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Vatican rules on apparitions and revelations
A crucial document on apparitions prepared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is now available in five languages

Visions, revelations, divine messages: The history of the Church is riddled with mystical events. Since the apparitions in Fatima and Lourdes, earthly manifestations of the Virgin which received official papal recognition, bishops and theologians from all over the world have found themselves battling with a number of supernatural phenomena. The same question always crops up: How does one judge whether they are true? The Vatican has the answer and is preparing to reveal it to the world.

...in the next few days as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is to publish translations of the text in Italian, Spanish, German, English and French. All of these will be official and final versions. Indeed, the Vatican Publishing House has already printed a number of copies and the Vatican daily broadsheet L’Osservatore Romano has published an article on this.

The text is a real vade mecum on the steps to follow when one becomes aware of a potential apparition. Contrary to popular belief, it is firstly down to the relevant bishop and not the Vatican to examine any potential supernatural phenomena.

The Apostolic See lacks experts in the field and scientific investigators, but it can intervene in unique and extreme cases.

Despite this, the Roman Curia receives a number of dossiers on alleged revelations each year.

The experiences described in these dossiers are extremely varied and in almost all cases are sent on to the dioceses.

These visions spread fast among faithful thanks to the internet and today’s ease of travel makes spontaneous pilgrimages possible. This poses a real challenge to ecclesiastical authority.

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