Posted on 05/05/2008 6:42:29 AM PDT by Ebenezer
PARIS (AP) — A Roman Catholic bishop said Sunday that the church has officially recognized that the Virgin Mary appeared to a 17th-century shepherd girl in the French Alps.
Speaking at Mass in remarks broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
ping
I will point out to those who expect any pope to magically transform the whole Church in the space of a few years that it took the Vatican 290+ years to fully evaluate this appearance.
How did they know it was her?
Mary is our heavenly mother and she has visited with some frequency at Lourdes, Fatima, Beaurang, LaSalette, and many other places. She is our mom.
Photo ID?
AND the photo ID also showed that she wasn’t a Democrat. This significantly sped up the affirmation process.
And please, let me point out that NO ONE is required to believe in any apparition.
I am a Catholic and doubt some as well.
>> I will point out to those who expect any pope to magically transform the whole Church in the space of a few years that it took the Vatican 290+ years to fully evaluate this appearance. <<
Hehehe. Well stated. I’ll try to behave.
When the Church approves a Marian apparition after a thorough investigation, it simply declares that the apparition in question is “worthy of belief” but passes no official judgement as to its involving the Blessed Virgin. In addition, the Church does not require Catholics to believe in the apparitions even if approved.
How do they know which Mary it was?
Generally, Mary will identify herself as the blessed mother in some form or another.
Agreed in every particular.
Aren’t most/all of these sightings of a European-looking Mary? If so, it’s a tip-off they weren’t the real deal.
“Aren’t most/all of these sightings of a European-looking Mary? If so, it’s a tip-off they weren’t the real deal.”
She appeared to a European. When she appeared in Mexico as Our Lady of Guadalupe, she was dark, with dark hair and garbed in robes whose colors were significant to the Indians. The black sash around her waist indicates pregnancy and was common in that culture.
We aren’t required to believe in appartions. We aren’t required to believe prophecies that are pronounced, but we are also taught not to dispise them either.
I am not willing to say God or God’s messengers did or did not speak directly to someone, especially if that message is in line with repentence, return to God, and prayer.
I believe it is up to the local Bishop or Archbishop to determine if there is a valid apparation. And even then it remains a matter of private devotion and not public revealation. The Bishop simply determines that there is nothing contrary to the Catholic faith in such a devotion and that the apparation can not be explained by natural means.
I want to add in every recoginized apparation our Blessed Mother always brings the message for us to repent and to return to Christ. She encourages prayer and the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity.
As in her earthly life she always points to her Son our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Her mission is to urge us to reconcile with Christ and avoid that Day of Wrath.
By the same token, when the Virgin Mary appears in a certain place, she addresses the seer in the local language or dialect. For example, Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego in the Aztec language Nahuatl, while Our Lady of Lourdes spoke to Bernadette Soubirous in the local French Patois.
By the same token, I believe that Satan can do the same thing.
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