Church approval of Apparitions:
In the Catholic Church, public revelation is the definitive word of God found in Scripture and Tradition, which ended with the death of the last Apostle. It requires divine faith.
Apparitions and messages are private revelations; they do not add to Church doctrine and belief in them is optional, even if officially approved. The Church strictly regulates alleged apparitions to protect the faithful from deception, doctrinal error, or psychological delusion.
The discernment process—managed first by the local bishop and occasionally reviewed by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith—operates through three main categories of approval:
1. Constat de supernaturalitate (Established as Supernatural): The Church officially declares the apparition as authentic and of divine origin. (e.g., Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes). When the Church officially approves an apparition as “worthy of belief,” it essentially makes three determinations:
♦ The message contains absolutely nothing contrary to Catholic faith and morals.
♦ It is lawful to make the apparition and its message public.
♦ The faithful are authorized (but not required) to give the message their prudent, human adherence.
Because approved private revelations are not a required component of faith, Catholics are free to prioritize or ignore them based on personal devotion, provided they adhere to the core tenets of public revelation.
Examples of approved apparitions would be Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fatima, Lourdes.
2. Non constat de supernaturalitate (Not Established as Supernatural): The Church finds no clear evidence of divine origin, but does not explicitly condemn the event, allowing continued devotion as long as no false doctrine is taught. Examples would be Medjugorje or Lubbock, Texas.
3. Negative judgment: The Church formally declares the apparition as not authentic or demonic, prohibiting public devotion. Example would be Bayside, New York.