Vatican to publish new document on Marian apparitions next week
Rome Newsroom, May 7, 2024 – The Vatican’s doctrine office will publish a new document next week on discerning Marian apparitions and other supernatural events.
The Holy See Press Office announced that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, will unveil new norms for discernment regarding apparitions and other supernatural phenomena on Friday, May 17.
In an interview with the National Catholic Register, Fernandez stated that the document will provide clear guidelines and norms for discernment.
The new norms will be the first general document on apparitions issued by the Vatican’s doctrinal office in four decades, with the last approved norms dating back to 1978 under Pope Paul VI.
Pope John Paul II’s lengthy document on popular piety in 2001 reiterated the Church’s teaching that private revelations do not form part of the deposit of faith. The Vatican seeks to approach the discernment of apparitions with great prudence and careful examination of the facts before allowing public devotion.
Stay tuned for the livestreamed Vatican press conference on May 17th, where Cardinal Fernández and Monsignor Armando Matteo will introduce the new norms. This development marks a significant step in guiding the faithful in matters related to Marian apparitions and supernatural events.
