What stage has been reached in the process of recognizing the apparitions and beatifying Estelle?

Meeting in Plenary Assembly by videoconference on June 10, 2020, the Bishops of France had authorized the opening of the process for the beatification of Estelle Faguette, at the request of Mgr Jérôme Beau, Bishop of Bourges.

Prior to this, on the advice of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Beau set up a multi-disciplinary theological commission in 2021 to examine the content of the message of the apparitions at Pellevoisin, and to evaluate historically the scope of the shrine’s influence and the spiritual fruits associated with it. The nine-member commission, made up of theologians and historians, met in 2023 and came out unanimously in favor of recognizing these spiritual fruits. The commission’s final report was submitted to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) in February 2024.

Meanwhile, on May 17, 2024, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Fernández, issued Procedural Norms for the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena. From now on, Rome will no longer pronounce on the supranatural character of presumed apparitions, but will limit itself to authorizing the faithful to adhere to them. In particular, the text provides for six different conclusions for the discernment of apparitions, from nihil obstat to negative judgment.

Concerning the Pellevoisin apparitions, the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith sent a letter to Monsignor Beau on Thursday August 22, 2024, stating that nothing prevents the faithful from freely accepting the messages Estelle Faguette received from the Blessed Virgin. In its letter, the Dicastery stresses that “the messages and words that Estelle attributes to the Virgin Mary have a particular value, allowing us to glimpse an action of the Holy Spirit at the heart of this spiritual experience”.

In accordance with article 22§1 of the Normes procédurales pour le discernement de phénomènes surnaturels présumés, the diocesan archbishop, Mgr Jérôme Beau, issued a decree on August 30, 2024, authorizing Marian devotion in Pellevoisin.

This nihil obstat marks a new stage in the Cause for the Beatification of Estelle Faguette, who is recognized as a reliable witness to her experiences with the Virgin Mary.