Vatican declares alleged apparitions of Jesus in France \u2018not supernatural\u2019 The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) has declared that the alleged apparitions of Jesus in Dozul\u00e9, France, do not have an authentic divine origin and are therefore \u201cnot supernatural.\u201d The prefect of the dicastery, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, confirmed the declaration based on the Norms for Discerning Alleged Supernatural Phenomena in a document released Nov. 12 and addressed to the bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux, Jacques Habert. In 1972, Madeleine Aumont claimed that Jesus had appeared to her, asking the Church to build a giant \u201cglorious cross\u201d in Dozul\u00e9, next to a \u201cshrine of reconciliation.\u201d Furthermore, the alleged visionary claimed that Jesus had announced his \u201cimminent\u201d return. In the document, the Vatican authority notes that the alleged apparitions in the Normandy town \u201chave elicited spiritual interest\u201d but also \u201cnot a few controversies and difficulties of a doctrinal and pastoral nature\u201d that require clarification. Only the cross of Jerusalem is the universal sign of the Redemption First, the DDF clarifies that it is erroneous to compare the \u201cglorious cross\u201d with the \u201ccross of Jerusalem,\u201d as Aumont did after the fifth alleged apparition. The Vatican says that \u201cthat wood, raised upon Calvary, has become the real sign of Christ\u2019s sacrifice, which is unique and unrepeatable\u201d and that any other \u201csign\u201d of the cross \u201ccannot be considered on the same plane.\u201d \u201cTo compare the cross requested at Dozul\u00e9 with the cross of Jerusalem risks confusing the sign with the mystery and risks giving the impression that what Christ has accomplished once and for all could be \u2018reproduced\u2019 or \u2018renewed\u2019 in a physical sense,\u201d the letter explains. In this context, the declaration clarifies that the power of the cross \u201cdoes not need to be replicated, for it is already present in every Eucharist, in every church, in every believer who lives united to the sacrifice of Christ.\u201d Thus, it warns against the risk of fostering a \u201cmaterial sacrality\u201d that does not belong to the heart of Christianity. Fern\u00e1ndez also cautioned against the risk of this cross becoming \u201ca symbol of an autonomous message\u201d and pointed out that \u201cno cross, no relic, and no private apparition can replace the means of grace established by Christ\u201d nor be considered a \u201cuniversal obligation.\u201d The cardinal emphasized that the cross is not merely a religious ornament: It is a sign that speaks to the heart. \u201cThose who wear the cross around their neck or keep it in their home proclaim, even without words, that the crucified Christ is the center of their life and that every joy and sorrow finds its meaning in him.\u201d Forgiveness comes from Christ The letter emphasizes what it considers one of the most troubling claims: the reference to the \u201cremission of sins\u201d through contemplation of the Dozul\u00e9 cross. Aumont went so far as to claim: \u201cAll those who will have come to repent at the foot of \u2018the glorious cross\u2019 [of Dozul\u00e9] will be saved.\u201d The Vatican points out the theological error of these statements, which are \u201cincompatible with the Catholic doctrine on salvation, grace, and the sacraments.\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez clarified that \u201cno material object can replace sacramental grace\u201d and that forgiveness comes from Christ through the sacrament of penance. Regarding the \u2018imminent return of Christ\u2019 Regarding the warnings that Jesus allegedly revealed about his \u201cimminent\u201d return as the Risen One, Fern\u00e1ndez pointed out that, although the return of Christ is a truth of faith, \u201cno one can know or predict the precise date or its signs.\u201d Consequently, the declaration states that the Church \u201cremains alert against millenarian or chronological interpretations, which risk setting the time or determining the modalities for the final judgment.\u201d \u201cThe danger of reducing Christian hope to an expectation of an imminent return with extraordinary events must be firmly avoided,\u201d the text emphasizes. With these clarifications, the DDF concludes that the phenomenon of the alleged apparitions in Dozul\u00e9 \u201cis to be regarded, definitively, as not supernatural in origin, with all the consequences that flow from this determination.\u201d This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Almudena Mart\u00ednez-Bordi\u00fa Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. 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