Vatican City Issues New Norms on Supernatural Phenomena

The Vatican's doctrinal office has released new norms regarding alleged supernatural phenomena such as apparitions of Mary, weeping statues and other supposed mystical events.

Replacing the church's 1978 rules, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) declared that the Vatican and the local bishop will no longer formally declare such phenomena to be of divine origin. DDF chief Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez stated that the Vatican would no longer affirm "with moral certainty that (such phenomena) originates from a decision willed by God in a direct way." Instead, after careful analysis, they would limit themselves to authorizing devotion and pilgrimages, he said.

New Rules Governing Investigations

The new rules give the final word to the Vatican, requiring the bishop to conduct an investigation, formulate his judgment, and submit it to the DDF. The DDF will then respond with one of six possible outcomes, ranging from allowing the bishop to promote the phenomena and invite devotion and pilgrimage, to advising the bishop not to encourage the phenomena, to declaring based on concrete facts that the phenomena does not have divine origin.

Fernandez emphasized that these new rules would help the church reach decisions much more quickly, given that examination of alleged religious phenomena took many years, which is essential in the internet age where such claims spread very quickly.