Vatican renews process for evaluating ‘visions’ of Virgin Mary to combat hoaxers

Pilgrims walk around a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary near the church of St James in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Amel Emric/AP)

The Vatican on Friday radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena, insisting on having the final say in whether the events are worthy of popular devotion.

The Vatican’s doctrine office overhauled norms first issued in 1978, arguing that they were no longer useful or viable in the Internet age.