Understand the standards for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena

Background

Long ago, during a fifth grade class conversation, I remember citing Fatima and/or Lourdes as proof of the existence of God. To myself and the more than 50 other eleven-year-olds, the sister responded that Catholics were not required to believe such things. I was confused, because I suspected there were other classmates. I still don't understand why my sister thought it was a good idea to make this sophisticated point to eleven year olds.

54 years later, I am trying to clearly understand how the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith functions. Standards for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena (05/17/24) and its implications. I think I've made progress! To a very large extent, it shows that Sister was trying to do this 54 years ago.

According to Catholic World News (05/17/24), Standards for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena makes

publish a final statement on the reported apparitions, after an investigation by the bishop of the diocese,” the role of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It further clarifies that “no such statement will allow for certainty that the phenomena are of supernatural origin and merit the belief of the faithful…(They) permit a range of judgments, including varying degrees of caution.”

In fact, it's not a big change at all.

Strong points/Quotes of the Document Presentation

So what is presented?

(the) action of the Holy Spirit can also reach our hearts through certain supernatural events, such as the apparitions or visions of Christ or the Blessed Virgin, and other phenomena….

in some events of supposedly supernatural origin, there are serious critical problems that harm the faithful; in these situations, the Church must respond with the greatest pastoral concern.

we must not neglect… the possibility of doctrinal errors, excessive simplification of the evangelical message or the propagation of a sectarian mentality.

Finally, there is the possibility that believers may be misled….the Dicastery recently proposed to the Holy Father the idea of ​​concluding the discernment process without a statement of “of supernaturality“but with a”Nihil obstat»….there always remains the possibility that the Holy Father could intervene exceptionally by authorizing a procedure which includes the possibility of declaring the supernatural character of events….the possibility of declaring an event as “non-supernatural” remains, but only when there are objective reasons. signs which clearly indicate manipulation at the root of the phenomenon.

Strong points/Quotes from the introduction

Even though we progress slowly in understanding the revelation of Christ, He is not a moving target! He has given us His full revelation!

Jesus Christ is the definitive Word of God….In the revealed Word, there is everything that is necessary for Christian life….While everything that God wanted to reveal, he did through his Son and that the ordinary means of holiness are made available to all. to each baptized person in the Church of Christ, the Holy Spirit can grant certain people distinct experiences of faith…. Sometimes phenomena occur which seem to go beyond the limits of ordinary experiences and present themselves as having a supernatural origin (such as alleged apparitions, visions, interior or exterior expressions, writings or messages, phenomena linked to religious images and psychophysical phenomena)… . assist diocesan bishops and episcopal conferences in discerning phenomena of presumed supernatural origin, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith promulgates the following Standards for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena.

Strong points/Quotes general guidelines of the document

The first part of the General Guidelines is just that: general.

as a general rule, it is not provided for in these Standards that ecclesiastical authority would give positive recognition of the divine origin of alleged supernatural phenomena….Even when a Nihil obstat is granted for canonization processes, it does not imply a statement of authenticity regarding supernatural phenomena present in a person's life….Discernment of purported supernatural phenomena may result in conclusions that are usually expressed in one of the terms listed below.

Nihil obsta….
Prae oculis habeatur….
Curator….
Under mandate….
Prohibition and obstruatur….
Declaration of non-supernaturality….

as a general rule, neither the diocesan Bishop, nor the Episcopal Conferences, nor the Dicastery will declare that these phenomena are of supernatural origin, even if a Nihil obstat is granted… It remains true, however, that the Holy Father can authorize a special procedure in this regard.

The second part of the General Guidelines is much more specific on procedures.

Conclusion

In trying to gain more knowledge about Standards for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena (May 17, 2024) and indicated changes, I found a notice particularly helpful.

the Dicastery (for the Doctrine of the Faith) will be publicly involved and, above all, a bishop must submit his decision to the Dicastery for final approval….

This document lists six levels of classification when evaluating supernatural claims.

Nihil obstat
Prae oculis habeatur
Curator
Under mandate
Prohibition and obstruatur
Declaration of non-supernaturality….they range from “no particularly critical or risky aspect has been detected” (Nihil obstat) to declaring that the phenomenon is not supernatural (Declaratio de non supernaturalitate). Classifications between these two extremes reflect the various differences that can arise between phenomena, including the perceived risks in a phenomenon and the fruits associated with it….no bishop, no episcopal conference or the DDF itself can declare that a phenomenon is of supernatural origin. This is reserved for the Pope alone, and it appears to be a very rare occurrence….it is likely that we will never see an authentic apparition like Lourdes or Fatima have as great an impact on the Church as long as these standards are in place….the desire for extraordinary signs… can lead to ignoring the ordinary signs among us like the Eucharist and the presence of God in daily life…. (Christ) publicly gave to the whole Church: the sacraments, charity and prayer. By holding on to these instead of chasing visions, we can surely be saved. (Eric Sammons from Crisis Magazine, 05/22/24)

As noted, the standards seem to emphasize what my fifth grade teacher was trying to make 54 years ago.

Just as in the past, I hope that these standards will be used gently to avoid crushing the delicate growths of the Faith.

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