Fun Ahead: Watch the Vatican Deal with the Broken-Window Mary/Jesus


The Vatican is issuing new guidelines for seeing Mary and Jesus on toast and in broken windows. This has been going on for a long time. The Vatican has spent time, meaning money paid to staff, dealing with these. Can it keep on shoveling money at people's imaginations?

The answer came out today. No, it cannot shovel more money into fake sitings of Mary. The ruling is somewhat complex but mostly it means the Vatican will no longer put its stamp of approval on these imaginary hoaxes.

The Vatican needs to be clever, however, in dealing with these imaginary sitings. There are thousands of people whose only link to the denomination is a leaky faucet somewhere that is believed to be the tears of Mary.

A most clever part of this entire saga has been that the Pope has declared long ago sitings of Mary that still draw big crowds are to be considered historical events. Recent claims are to be disregarded. This makes no sense except as a business deal.

A part of the new policy is that the apparitions will no longer be considered "supernatural events." Supernatural events are still OK is they help the clergy class. Popes are routinely given credit for supernatural events because it puts them in the status of "saint." Supernatural is OK for long ago sitings of Mary and making Saints. When supernatural helps the denomination, go for it. When it does not, no deal. Smart business people, those men in the Vatican. 

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