In regard to the discernment of private revelations, it is always the local ordinary who establishes a process of discernment, it is his authority in his Archdiocese to say yes or no! This applies to all private revelations and all Catholics are bound by obedience to this. The number of supposed conversions, the number of people praying is quite irrelevant if the local ordinary has spoken against an unapproved apparition. The Church demands obedience to the local Ordinary, the Bishop of the diocese involved.
A classic example of this form of obedience is recorded by St Margaret Mary Alacoque concerning Jesus' visitations to her. In one visit, Jesus asked St Margaret to perform a particular duty, which she refused to do because her spiritual director refused her permission to do so. When Jesus next appeared to her, He asked her if she had performed the required duty, she replied she had not, due to obedience to her spiritual director. Instead of showing displeasure for her failure to do what He had asked of her, He congratulated her for her obedience to her spiritual director, over and above obedience to Jesus Himself. In other words, obedience to the proper authority of the Church (whether it be your spiritual director or your bishop, or the local ordinary of an unapparoved apparition), overrides any authority of an apparition, even if the authority is Jesus Himself, since the proper authority in the Church, when speaking within his own jurisdiction, is the voice of Jesus himself.
The following extract is from Monsignor Henri Brincard, the then overseer of all authentic French Marian devotional organisations. One of many points he made concerning this important topic is printed below:
"The norms relative to the discernment of private revelations, published on 24th February 1978 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the signature of its Prefect, Cardinal Francis Seper, specify: "It belongs in the first place (exceedingly) to the Local Ordinary to investigate and to intervene." |
www.christianorder.com/features/features_2002/features_may02_bonus.html |
© 2012 WAF Contact