Vatican City – In a letter dated 8 July 2025, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith informed Archbishop Jonáš Maxim of Prešov of its evaluation concerning the spiritual phenomenon tied to the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary on Mount Zvir, near the Slovak village of Litmanová, which took place between 1990 and 1995. Following a process of discernment, the Dicastery has authorized the declaration of nihil obstat, meaning there are no obstacles to the promotion of public worship and Marian devotion at that location.
This is a decision that does not imply the recognition of a supernatural origin of the apparitions but allows the faithful to participate in the associated spiritual practices with the assurance that the main messages attributed to the Virgin do not contain doctrinally problematic elements.
But what exactly does this pronouncement mean? And within which normative framework does it sit?
A New Normative Context: The 2024 Guidelines
In May 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, updating a system that, in its previous form (dating back to 1978), had become largely impractical and rarely applied. The new norms establish six possible classifications for a phenomenon (ranging from Nihil obstat to Declinatio ab ulteriori prosecutione), and more clearly distinguish between pastoral evaluation and recognition of supernatural authenticity.
Within this framework, the case of Litmanová clearly falls into the first category (Nihil obstat), in which: “No obstacle is found to the pastoral proposal of spiritual value deriving from the phenomenon, even if the supernatural authenticity is not recognized.” (Norms, art. 15 §1, letter a).
Spiritual Fruits and the Limits of Discernment
In his letter, Cardinal Fernández acknowledges the flourishing of “sincere confessions,” conversions, pilgrimages, and a stable Marian devotion in the area. The messages promoting evangelical simplicity, interiority, forgiveness, and peacewere also viewed positively. A recurring expression – “Let Jesus make you free” – becomes almost the theological heart of the phenomenon: a Christocentric spirituality, deeply tied to interior freedom and the dignity of the person loved by God.
However, the judgment remains prudent: the document notes some problematic passages, such as the generalized association between sin and illness, or the idea that some souls cannot be forgiven. Such statements, the Dicastery emphasizes, are unacceptable and must be excluded from any future publications – especially considering that the alleged visionaries described the communications as non-verbal inner experiences, subject to stylizations and personal interpretation.
In other words, the mystical experience of Litmanová is not declared false, but neither is it certified as an authentic supernatural revelation. It is instead situated within a broader category: that of personal spiritual experiences, which may bear good fruit if guided by ecclesial criteria for discernment.
A Balance Between Popular Devotion and Doctrinal Vigilance
This nihil obstat reflects a now-established approach in the practice of the Holy See: to value the spiritual fruits of charismatic or devotional experiences, even when they cannot be declared strictly supernatural. It is a pastoral approach that acknowledges the importance of popular piety, while avoiding sensationalism or apocalyptic distortions. Through this pronouncement, the Dicastery provides a regulated framework for devotion at Litmanová. The faithful may go to Mount Zvir to pray, confess, and meditate on the most edifying messages, but without assigning the entire phenomenon an authority it does not possess – neither in terms of doctrine nor of binding revelation.
A Discernment Still in Progress
It is important to note that the nihil obstat declaration does not conclude the discernment, but rather accompanies it. The 2024 norms foresee that competent bishops, in collaboration with episcopal conferences and the Dicastery, will continue to monitor such phenomena over time. A phenomenon deemed pastorally positive today may, in the future, generate abuses or misunderstandings, or conversely, mature into greater clarity. In the case of Litmanová, the task now passes to the local Church: to offer sober pastoral guidance, to purify the devotion from ambiguous elements, and to preserve what is good without nurturing false illusions.
After all, the true apparition always remains the one of the Word made flesh – the living Christ, who visits us in the silence of the heart.
s.O.A.
Silere non possum