The Vatican has given its official approval for devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows at the Shrine of Chandavila in La Codosera, Spain.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a “nihil obstat,” allowing the devotion to continue while acknowledging the spiritual significance of the site, which has drawn pilgrims since 1945.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery, stated in an August 22 letter, approved by Pope Francis, that the shrine “may continue to offer to the faithful who wish to approach it, a place of interior peace, consolation, and conversion.” This decision follows a request from Archbishop José Rodríguez Carballo of Mérida-Badajoz.
The devotion traces its origins to spiritual experiences reported by ten-year-old Marcelina Barroso Expósito and seventeen-year-old Afra Brígido Blanco. Both girls claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows in May 1945. Cardinal Fernández noted that “the most beautiful message” was Marcelina’s experience of “the embrace and the kiss that the Virgin gave her on the forehead.”
The Dicastery’s letter emphasized that while the supernatural nature of the apparitions remains unconfirmed, there are “conversions, healings, and other valuable signs in this place.” The approval allows for the promotion of pilgrimages and other spiritual activities at the shrine.
After their visions, Marcelina and Afra lived quietly, dedicating themselves to charitable works, particularly caring for the sick and elderly. Their lives reflected the devotion’s themes of simplicity and trust in the Virgin’s love!
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