Occasionally we receive announcements by people who claim to have had visions or apparitions and who ask us to help them publicize the visions.
How to respond to such announcements presents a problem.
No matter how good and holy the announcement of a vision or apparition may sound, we are still mindful that the announcement has come through the Internet, a most wonderful way to promote the Good News and also the preferred medium for hoaxsters and jokesters.
Our first line of discernment is to follow the 1978 guidelines from the Vatican Congregation of the Faith, quoted below.
Quote:
"Norms of the Holy Congregation for the Teaching of the Faith Concerning the Procedures for Judging Presumed Apparitions and Revelations."
Criteria for Judgement
A. Positive Criteria
1. Moral certainty, or at least probability, of the existence of the fact, established by means of a serious investigation.
2. Particular circumstances bearing on the existence and nature of the fact; i.e.,
- Personal quality of the subject(s): mental equilibrium, honesty and moral attitude, sincerity and habitual submission to ecclesial authority, ability to return to the way of normal life afterward.
- Theological and spiritual doctrine, true and free from error in the revelation itself.
- Sound devotion and rich spiritual fruits which last (spirit of prayer, conversions, signs of charity).
B. Negative Criteria 1. Manifest error as to the fact.
2. Doctrinal error...taking into account the possibility that the subject may unconsciously add human elements to authentic supernatural revelation.
3. Evident seeking of financial advantage, directly connected with the fact.
4. Serious immoral acts, at the time or on the occasion of the fact, committed by the subject(seer)and his/her acolytes(supporters).
5. Mental illness and psychopathic tendencies on the part of the subject, or psychosis or collective hysteria and diseases of this kind.
These criteria are indicative and not absolute, and must be taken cumulatively as they converge.
Our practice, on this forum is to remove all such announcements of brand new, unapproved apparitions and visions from the forum. If, in the future, the vision or apparition proves to be worthy of belief, we may repost the announcement.
A sure and certain way to never have the announcement appear is to include a link to another Web site or to advertise books, CDs/DVDs, that are for sale and directly or indirectly relate to the vision or apparitions.
A similar practice has been adopted for "end-time-prophecies". They too will be removed until the events prophesied actually come to pass. |
