Apparitions of the Virgin and the end of the millennium

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the role performed by theapparitions of the Virgin in twentieth century Catholicism. Besidespromoting a revival of the faith, these “apparitions” offers an apocalypticaldiscourse that criticizes the modern society and even the Catholic Churchhierarchy. The conflicts about the rejection or acceptance of theseaccounts of apparitions reflect broader tensions within the catholic field.From these observations, this articles questions: 1) at which degree thepower of contemporary media and the weakening of the Catholic Churchcontrol on the divulgation of these accounts would contribute to theincreasing of such tensions as well to the proliferations of thesesaccounts?; 2) how does Catholic Church deal with the internal divergenttendencies and criticism to its institution and which are its methods ofappropriations of these accounts?