text: "Here is where the pope can help all of us. .... draw meaning from the children's reported experiences in a way postmodern minds might grasp, many of us Protestants would give thanks."
  
  In regard to 'claims of apparitions and visions,' the only authoratitive witnesses are the visionaries themselves.  Since there are no 'independent witnesses,' Church authorities cannot state that they actually took place, nor can they oblige the faithful to believe in them. Instead they can examine 'the messages received' for their consonance with the faith of the Church. They also approve only the common practices of the faith, namely, celebration of the Eucharist, praying for healing of the sick, offering the sacrament of penance, etc. Other practices (eg. using miraculous water, devotions, etc.) are tolerated as harmless. The value of pilgrimage places is in the atmosphere built up over decades (very human reality), which helps pilgrims open themselves to God's grace.