Criteria for discerning apparitions

This is an excerpt from a 1978 document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on “Criteria for Discerning Apparitions and Revelations”: I’m copying it from a web page at mariedenazareth.com
I. Criteria of judgement, concerning the probability of the character of the apparitions and supposed revelations.

  • A) Positive criteria:
    • a) Moral certainty, or at least great probability, as to the existence of the fact, [revelation] acquired at the end of a serious investigation.
    • b) Particular circumstances relating to the existence and the nature of the fact:
      • 1. Personal qualities of the seer–in particular mental balance, honesty and rectitude of moral life, habitual sincerity and docility towards ecclesiastical authority, ability to return to a normal manner of a life of faith, etc.
      • 2. With regard to the revelations, their conformity with theological doctrines and their spiritual veracity, their exemption from all error.
      • 3. A healthy devotion and spiritual fruits which endure (in particular, the spirit of prayer, conversions, signs of charity, etc).
  • B) Negative criteria:
    • a)A glaring error as to the facts.
    • b) Doctrinal errors that one would attribute to God himself, or to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Holy Spirit in their manifestations (taking into account, however, the possibility that the seer may add something by their own activity–even if this is done unconsciously–of some purely human elements to an authentic supernatural revelation, these having nevertheless to remain free from any error in the natural order. Cf. St Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises, n. 336).
    • c) An obvious pursuit of monetary gain in relation with the fact.
    • d) Gravely immoral acts committed by the seer, or his associates, at the time of the facts, or on the occasion of these facts.
    • e) Psychic disorders or psychopathic tendencies concerning the seer, which would exert an unquestionable influence on the allegedly supernatural facts, or indeed psychosis, mass hysteria, or other factors of the same kind.

It is important to consider these criteria, whether they are positive or negative, as indicative standards and not as final arguments, and to study them in their plurality and in relation with the other criteria.
[…]
III. Other Authorities Entitled to Intervene

  • 1. The foremost authority to inquire and to intervene belongs to the local Ordinary.
  • 2. But the regional or national Episcopal Conference may intervene.
  • a) If the local Ordinary, after having fulfilled the obligations which fall to him, resorts to them for a study of the event in its entirety.
  • b) If the event assumes national or regional importance.
  • 3. The Apostolic See can intervene, either at the request of Ordinary himself, or at the request of a qualified group of the faithful, or directly by virtue of the immediate right of universal jurisdiction of the Sovereign Pontiff (cf. above, IV).
  • Medjugorje bombshell: ex-pastor Tomislav Vlasic laicized, dismissed from Franciscan order

    From the blog Medjugorje senza maschera by Marco Corvaglia:
    (The translation and any errors in it are my own amateur work. Background on the censures imposed on Fr. Vlasic is described in an earlier post.)
    Fr. Tomislav Vlasic reduced to the lay state
    Marco Corvaglia
    20090724-vlasic-marija.jpgVlašić (in profile) together with Marija, in the mid-1980s
    The final word has arrived. As was reported earlier, on the 30th of May 2008, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in the person of its Secretary, Archbishop Angelo Amato, explicitly asked the bishop of Mostar, Ratko Perić (in letter no. 144/1985-27164), to make known “for the good of the faithful” the contents of a declaration by that Congregation regarding Father Tomislav Vlašić.
    Let us recall a brief excerpt:
    In the context of the Medjugorje phenomenon, this Dicastery is dealing with the case of the Rev. Father Tomislav Vlašić, OFM, originally from that region and the founder of the association “Kraljice Mira, potpuno tvoji – po Mariji k Isusu” […] Confirmed reports presented to this Congregation reveal that the religious priest in question has not responded, even partially, to the ecclesiastical obedience called for in the very delicate situation he faces.
    In the decree of the Congregation [see circular 939/2008, dated 8 July 2008, from the Curia of Mostar] it was written that Fr. Vlašić was suspected of “heresy and schism” and accused of “spreading questionable doctrines, manipulation of consciences, suspect mysticism, disobedience to legitimate orders and violations contra sextum (against the sixth commandment, that is). This last accusation relates to an event in 1977 (therefore prior to the “apparitions”), already reported on the page “And the Gospa said, Thanks so much to Father Tomislav; he’s guiding you so well.
    Today, as mentioned above, the Holy See has made a definitive pronouncement. Here is the transcription (and afterward the reproduction) of the official act, signed by the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Father José Rodriguez Carballo. The letter of the Minister General has already been sent to all the Provincials in Italy, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina and forwarded by them to the Guardians in each province. The Guardians have in turn sent it on to all the daughter houses in their respective provinces. However, the document has not been distributed outside the order until now:
    “ORDO FRATRUM MINORUM
    MINISTER GENERALIS
    Prot. N. 098714
    To the Provincial Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Italy
    Dear Brother Minister,
    The Holy Father, accepting the request of friar Tomislav Vlasic, O.F.M, member of the province of friars minor of St. Bernardino of Siena (L’Aquila), responsible for conduct harmful to ecclesial communion both in the spheres of doctrine and discipline, and under a censure of interdict, has granted him the favor of reduction to the lay state (amissio status clericalis) and of dismissal from the Order.
    In addition, the Holy Father has granted the petitioner, motu proprio, the remission of the censure incurred as well as the favor of dispensation from religious vows and from all the responsibilities connected with sacred ordination, including celibacy.
    As a salutary penal precept – under the pain of excommunication which the Holy See would declare, and if necessary, without prior canonical warning – the following precepts are imposed on Mr. Tomislav Vlasic:
    a) Absolute prohibition from exercising any form of apostolate (for example, promoting public or private devotion, teaching Christian doctrine, spiritual direction, participation in lay associations, etc.) as well as of acquiring and administering goods intended for pious purposes;
    b) Absolute prohibition from releasing declarations on religious matters, especially regarding the “phenomenon of Medjugorje”;
    c) Absolute prohibition from residing in houses of the Order of Friars Minor.
    For the execution of the serious measures imposed by the Holy See regarding Mr. Tomislav Vlasic, the same Apostolic See calls directly on the Superiors of the Order.
    Therefore I turn to you, so that you make sure to instruct the Guardians and superiors of friaries about full compliance, by Tomislav Vlasic, with the pontifical measures regarding him, in particular relative to the prohibition of residing in any houses belonging to the Order of Friars Minor, under pain of removal from office.
    Trusting in your full understanding and prompt cooperation, I greet you fraternally.
    Rome, 10 March 2009.
    Fr. José Rodriguez Carballo, Ofm
    Minister General”
    20090724-vlasic-letter.jpg
    [Update: (7/27) I have improved the English version slightly; any errors in the translation remain my responsibility. Thanks to Marco Corvaglia for his kind assistance. –RC]
    [Update 2: Catholic News Agency has a report now.]

    CDF “crackdown” on Marian apparitions?

    Well, it can’t come too soon!
    Petrus reports that the Holy Father has directed CDF to prepare an instruction for bishops on how to proceed with cases of alleged Marian apparitions and other alleged mystical phenomena.
    The first step is to impose silence on the alleged visionary. And that step by itself is half the battle, because stopping the publicity associated with false mysticism limits the damage and confusion it can cause. Also, when false seers disobey such directives, they make the bishop’s job in identifying them much easier!
    A rough English version of the article is available on-line as well.

    “Petrus” interviews Fr. Laurentin

    The Italian web site Petrus, “the on-line daily on the pontificate of Benedict XVI”, is presenting an interview with the renowned Mariologist Msgr. Rene Laurentin, who seems to be taking a surprisingly cautious stand on the Medjugorje apparitions he has promoted for over 25 years. Here’s my effort at a translation. (A note of caution: I’m only beginning to study Italian this year, so there are probably some flaws here.)
    Fr. Rene Laurentin takes a step backward: “I have never expressed a positive judgment on the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions.” And a rebuke to those who want a proclamation of Mary as co-redemptrix
    by Gianluca Barile
    VATICAN CITY – Without a shadow of a doubt, Fr. Rene Laurentin represents one of the greatest authorities on the subject of mariology, the realm of theology that studies the figure of Our Lady and her role in the history of the salvation of man and of the world. For the past 40 years, after having been appointed an expert at the Second Vatican Council, the French clergyman has concerned himself with the principal Marian apparitions of history. In sum, a true expert, whose interview, granted exclusively to Petrus, will not fail to discuss both the Virgin’s role as co-redemptrix and the alleged apparitions of Medjugorje, from which Fr. Laurentin is unexpectedly distancing himself in these very pages. But let us take one step at a time.
    Father Laurentin, in the Apocalypse of John, Mary prevails over the Dragon. Can we say, therefore, that next to the Holy Trinity, the Madonna is Satan’s most feared adversary?
    “Chapter 12 of the Apocalypse is indeed the principal theological point that sets the Virgin and the Dragon in opposition, but already Genesis (3:15) says that the Woman, that is to say, Mary, will strike with her own heel at the seed of the devil. Furthermore, that the Madonna is the most feared adversary of Satan, next to the Trinity, is completely confirmed by exorcists and by Christian experience.”
    In that regard, the greatest exorcists have been able to verify how the infernal spirits are stricken with terror when they hear the name of the Virgin pronounced and many of them even seem to bear respect to Her, calling her “the Lady”: can we affirm that she has received a sort of specific “mandate” on the part of God against evil?
    “Very simply, as I was mentioning before, the Virgin is the enemy of the devil. And this is not because she received a specific mandate, but already through her Immaculate Conception. So to speak, the Madonna has been terrifying the evil one ever since she came into the world.”
    In practically all the Marian apparitions, the Virgin exhorts us to the steady, daily, recitation of the Holy Rosary, declaring this pious practice the most powerful weapon against Satan. As a mariologist, do you consider the Holy Rosary more a Marian prayer or a Christological one?
    “Christ and Mary are together only one thing: there is no dilemma! I don’t like the word “Marian”, because it has a specialist flavor and would have made the Virgin Mary laugh when she was walking to the well.”
    Has Mary been made co-redemptrix of the world with her Son Jesus? In the Church one can’t speak of timing, but the hour doesn’t seem to have arrived for the proclamation of a dogma, although it has been requested by some initiatives and with the insistence of many bishops and cardinals (in particular) of Latin America. Don’t you think so?
    “For 50 years I’ve been studying the role of Mary in the Redemption of the world. And from the beginning I have thought how unique this participation is. In any case, the title of co-redemptrix is ambiguous, often misunderstood, and in addition conflictual from a theological and ecumenical point of view. This is why I personally am against the definition of Mary co-redemptrix and I think those people who sign petitions, without knowing what they are doing, for the definition of a dogma ad hoc, would do better, seriously, to go deeper into the role of Mary in the Redemption. An important role, most important, but not comparable to the unique role of Jesus.”
    In the “Salve Regina”, we call the Madonna “our advocate”: what role will the Virgin have when we find ourselves before the judgment of God? Will her judgment count toward the salvation of our souls? That is, will she be able to intercede before Jesus to alleviate our Purgatory?
    “Mary is our mother: she loves, sustains, and defends her children. This is called intercession, but it would be mistaken to represent the Madonna in a naive way, occupied in a dialogue during which she takes our defense against God and against Christ, as some bad literature of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries portrayed. The action of Mary in relation to God is a heart-to-heart, in identification with the love to which she has arrived and which draws us. So there is no need for the Madonna to defend us before God, because He is not a wicked judge and, as Jesus already said in the Gospel (John 5:22), “the Father judges no one”. Furthermore, let us not forget that the Trinitarian function of God is even more maternal than paternal. Let’s read John 1:18: the Son is in the bosom of the Father.”
    It is the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Lourdes, but aren’t there other ones officially recognized by the Church (for example, Fatima). What does the Virgin want to communicate to us?
    “For one thing, we recall that only 13 apparitions of Mary have been officially recognized, while a fourteenth has been accepted pastorally but not canonically by the bishop of San Nicolas in Argentina. Having said that, in regard to the messages, they are various, but at the same time, unanimous, inasmuch as they represent the simple echo of the Gospel and invite us to prayer, to conversion, to penance, to fasting, to the reading of the Bible, in various ways according to the times and the prophetic relevance of each individual message but without ever going beyond what is the doctrine of the Church.”
    You are a supporter of the apparitions of Medjugorje, whereas many other prominent mariologists are skeptics. In your opinion, when will the Church declare herself on these manifestations? And, in the Vatican, why do they not appear to be convinced of the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions…
    “At Medjugorje, the bishop is against the apparitions and his predecessor chose him precisely for that reason. Naturally, as everyone knows, the Holy See always takes the position of the local bishop as its own in such cases. Anyway, Cardinal Ratzinger had refuted the negative judgment of Bishop Zanic (in 1986), the first bishop in a position to confront the question of the apparitions. I am only an expert and I have no magisterium. And I never allow myself to give an opinion on the apparitions which I study. I only examine the facts, the reasons in favor and those against. I discern them, I explain them as clearly as possible, but I don’t give any judgment. If I had done that, I would have made greater difficulties for myself, which are already great enough, from the moment I involve myself so assiduously in this controversial phenomenon.”
    Father Laurentin, what you are saying seems to be a step backward: you have written books upholding the thesis of the authenticity of the apparitions of Medjugorje…
    “I say it again: I have never expressed judgments on the authenticity, at least of the apparitions; my studies are merely a small contribution to the Church and to the faithful…”
    Staying with Medjugorje: particularly in that place, but also in other parts of the world, many Catholics put Mary before Christ. Many of the clergy do the same, in whose churches the presence of images of the Virgin predominates over those of the Crucified even on the facade of the rectory. Don’t you believe that the Madonna herself is not happy with all this?
    “I think that the problem is the opposite of what you describe: Mary has become more undervalued than appreciated. Let’s try to think of all the Catholics who do not appreciate or recognize her as their mother.”
    Father Laurentin, in conclusion, who should Mary be for us and who are we for her?
    “I don’t like to repeat myself, but Mary is our Mother and our Queen: ‘More mother than queen’, St. Therese of Lisieux used to say, and rightly so. And as a consequence, we are ‘simply’ the children of the best, the most holy, and the most marvelous of mothers.”
    (Thanks to Gianluca Barile for the permission to share his interview here, and a hat tip to Mark Waterinckx and kreuz.net for alerting me to it.)

    “My children, I have come to tell you that this is not a real apparition.”

    not-mary-springfield.jpgNo, our Lady is not appearing on the window of a hospital in Springfield, Mass.
    Allow me to translate: when the church spokesman says that the Church is “very, very cautious and careful”, that means: “No. No Flipping Way. This is nuts.” Unfortunately, church spokesman are polite to a fault, and it gets in the way in cases like this.
    By the way, Boston-area faithful may remember the similar case at a hospital in Milton in 2003. There the “image” was traced to some chemicals that penetrated a leaking double-paned window.