The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has sent a letter to the Archbishop of Prešov for Byzantine Rite Catholics, confirming the many spiritual fruits connected to Mount Zvir, in Slovakia.
Newsroom (09 July 2025, Gaudium Press ) The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a nihil obstat for the spiritual practices associated with the Marian apparitions reported between 1990 and 1995 in Litmanová, Slovakia, on Mount Zvir. The decision, guided by new norms established last year, follows a thorough evaluation of the spiritual fruits linked to the site, which continues to attract pilgrims despite the phenomenon concluding thirty years ago.
In a letter dated February 5, 2025, to Archbishop Jonáš Jozef Maxim, Archieparch of Prešov for Byzantine Rite Catholics, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery, noted the “countless sincere and profound confessions” and conversions at the site. He expressed appreciation for the “many spiritual fruits obtained by the pilgrims who continue to visit the site,” as highlighted in the archbishop’s request for guidance. A subsequent letter dated May 27, 2025, proposed the nihil obstat to “accompany the phenomenon in a pastoral manner,” affirming its value for the faithful.
The alleged apparitions began on August 5, 1990, involving three children—Ivetka Korcáková (11), Katka Ceselková (12), and Mitko Ceselka (9)—in a small Byzantine Catholic village in northern Slovakia’s mountains. The Blessed Virgin Mary, presenting herself as “Immaculate Purity,” is said to have delivered messages emphasizing conversion, simplicity, and God’s unconditional love.
The Dicastery’s analysis underscores the messages’ calls to inner freedom and happiness through Christ, such as: “Let Jesus free you. Let Jesus set you free. And do not let your Enemy limit your freedom for which Jesus shed so much blood. The free soul is the soul of a child” (December 5, 1993). In other messages Our Lady invites believers to find true joy in recognizing God’s love: “I love you as you are. […] I want you to be happy, but this world will never make you happy” (August 7, 1994). Other messages emphasize Gospel simplicity: “I would like to ask you, as your Mother, to begin to live simply, to think simply, and to act simply. Seek out the silence so that the Spirit of Christ may be born anew within you” (June 5, 1994). “Dear children, you experience things very superficially; it is precisely because you do not go into the depths that you cannot feel peace and joy” (4 June 1995).
The messages also call for evangelization through joy and peace: “Be happy because God loves you and you are very important to him, and transmit this joy to others, so that they too can believe, through your joy, that God loves us” (October 9, 1994). They stress the dignity of each person as a reflection of God: “When I look at you, I see God in each of you. You are a great reflection of God” (July 9, 1995). Loving others is presented as the fulfillment of faith: “The mission of each of you is to love, because life is made for this and only love will be able to give fullness to your lives” (February 5, 1995).
However, the Dicastery identified “some ambiguities and unclear aspects” in a few messages, such as one suggesting a specific person/people of a specific place may not be forgiven (February 24, 1991) or another linking all sickness to sin (December 2, 1990). A 2011 doctrinal commission report clarified that these reflect the visionaries’ interpretations of internal experiences, not direct locutions. Ivetka Korcáková herself noted, “We do not use any language when we talk” (August 8, 1993), indicating the subjective nature of the messages’ articulation. Archbishop Maxim has been tasked with publishing a curated collection of messages, excluding those that could “cause confusion and disturb the faith of the simple.”
The nihil obstat does not confirm the supernatural authenticity of the apparitions but permits public worship and assures the faithful they can safely engage with the site’s spirituality. The decision reflects the Vatican’s balanced approach, fostering devotion while ensuring doctrinal clarity, and affirms Mount Zvir’s role as a source of spiritual renewal for pilgrims.
The full document can be read here the website for the apparition can be found here
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
Related Images:
