Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David has released a formal instruction from the Vatican to refrain from any celebration relating to the 75th anniversary of the alleged apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Lipa, Batangas.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David (Manila Bulletin photo)
“I received a formal letter from His Eminence, Luis F. Cardinal Ladaria, SJ, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated May 8, 2023. The letter brought to my attention that H.E. Most Rev. Charles John Brown, the Papal Nuncio to Philippines, has forwarded a letter from the Most Rev. Gilbert Garcera, archbishop of Lipa, seeking the said Dicastery’s advice with regard to the preparations being made by the Confraternity of Mary, Mediatrix of All Grace for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the alleged apparitions in Lipa,” the Church leader said in a circular.
“I am attaching his letter which is quite clear in its intent. Since Cardinal Ladaria addressed it to my office as CBCP president, I presuppose that he expects me to communicate it, not just to the archbishop of Lipa, but to the rest of you, our brother bishops in the CBCP, with the specific instruction that we dissuade any form of activity in view of the proposed celebration in Lipa,” Bishop David said.
Cardinal Ladaria, Bishop David said, also reminded the Philippine bishops to abide by the 2015 decree of Rome on this issue, which reiterates that the 1951 decision on the matter “remains definitive” and, that therefore, “the matter is not subject to the competence of the local authority”. I hope you can communicate this to the faithful in your own ecclesiastical jurisdictions, especially those who are involved in the said Confraternity,” said Bishop David.
The Vatican has already ruled on the alleged apparitions of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace in Lipa, Batangas in 1948. More than seven decades ago, the Vatican declared that the 1948 apparitions at a Carmelite monastery in Lipa were not supernatural in character and origin.
“Rome has spoken on the matter in 1951 and has reiterated its position in 2015 – namely, that the alleged Lipa apparitions, on the basis of investigations done in 1949, had been judged to have ‘no sign of supernatural character or origin,’ said Bishop David. He added that “the 2015 decree has explicitly stated that ‘the matter of the phenomenon of Lipa is not subject to the authority of the local diocesan bishop."
In 2015, former Lipa, Batangas Archbishop Ramon Arguelles formally declared the apparitions as “supernatural in character and worthy of belief” which was also reversed by the Varican.