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September 25, 2024National Catholic Register | Jimmy Akin | Commentaries | September 20, 2024The Vatican has issued a cautious ruling allowing the faithful to benefit from the spiritual phenomena reported at Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Cardinal Víctor Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), announced the finding at a press conference accompanying the release of a document titled “‘The Queen of Peace’: Note About the Spiritual Experience Connected with Medjugorje.” This document authorized the granting of a nihil obstat (Latin, “nothing obstructs”) for the phenomena, provided certain clarifications are understood.
The nihil obstat is one of the new categories introduced in May 2024, when the DDF issued its new “Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena.” It does not imply the origin of an event to be supernatural but it is the most positive finding that can be obtained without the intervention of the pope. The norms define it this way:
Nihil obstat — Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself, many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged ‘in the midst’ of a given spiritual experience, and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far. For this reason, the Diocesan Bishop is encouraged to appreciate the pastoral value of this spiritual proposal, and even to promote its spread, including possibly through pilgrimages to a sacred site.”
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