In a response to the influx of claims circulating on social platforms concerning alleged supernatural apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the Vatican has welcomed new guidelines set by its doctrine department. These updated rules aim to tighten the scrutiny of any purported supernatural events to prevent fraudulent claims or those made for monetary gain, with the Vatican retaining the ultimate responsibility to determine the authenticity of such phenomena.
Father Richard Gibbons, spiritual head of Knock shrine where, in 1879, locals reportedly sighted an apparition of the Virgin Mary on the church gable wall, has expressed approval of any measures which bolster the legitimate examination of supposed apparitions. He stated that both church investigations in 1879 and 1936 found the witness testimonies to be reliable and satisfactory, adding that the witnesses were ordinary people sharing an extraordinary sighting.
The site of Knock becomes a magnet for an average of 1.5 million pilgrims and tourists every year, especially in August during the national novena. It has been officially recognised by Pope Francis as an international eucharistic and marian shrine. Father Gibbons emphasised that all potential apparitions were treated with due diligence at the time by the church authorities, explaining that the functionality of the Catholic Church is to remain vigilant of alleged apparitions, having approved a minimal percentage of the total claims. He cautioned against false information propagated through social media and encouraged vigilance.
Pope Francis, last year, alluded to a case where a woman attracted a large number of worshippers to a city near Rome, where she alleged a statue wept tears of blood. The Pope stated during an interview with Rai 1, an Italian broadcaster, that apparitions of the Virgin Mary weren’t invariably authentic. The latest regulations have reshaped the evaluation procedure of the Catholic Church by dispensing with any manifestation, stigmata or seemingly divine-inspired incident as supernatural.
Instead of the old system, the latest guidelines plan for six key outcomes, with the most positive one involving the church delivering an indecisive doctrinal approval, a “nihil obstat” as it’s often referred to. This particular confirmation signifies that there is no aspect of the occurrence that opposes the faith and, as a result, it’s permissible for Catholics to show reverence towards it. The updated regulations permit the possibility of an event being labelled as “supernatural” at a certain stage – and it includes the provision for Papal intervention in this process. However, “ordinarily” the church has ceased to validate mysterious events or conclusively determine their supernatural source. Additional data provided by: AP.