A Book on Apparitions
of the Virgin Mary
by The M+G+R
Foundation
APPENDIX 1
The Position of the Roman Catholic
Church
Regarding Certain Marian Apparitions
A. What does Canon Law tells the
faithful about the belief and dissemination of information on Marian
Apparitions?
Declarations
"Since
the abolition of Canon 1399 and 2318 of the former Canonical Code by
Pope Paul VI in AAS 58 (1966) 1186, publications about new appearances,
revelations, prophecies, miracles, etc., have been allowed to be
distributed and read by the faithful without the express permission of
the Church, providing that they contain nothing which contravenes faith
and morals."
This means that no IMPRIMATUR is necessary.
Therefore, anyone who impedes the
constructive
dissemination of information from Private Revelations that does
not contravene faith and/or morals could be, unknowingly, in disharmony
with the dictates and opinions of the Holy See.
In "Lumen Gentium", Vatican II, CH. 2, Paragraph 12 we read:
"Such
gifts of grace, whether they are of special enlightenment or whether
they are spread more simply and generally, must be accepted with
gratefulness and consolation, as they are specially suited to, useful
for, the needs of the Church... Judgments as to their genuineness and
their correct use lies with those who lead the Church and those whose
special task is not to extinguish the spirit but to examine everything
and keep that which is good. " ["Extinguish not the
spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things; hold fast that
which is good." (1 Thess 5, 19-21)]
B. What Is "The Church"? What Is
"Church Approval"?
The Church
What is "The Church"? This appears as an easy question but many people
do not know what it is. By using a personal story this "mystery" will
amply clarified.
Recently a friend of mine, while I was speaking of the apparitions of
the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje asked me: "Has this been approved by the
Church?" Before I answered the question I asked him: "What is your
definition of 'the Church'?" He answered "Father Paul" (the local
parish priest).
Unfortunately this is a big mistake that many people make. The clergy
is supposed to represent the teachings of the Magisterium and
administer the Sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church, commonly
referred to just as "the Church". The clergy, however, is not the
Church, it is part of the Church. The Roman Catholic Church was not set
up as a theological democracy. Jesus Christ founded the Church upon the
Rock of Christ with Simon-Peter as its visible head
(1). He was the spiritual
leader of the apostles. Through his successor, the Pope, the teachings
(the Magisterium) of the Roman Catholic Church are dispensed.
Those poor members of the clergy, confused theologians and disoriented
Controlling Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church who, of their own
accord, choose to alter the teachings of the Faith
(2) to suit their needs
and/or failings, do not represent "The Church".
Church
Approval
Basically the procedure is very simple and
generally follows these steps...
1.
Private apparition/revelation is
reported to the Parish Priest.
2. The Parish Priest conducts a
cursory investigation and decides
whether it should be brought to the attention of the local ordinary,
the Bishop, with enough evidence to warrant the Bishops attention.
3. The Bishop decides, upon the
submitted evidence, whether the event
warrants further investigation.
4. The Bishop sets up a
commission of investigation.
5. If he deems the results of
the appointed commission valid then:
A.
If the apparition/revelation is
still not an ongoing event, then the Bishop will approve it, declare it
"worthy of faith" and forward the documentation to the Vatican.
B. The Vatican will appoint a
commission of its own to review the
Bishop's Commission report before the event is labeled "worthy of
belief".
6. If the apparition/revelation
is unfinished or the event was of such
magnitude (in Garabandal, for example, over 1,800 apparitions), the
Bishop will leave the file open to receive new information, which is a
de facto temporary approval pending the fulfillment of the study.
7. If the results of the
appointed commission indicate a
non-supernatural event or a supernatural event of demonic origin, then
the Bishop will issue a document officially rejecting the event and
encouraging the faithful and clergy to avoid it.
The Bishop may be diplomatically bypassed by the Vatican as it was done
in the case of Medjugorje, when a new and expanded commission was
assembled after the one appointed by the local Bishop turned in a
negative conclusion based on allegedly incomplete information.
From the above, for example, it follows that it is technically
impossible for the Church to give a final approval to the events of
Medjugorje and Garabandal, for example, since there are yet unfulfilled
prophecies of a confirming nature. (Both are on the above listed Step
6).
C. Notes On Approvals Of Certain
Marian Apparitions
Note [1] -
Rosa Mystica
1947;1966/1976
(3)
The Parish priest, Msgr. Abate Francesco Rossi, was convinced.
The Bishop of Brescia, Msgr. Giacinto Tredici, was privately convinced
but kept it at a low profile due to concern about the adversaries
within the Hierarchy.
The following Bishop, Msgr. Luigi Morstabilini, was "very reflective"
about the apparitions and not negative, yet, the low profile continues
due to the same concern about the same adversaries.
At the Blue Army Congress in Rome (September 20-25, 1973), the then
Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, Joäo Pereira Venancio, was asked about
the apparitions in Montichiari and he declared:
"Yes,
I went to Montichiari when the 'Castle of St. Mary' was consecrated in
1965. I celebrated in the cathedral and got the wheat which I took to
Fátima. I distributed communion from the wheaten hosts which
were baked, to thousands of pilgrims, religious and seminarians."
This special wheat was blessed by Our Lady, Rosa Mystica, and She
requested exactly what Bishop Venancio did with the wheat.
Pope Pius XII granted a private audience to Pierina Gilli (the
visionary) in Castel Gandolfo on August 9th, 1951. Among his statements
were:
(1) Pluck up courage, dear daughter,
and try to live up to this great and wonderful grace! Therefore We give
you Our apostolic blessing.
(2) Please, pray also for Us!
Thus there is no "Formal Approval" from the Vatican but, certainly,
enough ecclesiastical support to pay close attention to this very
important apparitions.
Note [2] -
Garabandal
1961/1965
(4)
The Bishop of Santander, Msgr. Antonio del Val Gallo reconvened a new
commission of investigation. The prior commission, under the late
Bishop of Santander, had based its conclusion on the statement of the
only member with scientific expertise. He had declared the events of
"non supernatural order". Since then, he has completely reversed
himself and declared the total opposite.
Thus officially, at the Diocesan as well as the Vatican level, the
"file remains open" gathering new information.
Visiting clergy may offer mass at the local church.
Technically, the file of the Apparitions of Garabandal cannot be
completed until the two originally made prophecies are fulfilled: (1)
The Warning; and
(2)
The Miracle.
(*)
(*)
We are no longer expecting either.
Humanity is heading directly into the Chastisement.
In addition, a prophecy regarding John Paul II as the last Pope has
also not been confirmed yet.
The reader may ponder on this matter further. Do keep in mind, however,
that Sister Faustian Kowalska, the "Secretary of Mercy" of our Lord,
and who was Beatified on April 18, 1993, "prophesied" the same about
Pope John Paul II (although she did not use the name, just the country
of his birth).
Note [3] -
Akita, Diocese
of Niigata, Japan 1973
(5)
The approval of these Marian manifestations was contained in the
Pastoral Letter of Easter, April 22, 1984, issued by M. Rev. John S.
Ito, the then Bishop of the Diocese of Niigata. At his meeting in Rome
on June 20, 1988, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith
expressed their approval of the content of his Pastoral Letter.
M. Rev. Bishop's Ito signed letter attesting to the above and
certifying many other details may be read in a related document
(6).
Note [4] -
San Nicolas
1983/1990
A Diocesan Level Commission was immediately set to investigate the
events. Finally, in 2016 the Apparitions have been declared of
supernatural origin and worthy of belief.
Bishop Hector Cardelli of San Nicolas in Argentina's Buenos Aires
province made the announcement on May 22, 2016, at the conclusion of a
Mass during the well-attended pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of
the Rosary of San Nicolas.
At the time of this writing:
* The huge Sanctuary, as requested by
Our Lady, was built.
* The Bishop leads the public procession every 25th of the month.
* The Archbishop, when visiting, is a participant in the procession.
* When Pope John Paul II visited Argentina, he requested the pilot of
his helicopter to descend on the construction site of the Basilica for
a visit.
Note [5] -
Medjugorje
1981/1993
A Special Commission, appointed by the Vatican, is making a detailed
study. In the meantime, at the time of this writing:
* Viennese Cardinal
Schönborn has a history of showing support for Medjugorje events.
* Thousands of clergy and religious believe in it and have
visited the site.
* Over 50 million people have journeyed to Medjugorje.
* Visiting clergy is authorized to celebrate mass in Medjugorje.
Like in the case of Garabandal, this file cannot be completed because,
as part of the original prophecies, there will be a Warning and a
Miracle.
(*)
(*)
We are no longer expecting either.
Humanity is heading directly into the Chastisement.
