Popes and private revelations

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joseie said:
1.What all things about God were to be revealed were revealed by the time of Apostolic period.No further revelations after that.
2.Take it with a pinch of salt all these public/private /approved/unapproved revelations claimed to have happened subsequently including those in the present time.
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The deposit of faith ended with the death of the last apostle. Long after apostolic times the Magisterium defined that a New Testament existed, identified which books should be in it, and defined/clarified some aspects of what we had in the deposit of faith. Many things were not fully defined until they were questioned or challenged, long afterwards.
One of the things defined by the Magisterium after apostolic times is your own point #1.
 
With all due respect, why do we always have so many people on the forum trying to poke holes in approved private revelations?

You are free to not believe them yourself, but it seems like that is not enough for folks and they always have to push skepticism on others who frankly just don’t think that way.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
You are free to not believe them yourself, but it seems like that is not enough for folks and they always have to push skepticism on others who frankly just don’t think that way.
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To be fair, it often goes the other way: someone making a definitive, conclusive statement and citing a private revelation as their evidence.
 
If God wishes to grant a private revelation for His purposes, that’s certaintly His prerogative, and the Church recognizes this possibility and, in fact, the authenticity of some of these experiences. They may be nothing else than a profound insight into His infinitely enormous love for mankind, for example, as a means of encouraging a person in faith and action, in some specific manner or another. But the Church also affirms that these revelations can in no way conflict with the public revelation made once and for all with the advent of Christ. There simply isn’t a conflict here.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Yes, but people seem to go down this path even when no one in the thread is doing what you describe
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🤷‍♂️ Everyone has to push their agenda, I guess. Whether it’s OF/EF, communion in the hand or on the tongue, the rosary, or whatever, we all have an impulse to push our practice as the ideal, even when the Church effectively says “this is up to the individual.”
 
I’ve probably been guilty of this at some point, even though I try very hard to avoid it and just let people do whatever is allowed and is bringing them closer to God.
 
That guy reportedly saw so much stuff, I’m kind of amazed that he has not already been canonized. I know Pope Francis considered canonizing him without the necessary miracle. Not sure that’s a good idea though, I was a bit dubious even when they did it for Pope John XXIII, not because I thought there was any doubt that Pope John XXIII was in heaven (or Pope Pius XII for that matter) but because it makes it look like Popes are giving other Popes the express lane to sainthood in order to increase the prestige of the office.
 
Oh, I do it too. Of course, I really am always right and everyone really should listen to me in all things. 👨‍⚖️
 
BoomBoomMancini said:
The Church sometimes makes a Prudential choice to modify pastoral practices, taking into account changes in how things are currently being used, and trends that have arisen. Pope Pius XII promoted Fatima at a time when the great majority of Catholics accepted public revelation, and understood how it differed from private revelation. In his lifetime misuse of private revelation was probably rare.

Ok. Welcome to 2019. I think the Church will de emphasize private Revelations now.
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commenter said:
Ok. Welcome to 2019. I think the Church will de emphasize private Revelations now.
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Yes, that’s obviously why Pope Francis went straight to Knock Shrine when he visited Ireland. To de-emphasize those pesky private revelations.
Of course, it helps that Our Lady of Knock and the other apparitions with her didn’t say anything, just stood there in glory for a bit.
 
Popes will go where the Catholic people are. At our nearby Fatima shrine (started under Pius XII) there is now far more emphasis on public revelation than on Fatima.

Fulton Sheen would always make a point, based on public revelation, which was secure in the 1950s. Then sometimes he illustrated that with something from private revelation.

Sheen and his 1940/1950s pope likely didn’t foresee the attack on, and ignorance of, public revelation, nor the common misuse of private revelation. That came later.
 
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Fatima is a private revelation on which Church’s stand is crystal clear.
 
I think there’s an additional factor, which is whether the particular pope is the visionary sort himself. Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II clearly were mystics. Not sure if Pope Francis is.
 
It is possible many popes were mystics, but chose not to make any of that public due the likelihood things intended for one man would be taken as a message for all.

Pius had to offer encouragement to Catholics who knew their public revelation, but battling Nazism and Communism. Other popes may face different challenges.
 
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Pope Gregory I prayed for Emperor Trajan. It is said an Angel appeared to him and told him his prayer had been heard but he should stop praying for the pagans.
 
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