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  • Vatican releases new norms on alleged supernatural phenomena

    Vatican releases new norms on alleged supernatural phenomena

    CBCPNews,

    The Dicastery’s new explicit involvement also relates to the difficulty in circumscribing phenomena, which in some cases reach national and even global dimensions, “meaning that a decision made in one Diocese has consequences also elsewhere.” Reasons for the new norms The document originates from the long experience of the last century, which saw cases where the local bishop (or bishops of a region) rapidly declared a phenomenon’s supernatural nature, only for the Holy Office to express a different decision later. 16).” There may be “doctrinal errors, an oversimplification of the Gospel message, or the spread of a sectarian mentality.” There is the possibility of believers “being misled by an event that is attributed to a divine initiative but is merely the product of someone’s imagination, desire for novelty, tendency to fabricate falsehoods (mythomania), or inclination toward lying.” General guidelines According to the new norms, the Church will exercise her duties of discernment, based on the following: “(a) whether signs of a divine action can be ascertained in phenomena that are alleged to be of supernatural origin; (b) whether there is anything that conflicts with faith and morals in the writings or messages of those involved in the alleged phenomena in question; (c) whether it is permissible to appreciate their spiritual fruits, whether they need to be purified from problematic elements, or whether the faithful should be warned about potential risks; (d) whether it is advisable for the competent ecclesiastical authority to realize their pastoral value” (I, 10). The negative criteria involve: “the possibility of a manifest error about the event; potential doctrinal errors…; a sectarian spirit that breeds division in the Church; an overt pursuit of profit, power, fame, social recognition, or other personal interest closely linked to the event; gravely immoral actions…; psychological alterations or psychopathic tendencies in the person that may have exerted an influence on the alleged supernatural event; and, any psychosis, collective hysteria, and other elements traceable to a pathological context” (II, 15).

  • ‘LAMBAKLAD’: Good politics and spirituality

    ‘LAMBAKLAD’: Good politics and spirituality

    CBCPNews,

    Installed underwater in the West Philippine Sea, twenty to forty-five meters deep and about three-hundred meters from the seashore, “lambaklad” has a measurement of three hundred meters long by forty meters wide fishing net and is a three-in-one project (environmentally friendly—poverty reduction—entrepreneurial program) initiated and supported by the national government, local government, and a church organization. Risa Hontiveros to purchase the several million peso-worth of fishing gear and thru the formation and monitoring conducted by BFAR, of the additional funding assistance from the local government of San Narciso, Zambales through Mayor La Rainne Abad-Sarmiento, and of the capital provided by the Antipolo Seminary Foundation, Inc. The recognition of the importance and contribution of each one in the enterprise, the equal and generous sharing of harvest, where everyone is happy, and the prayerful acknowledgment of the care and providence of God Almighty, the source of nature’s limitless abundance, are authentic demonstrations and megaphones of a spirituality that is rich in meaning and purpose.

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