Vatican tightens rules on supernatural claims in the digital age

ROME — When is a weeping statue of the Virgin Mary truly a weeping statue of the Virgin Mary?

From now on for the Roman Catholic Church, only the Vatican decides — and such events will very rarely, if ever, be declared “supernatural.”

With the backing of Pope Francis, the Vatican on Friday issued sweeping new guidelines on unexplained religious phenomena. The guidelines, the first since 1978, reflect a desire to root out fraudsters and flights of fancy and to address how 1.4 billion Catholics should view the mystical side of their faith in a digital age supercharged by artificial intelligence.