Not all approvals are so easy. For the most recent episcopal approval of an apparition, and the only one in the history of the United States, Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, initiated an investigation in 2009 in which a team of three renowned Mariologists examined the merits of the 1859 claims of Adele Brise, a Belgian farmworker who reported that she saw the Virgin Mary on three occasions and began to spread Our Lady’s messages of conversion and catechesis. The team of investigators pored over thousands of pages of historical documents and accounts of miraculous cures and deep conversions. Some of the miracle accounts related to the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871 and how the shrine was miraculously spared. In what was the most devastating fire in the history of the United States, much of the eastern side of Wisconsin became engulfed in flames. In the small town of Robinsonville (now Champion), locals gathered at the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help to pray and participate in a procession and prayers to the Virgin Mary that they might be spared as the fire raged around them. In miraculous fashion, the shrine and its property were the only land not torched for as far as the eye could see; even the white picket fence surrounding the small plot of land had been charred. After the commission concluded, Ricken decided that there was enough evidence to declare with confidence that this supernatural event was “worthy of belief” and contained nothing contrary to the teachings of the Church. He made the historic announcement of approval on December 8, 2010, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help:
I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.33
Unlike most modern apparition investigations, Ricken did not have the benefit of being able to interview the visionary or talk to firsthand witnesses. In the case of the famed apparition claims at Medjugorje, the Vatican investigative commission, beginning on March 26, 2010, had a different set of challenges. The local bishop already had given a negative judgment and repeatedly made known his displeasure with the events in question, and the national conference of bishops had intervened on top of that, issuing its 1991 Zadar Declaration:
On the bas[is] of studies made so far, it cannot be affirmed Non constat de supernaturalitate [not established as supernatural] that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations.
The investigative commission, headed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general emeritus for the Diocese of Rome, and composed of fifteen members of various disciplines, had to review the thousands of messages attributed to the Virgin and collected over thirty years and to interview all the seers. In the meantime, the Catholic world (with its thirty million pilgrimages made to the small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina) awaited an answer with bated breath. In stark contrast, the investigation into the Wisconsin apparitions was carried out under the radar with even some locals unaware of the reported prodigious events at the shrine a century and a half earlier.
At the time of the Medjugorje investigation, the apparition reports were still occurring. This would typically preclude the CDF from issuing an outright positive judgment out of pastoral concern that if the Church publicly favored the supernaturality of the events and they later turned out to be a hoax, the Church’s authority in these matters would be ridiculed, compromised, and disregarded in general and specifically on future judgments of miraculous claims. In a few select cases in history, such as the Church-approved apparitions in Betania (Venezuela), Kibeho (Rwanda), and Itapiranga (Brazil), the local bishop issued positive statements while the events were still going on, bracketing the years in question, saying that the events during a specific period were worthy of belief.
There are three traditional categories of apparition judgments that relate most importantly to the supernatural character of the event: “not worthy of belief,” “approved,” and “nothing contrary to the faith” (see figure 1 on page 59). The negative judgment category that asserts that the event is not worthy of belief is given by the Latin formulation constat de non supernaturalitate, that is, “It is established that there is nothing supernatural.” The negative criteria delineated in Normae Congregationis are:
1. Glaring errors in facts
2. Doctrinal errors attributed to God or Mary
3. Pursuit of financial gain
4. Gravely immoral acts committed by the visionary
5. Psychological disorders or tendencies in the visionary
Although Catholics are never obliged to believe in an apparition, even if it is declared to be authentic, they are required to submit themselves to the prudential judgment of the competent ecclesial authority when an apparition is declared false.
The positive judgment, which confirms that the event is worthy of belief, is given by the Latin formulation constat de supernaturalitate, that is, “It is established that there is something supernatural.” The positive criteria delineated in Normae Congregationis are:
1. Moral certainty/great probability of the miracle
2. Positive evaluation of the qualities of the visionary
3. Positive evaluation of the content of the revelations
4. Healthy devotion and spiritual fruits
According to the International Marian Research Institute,34 there are four criteria that determine whether a Marian apparition is to be approved:
1. There must be moral certainty, or at least great probability, that something miraculous has occurred. The commission may interview the visionaries, call other witnesses, and visit the site of the events.
2. The subjects who claim to have had the apparition must be mentally sound, honest, sincere, of upright conduct, obedient to ecclesiastical authorities, and able to return to the normal practices of the Faith (such as participation in communal worship and reception of the sacraments).
3. The content of the revelation or message must be theologically acceptable, morally sound, and free of error.
4. The apparition must result in positive spiritual assets that endure (prayer, conversion, and increase in virtue).
For an apparition to be declared authentic, it is not enough for the messages to be free from doctrinal error. There have been many cases of claimed apparitions involving messages that are sound and are not contrary to the Faith, but other factors, such as the pursuit of financial gain, lack of obedience, or psychological conditions, are present that rule out the possibility of a supernatural cause.
When an apparition is approved, the Blessed Virgin Mary can be venerated in a special way at the site, although neither this veneration nor even the acknowledgment of the supernatural event is required of Catholics.
The third apparition category is the one of uncertainty, calling for a “wait and see” stance. This judgment is given in the form of the Latin phrase non constat de supernaturalitate, that is, “It is not established that there is something supernatural.” The vast majority of investigated apparitions receive this assessment when the investigative committee cannot at that time make a definitive conclusion. An apparition with such a designation might or might not be of supernatural origin. While there is no proof of the phenomenon originating from anything but natural causes, none of the negative criteria are fulfilled and the supernatural cause is not ruled out.
The local bishop will assess pastorally the best path forward and sometimes will give encouragement to the cult that has arisen around the alleged phenomenon (not to be confused with approval of the supernatural character). The associated messages may be approved for publication, and pilgrimages may be allowed at this stage. In some cases, the local ordinary might deem it appropriate to consider the events worthy of faith expression. If the matter is still being investigated,