just not handled at all,” the statement read.
According to the new norms, the local bishops will have to investigate the supernatural phenomenon by creating an Investigatory Commission, made up of one theologian, one canonist and one expert on the specific occurrence, and submit their judgment for approval to the Vatican’s doctrinal office.
Until the bishop receives the Vatican approval, he is not allowed to make any public pronouncement on the case.
After its own investigations and reflections, the Vatican will confirm the bishop’s decision or issue a new judgment. The Vatican may decide that the case needs further study; that, while some issues remain, its popularity among the faithful makes it difficult to discern; or that a group or individual are using the supernatural phenomenon for their own gain. They might also declare that there are critical issues in the phenomenon that need clarification or that the event is not of a supernatural nature.
Argentine Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, left, head of the Vatican doctrine office, and Sister Daniela del Gaudio, head of the Observatory on Marian Apparitions and Mystical Phenomenon, attend a press conference at the Vatican, Friday, May 17, 2024. The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena that have long punctuated church history, putting the brakes on making definitive declarations unless the event is obviously fabricated. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
A novelty in the new guidelines is that the Vatican or local bishops will no longer make a pronouncement declaring there is certainty of a miracle, apparition or supernatural event. Instead, the church will issue a “nihil obstat,” which in English translates to “nothing impedes,” which allows faithful to approach the supernatural phenomenon but doesn’t sign off on its miraculous nature. Previously approved cases will not be changed, but only the pope will have the power to confirm a supernatural event from now on.
“Granting a Nihil obstat simply indicates that the faithful ‘are authorized to give (the phenomenon) their adhesion in a prudent manner,’” the document stated.