Statue weeping blood or vision of Mother Mary: Vetican issues revised guidelines. Know in detail

Do you remember when you were told last time about a statue weeping blood or a vision of Mother Mary or any other charismatic phenomenon related to Christianity? You must have been in a state of awe or disbelief or completely immersed in devotion. To set things in the right perspective, the Vatican on Friday overhauled its process for evaluating seemingly supernatural phenomena that have marked church history. Insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion, it radically reformed its process for evaluating such things.

1978 norms revised

Arguing that they were no longer useful or viable in the Internet age, the Vatican’s doctrine office overhauled norms first issued in 1978. The new criteria envisage six main outcomes, with the most favorable being that the church issues a noncommittal doctrinal green light, a so-called “nihil obstat”. It means there is nothing about the event that is contrary to the faith, and therefore Catholics can express devotion to it.
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“Nihil Obstat”

The revised norms also allow an event might at some point be declared “supernatural” – and that the pope can intervene in the process. But it is not the business of the church to authenticate inexplicable events or make definitive decisions about their supernatural origin.

Stigmata wounds

Earlier, Church figures who claimed to have experienced the stigmata wounds, including Padre Pio and Pope Francis‘ namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, have inspired millions of Catholics even if decisions about their authenticity have not been confirmed. Francis has made it clear that he is devoted to the main church-approved Marian apparitions, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe, which believers say appeared to an Indigenous man in Mexico in 1531.

But he also expressed doubts about more recent events, including claims of repeated messages from Mary to “seers” at the shrine of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, even while allowing pilgrimages to take place there.

Hoaxters warned

The Vatican in 2007 excommunicated the members of a Quebec-based group, the ‘Army of Mary‘, after its foundress claimed to have had Marian visions and declared herself the reincarnation of the mother of Christ. The potential for such abuses has been acknowledged in the revised Vatican norms. It has been warned that such hoaxsters will be held accountable and face canonical penalties.

FAQs

What the Vatican doctrine office has said about supernatural things?
The Vatican has said that there is nothing about the event that is contrary to the faith, and therefore Catholics can express devotion to it. But it is not the business of the church to authenticate inexplicable events.

How has the Vatican warned the hoaxsters?
The Vatican has warned that the hoaxsters will be held accountable and face canonical penalties.