It was recently announced that the Church investigation into reported Marian apparitions at Borg in-Nadur is expected to be concluded in the near future. What the Church’s decision will be is still unknown.

The decision of the local bishop about any alleged apparitions can only be one of the following: a) established as supernatural, that is coming from God, b) established as not supernatural, or c) not established as supernatural.

The first decision is given if the alleged apparitions have manifested signs of being an authentic intervention from heaven, for instance, when there is evidence of supernatural phenomena, sound doctrine, moral probity, mental health and sound piety of the seer(s) and enduring good fruits among the faithful. I can openly say here that the Archbishop cannot give this first decision on the Borg in-Nadur alleged apparitions for the simple reason that these are still under way.

The second decision is given if they clearly manifest signs of not coming from God, for instance if they are doctrinally dangerous or instil hostility to lawful authority or, though consistent with faith and morals, lack evidence of being nothing more than the product of human effort.

The third decision is given when it is not evident whether or not the alleged apparition is authentic. This judgment would seem to be completely open to further evidence or development.

We don’t know yet what evidence the Archbishop has about the alleged apparitions at Borg in-Nadur. To date, the decision can be either the second or the third. In the case of the third, further proof can render these apparitions ‘worthy of belief’.

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