imprimatur which confirms that the material contains nothing contrary to the faith. However it must be noted that sometimes non-supernatural works that are actually consistent with the catholic faith must be considered with caution if the seer continues to make supernatural claims for it despite the church’s formal pronouncement. An example of this would be Medjugorje. As a general rule when considering the myriad reported apparitions around the world today we are reminded to wait for a decision by the Church as to (a) its supernaturality or (b) doctrinal safety before using it PART 4: Non-investigated Apparitions Because positive or negative judgements by the Holy See are rare and take time the church is often silent leaving final judgements up to the individual. But a good yardstick used for judging whether a a private revelation is credible is always whether it is consistent with Public Revelation as promulgated by the catholic church. Alleged apparitions which claim to improve upon or otherwise supplant what a catholic is supposed to believe such as those of Mohammed in the Koran, Joseph Smith in the Book of Mormon or New age mystics and gurus. In addition the church advises us to look for the following indicators of authenticity: 1. An imprimatur confirming doctrinal safety has been awarded by the local Bishop 2. The individual (s) dead or alive have a reputation for sanctity 3. The events were witnessed by credible obedient catholic priests competent in mystical theology Part 5: Historically accepted but uninvestigated visions What about unapproved visions, locutions and prophecies received before the church started investigating them a few centuries ago? We must use criteria to be sure of supernatural credibility by asking questions: 1. Does it harmonize with Catholic teaching? 2. Did the prophecy receive some kind of papal recognition or approbation at the time? 3. Was the seer a Catholic Saint or Pope? 4. Was the seer later declared to be a Father, Doctor, Blessed, Venerable or a Saint of the church? 5. Did the material bear an imprimatur (endorsement that it is free of religious error) by a Bishop? 6. Was it advanced and promoted by religious superiors at the time like Bishops, abbots and abbesses? We must also bear in mind that the rigorous process of declaring someone Blessed, Venerable or even canonizing them as a Saint has not always existed according to today’s scrupulous standards.
FROM PAGES 7 - 9 The Fathers Know Best - Private Revelation http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0503frs.asp* By Kenneth J. Howell, This Rock, March 2005. Catholic Answers The above article also at: http://www.catholicrevelations.org/PR/private%20revelation%20from %20catholic%20answers.htm, and at: http://www.catholic.com/library/Private_Revelation.asp with the following ending: "Let those who will, laugh and mock. I shall not be silent nor conceal the signs and wonders which were shown to me by the Lord many years before they came to pass, since he knows all things even before the world’s beginnings" (ibid., 45). NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors. Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004 IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827 permission to publish this work is hereby granted. +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
A Primer On Private Revelation http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=646 By Matt Abbott, January 23, 2004, Catholic Online, http://www.catholic.org Private revelation – the theological term given to apparitions (which are seen) and locutions (which are heard) – can be, and often are, controversial. In certain cases, very much so. Even if the private revelation is judged by the Church to be "worthy of belief" (such as in Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France), there can still be conflicting information about certain aspects of the revelation: its message(s), the seer(s) involved, the authenticity of healings resulting from devotion to or from simply visiting the apparition site, and so forth. 91