APPARITIONS WITH RELIGIOUS CONTENT

A Brief Summary of the Study of Apparitions with Religious Content

Phenomena called apparitions have always occurred. People very often had significantly different opinions on these phenomena and that was the reason why the usefulness of positive phenomena was hardly promoted. It was due to the fact that these phenomena had not been specified yet.

The classification of the revelations according to the way of the information transfer:

Following the contemporary research, we can classify the revelations into two groups.

1. Direct extraordinary revelation – in this case the visionary does not have any parapsychological capacity. In the case of the sensual direct revelation the visionary has the impression of perceiving the revelating being with his or her senses. He or she has therefore a real visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory perception. In the case of the direct revelation that transcends the senses, the visionary has those sensual perceptions as well, but they are unreal, for example similar to those during the sleep.

2. Mixed extraordinary revelation – the visionary has the capacity to perceive the supernatural phenomena. He or she is therefore able to perceive the spiritual beings (Virgin Mary, the angels, and so forth), the souls in the purgatory and in the hell, and also the thoughts of the persons living on this earth. By perceiving this the visionary is not aware of who is the source of those information, unless the spiritual being honestly presents himself of herself to the visionary. God allows for the education of the souls that the visionary can receive also some false information, for example from a soul in the purgatory, provided that this information does not cause any serious harm for the people. As a consequence in fact, the soul in the purgatory can in this way understand the harmfulness of the information that he or she has brought from his or her earthly life, which brings about his or her purification.

The present treatise reflects the fact that in more recent times some apparitions are intended for the public, and it divides the apparitions into three categories:

• Public apparition
This means God‘s revelation addressed to all mankind, recorded in the Bible and tradition, and terminated with the death of the last living apostle.

• Special public apparition
This means a revelation of God addressed to all the people in the world in order to enliven the public revelations and to mediate God’s exceptional graces.

• Private apparition
This means God’s revelation addressed to a certain individual or certain other persons as spiritual guidance.


The study emphasises that people get spiritual information:

• On the basis of direct influence of God on an individual
• On the principle of a person‘s sensibility towards spiritual beings
• On the principle of a person‘s clairvoyance.


For the present treatise, it is considered that meaningful information can be transmitted by:

• God
• Angels, both good and bad
• Souls in heaven, purgatory and hell and people on Earth.

Souls in purgatory participate in many phenomena which make it possible to clarify some inaccuracies related to mixed apparitions and the origin of inauthentic phenomena which are not evoked by an evil spirit.


We can distinguish the following classes of “special public apparitions”:

• Authentic direct apparitions (sensory and extra-sensory)
• Authentic mixed apparitions (primary and secondary)
• Inauthentic direct apparitions (sensory and extra-sensory)
• Inauthentic mixed apparitions (primary and secondary).


The treatise also mentions ecstasy, special phenomena and clairvoyance, and includes psychological rumination regarding people‘s reaction to apparitions.