The Vatican is set to release a new document on May 17 2024 offering guidance on discerning supernatural phenomena. This will be unveiled in a live-streamed press conference by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document aims to provide clear guidelines for evaluating apparitions and other phenomena, an update to the last guidance issued in 1978.
An apparition involves a divine entity making itself known to a person on Earth, a concept supported by most Christian denominations. The Catholic Church advises caution in attributing phenomena to supernatural sources to avoid damaging faith. Alleged apparitions are investigated first by diocesan bishops and then by the Vatican.
The announcement follows the Vatican’s recent document addressing human dignity, which criticized gender theory, gender transitions, and surrogacy as immoral.
The Miracle of Fátima in 1917 is considered one of the most well-documented modern-day apparitions. During this event, the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared multiple times to several peasant children in Fátima, Portugal, promising a public miracle. On the predicted day, tens of thousands of people gathered and claimed to witness the sun move erratically and emit radiant colors for several minutes.
