
CV NEWS FEED // The Vatican has released a new document that states only the pope may positively declare an event is “supernatural.”
Published by the Vatican press office on May 17, the document, “Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena,” establishes a streamlined hierarchical discernment process for supernatural events.
The text reaffirms that even though bishops maintain their historic responsibility to investigate and discern the verity of supernatural events in their dioceses, they must refrain from issuing any declaration until it has received approval from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith.
The new document replaces the norms from 1978. The most significant change is the formalization of a concrete relationship between diocesan bishops and the Dicastery in the process of discerning an alleged supernatural event.
In the past, certain bishops have positively declared an event to be supernatural only for that determination to be later contested by the Vatican and overturned, Prefect for the Dicastery of the Doctrine of Faith Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández notes in his introduction to the text.
Now, the Dicastery not only has the final say in approving or rejecting a bishop’s determination but may also intervene motu proprio, or without cause, at any stage of his investigation or conduct an investigation of its own.
While neither the bishop nor the Dicastery has the power to declare an event is supernatural, the Holy Father can “authorize a special procedure in this regard” and make that determination himself, the document states.
The new procedure stipulates that bishops must investigate, following guidelines in the document, and then produce a personal Votum, or determination, to submit to the Dicastery for approval before making any public pronouncement to the faithful.
The Votum can propose one of “six possible prudential conclusions” regarding the alleged supernatural occurrence:
Nihil obstat: Without expressing certainty that an event is supernatural, a bishop may recognize “many signs of the Holy Spirit” in an event and direct the faithful to appreciate its pastoral value by promoting the spread of devotion and possible pilgrimages to a sacred site.
Prae oculis habeatur: A bishop can conclude positive aspects are present in an alleged event, but “some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived” that may require the bishop to engage in dialogue with recipients of the spiritual experience and provide doctrinal clarity.
Curatur: If devotion regarding a particular event has spread despite certain doubtful elements, the diocesan bishop is asked not to encourage the phenomenon “but to seek out alternative expressions of devotion and possibly reorient its spiritual and pastoral aspects.” In this circumstance, “a ban which could upset the People of God is not recommended.”
Sub mandato: Bishops can report an issue not with the event itself but with individuals or groups who may be misusing it for various reasons such as financial gain, committing immoral acts, or usurping local bishops’ authority. In this instance, bishops are trusted with resolving the issue, though the Dicastery might also intervene.
Prohibetur et obstruatur: Here, the presence of “critical issues and risks” associated with the event requires the bishop to declare publicly that “adherence to this phenomenon is not allowed,” and to offer a clear explanation “that can help the faithful understand the reasons for the decision and reorient the legitimate spiritual concerns of that part of the People of God.”
Declaratio de non supernaturalitate: The Dicastery authorizes a bishop to declare the event not supernatural upon the discovery of evidence that it was “based on fabrication, an erroneous intention, or mythomania.”
In his introduction to the new norms, Fernández emphasizes that “as a rule, these potential conclusions” made by bishops or the Dicastery “do not include the possibility of declaring that the phenomenon under discernment is of supernatural origin.”
Shortly after the document’s release, the Vatican press office hosted a live-streamed press conference in Italian, which Fernández presided over together with Director of the International Observatory for Marian apparitions and mystical phenomena of the Pontifical International Marian Academy Sr. Daniela Del Gaudio, S.F.I., and Msgr. Armando Matteo, secretary for the Doctrinal Section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In the conference, Fernández told reporters that the new norms allow bishops to “have a prudential character so that the faithful can accept this in a prudent way.” He also said “revelation that has already happened is the word of God” and “contains everything we need for our Christian life.”
The new norms will take effect on May 19, 2024, the Solemnity of Pentecost.
