Normae Congregationis
Encyclopedia
Normae Congregationis is a 1978 document written by the Vatican's Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
(SCDF) concerning guidelines for Catholic bishops in discerning claims to private revelation
such as apparitions.
The eventual fruit of those discussions was a four-page document in Latin bearing the title "Normae S. Congregationis pro doctrina fidei de modo procedendi in diudicandis praesumptis apparitionibus ac revelationibus" ("Norms of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Manner of Proceeding in Judging Presumed Apparitions and Revelations", hereinafter Normae Congregationis or NC). The document was approved by Pope Paul VI in February 1978 and was signed by Franjo Cardinal Seper
and Archbishop Jérôme Hamer
, then the prefect and secretary of SCDF.
The Holy See
decided that the text was an "in-house" document intended for bishops, and as such did not need to be published. It was given to bishops “sub secreto” and not published in the Holy See's official journal Acta Apostolicae Sedis
.
In 1994, Japanese author Francis Mutsuo Fukushima published a book entitled Akita: Mother of God as Co-Redemptrix. Chapter 3 of Akita quoted parts of NC in Latin with an English translation, with permission from Fukushima's bishop. Three years later, French authors Joachim Bouflet and Philippe Boutry published a French translation of the entire document in their book Un signe dans le ciel.
NC became accessible to the English-speaking world when British author Donal Anthony Foley translated NC into English from the French of Bouflet and Boutry and placed it on the web site of his Theotokos publishing house, along with the French text from Un signe dans le ciel. Another English translation, also based upon the French text in Bouflet & Boutry, was made by Fr. James Mulligan in 2008.
In 2007, Mariologist Fr. Rene Laurentin
published his own French translation of NC in his Dictionnaire des apparitions de la Vierge Marie ("Dictionary of Marian Apparitions")
In 2010, an emendation of Foley's English translation was published based upon the original Latin text of NC.
based upon the word of an anonymous Vatican official.
As of September 2010, NC remains in force.
Because NC mentions only the first two options, there is a question of whether or not CDF decided to forego the third "constat" and collapse its meaning into the second.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
(SCDF) concerning guidelines for Catholic bishops in discerning claims to private revelation
Private revelation
In the teaching of the Catholic Church, a private revelation refers to visions and revelations from God to a specific Christian which have taken place since the completion of the New Testament...
such as apparitions.
Origin
In November 1974, when the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met for its annual Plenary Congregation, part of the discussion concerned problems relating to reported apparitions and revelations. New developments in theology and psychology prompted questions on how to evaluate claims of such events.The eventual fruit of those discussions was a four-page document in Latin bearing the title "Normae S. Congregationis pro doctrina fidei de modo procedendi in diudicandis praesumptis apparitionibus ac revelationibus" ("Norms of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Manner of Proceeding in Judging Presumed Apparitions and Revelations", hereinafter Normae Congregationis or NC). The document was approved by Pope Paul VI in February 1978 and was signed by Franjo Cardinal Seper
Franjo Šeper
Franjo Šeper was a Croatian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965....
and Archbishop Jérôme Hamer
Jean Jérôme Hamer
Jean Jérôme Hamer, OP, S.T.D. was a Belgian Cardinal who was Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life from 1985 until 1992....
, then the prefect and secretary of SCDF.
The Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
decided that the text was an "in-house" document intended for bishops, and as such did not need to be published. It was given to bishops “sub secreto” and not published in the Holy See's official journal Acta Apostolicae Sedis
Acta Apostolicae Sedis
Acta Apostolicae Sedis , often cited as AAS, is the official gazette of the Holy See, appearing about twelve times a year. It was established by Pope Pius X with the decree Promulgandi Pontificias Constitutiones , and publication began in January 1909...
.
Publication
Though Normae Congregationis had been issued sub secreto, excerpts from the text and, later, full translations of it have been published.In 1994, Japanese author Francis Mutsuo Fukushima published a book entitled Akita: Mother of God as Co-Redemptrix. Chapter 3 of Akita quoted parts of NC in Latin with an English translation, with permission from Fukushima's bishop. Three years later, French authors Joachim Bouflet and Philippe Boutry published a French translation of the entire document in their book Un signe dans le ciel.
NC became accessible to the English-speaking world when British author Donal Anthony Foley translated NC into English from the French of Bouflet and Boutry and placed it on the web site of his Theotokos publishing house, along with the French text from Un signe dans le ciel. Another English translation, also based upon the French text in Bouflet & Boutry, was made by Fr. James Mulligan in 2008.
In 2007, Mariologist Fr. Rene Laurentin
René Laurentin
Father René Laurentin is a French theologian who is considered an expert in Mariology.Laurentin was born in Tours, France), to Marie and Maurice Laurentin, an architect...
published his own French translation of NC in his Dictionnaire des apparitions de la Vierge Marie ("Dictionary of Marian Apparitions")
In 2010, an emendation of Foley's English translation was published based upon the original Latin text of NC.
Current status
In 2001, 2003 and 2008, there were reports from Vatican sources that the Holy See was preparing to update NC. However, this was contested in a 2009 article in the National Catholic RegisterNational Catholic Register
Not to be confused with the National Catholic Reporter or the Catholic RegisterThe National Catholic Register is the oldest national Catholic newspaper in the United States. It was founded on 8 November 1927 by Msgr. Matthew J...
based upon the word of an anonymous Vatican official.
As of September 2010, NC remains in force.
The Constats
There has been some discussion concerning NCs presentation of the possible judgments given by a diocesan bishop on a claim to private revelation. There are traditionally three such possible judgments in Catholic theology:- Constat de supernaturalitate ("It is confirmed to be of supernatural origin")
- Non constat de supernaturalitate ("It is not confirmed to be of supernatural origin")
- Constat de non supernaturalitate ("It is confirmed to be of non-supernatural origin")
Because NC mentions only the first two options, there is a question of whether or not CDF decided to forego the third "constat" and collapse its meaning into the second.