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How The Catholic Church Officially Investigates and Proclaims Miracles
Rigorous and interesting
The Roman Catholic Church takes miracles very seriously. Not only are miracles events attributed to the divine power of God, but they are also very political. Without an official process to examine and vet miracles, any Catholic official looking for clout, funding, or name recognition could delcare a miracle in their parish or dioceses. Miracles are also an important part of the canonization process in which holy Catholics are declared Saints. A person needs to be linked to two verified miracles in order to make the leap to official sainthood. So, the Church takes miracles very, very seriously.
In order for a miracle to be proclaimed, the event has to go through an opaque and lengthy review. First, the local church goes and investigates claims that a miracle might have taken place. If the local investigators find that there is enough evidence to suggest a miracle might have taken place, they contact The Vatican. The Vatican then sends in its own investigators.
These investigators interview eyewitnesses, examine the physical evidence of the miracle (including medical records and video evidence) and make a preliminary report. If the Vatican’s agents find enough evidence for a miracle it is run up the flagpole to higher ups who then…
