UPDATED 10 June 2015
Pope Francis gave a hint Tuesday about his take on the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the Medjugorje shrine in southern Bosnia, dismissing a reliance on regular visions of the Madonna as mere “novelty-seeking” for the faithful.
Francis spoke during his morning homily, three days after making a day trip to Sarajevo. En route home, Francis told reporters the Vatican would soon decide whether to formally recognize the Medjugorje phenomenon as authentic.
In his homily, Francis dismissed those “who always need novelty in their Christian identity” and say: “But where are the visionaries who tell us today about ‘The letter that the Madonna will send tomorrow at 4 p.m.?'”
“This isn’t Christian identity,” he said. “God’s last word is called Jesus and nothing more.”
The Medjugorje apparition has been disputed since 1981, when six youths said they had regularly seen visions of the Virgin there. Unlike Fatima in Portugal or Lourdes in France, the Vatican has been cautious about calling the sightings authentic. Neither Rome nor the local diocese has approved Medjugorje as an official shrine site and the Vatican has told dioceses not to organize official pilgrimages there.
That hasn’t stopped the remote village 70 miles (110 kilometers) southwest of Sarajevo from thriving from the financial boost brought by more than 30 million faithful who have visited since 1981.
The local church itself has cast doubt on the sightings, in part because one of the visionaries says the apparitions have continued regularly for over a quarter century.
In 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI formed an international commission to study the Medjugorje phenomenon. On Saturday, Francis said commission’s report had been taken up by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, although the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said it hadn’t yet been discussed.
Lombardi acknowledged that Francis was probably referring to Medjugorje in his homily but he stressed that his brief mention was not the Vatican’s final word. Francis’ off-the-cuff comments “are not an official pronouncement that gives a wide-ranging and articulated doctrinal or pastor indications,” he said.
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 22 April 2013
It all begun in March 1965 when the Vatican ruled that half of the parishes of Erzegovina, up to then administered by a Franciscan order of friars, would fall under the Bishop of Monstar-Duvno. The Friars took it badly and refused to comply basing on traditions dating back five centuries.
In 1967 Rome rejected their claims and again ordered to carry on with the handover. By 1975 pope Paul VI issued a decree known as ‘Romanis Pontificibus’ dated 6 June 1975 published by the Propaganda Fide, but one year later the dispute was still dragging on. Because of the death of Paul VI, and then the short papacy of John Paul I in Rome they put aside the problem but with the death of Tito (4th of May, 1980) the teological row too also political colours. It was then that the boys started to see Mary, who incredibly took side with the rebellious Franciscans, against their Bishop.
A friend of mine was in Medjugorje a few weeks ago on a humanitarian mission. She saw what a circus it has become, but she came back with mixed feelings about the alleged sanctity of that place. Later, on one of the pictures shot there by her sister there was a strange red dot and looking at the clouds a rough figure of Mary could be noticed. In normal conditions the red dot could be dismissed as a planet or a reflex caused by the lens and as far as the clouds are concerned, all clouds if watched long enough could take
any shape our fantasy dictates. After seeing that picture I could remember a lady living near my home in Italy. In 1983 she went to Majugorje and came back shocked. She became a then a very religious person, because she said she has seen Satan. A scary sight indeed, scary enough to push her to get back to Church! Her trip was made on a bus with other pilgrims guided by a catholic priest who claimed to be an exorcist. Checking on Google I had found several similar pictures posted by people who had been there and then claim to have seen strange lights, rosary beads taking the color of gold, strange lights and the sun dancing, as it did at Fatima (an event accepted by the Catholic Church and witnessed by 50.000 people). The Catholic Church seems divided on this subject but the current position is that what is happening in Medjugorje, Herzegovina, is a fraud.
Some even think that it might be the work of the Devil, this at least is the opinion of the bishop of Isernia, Andrea Gemma, an 82 years old chief exorcist, a man who do not mince words. He says: “In Medjugorje everything happens in function of money: pilgrimages, lodging houses, sale of thickets. The whole sham is the work of the Devil. It is a scandal!” John Paul II never visited the place nor ever expressed any wish to get there.
Jesus said that we should judge a tree by the fruits it bears. In Medjugorje all begun on 25 June 1981 when six children told a priest they were seeing Our Lady. Since then this has happened ten of thousand of times but not a single miracle made by that ‘spiritual entity’ was ever confirmed. Predictions were made, some quite catastrophic, like the destruction of Germany and the USA (prophecy of September 1981) and the Pope seeking refuge in Turkey! but luckily nothing of such sort had ever happened.
The six children were caught lying several times on tape, and team of scientists who wanted to investigate the strange phenomenon happening there were always, with different excuses, turned away. Some catholic commentators seem to agree on the fact that the main message coming our of Mejugorjes is one of disobedience to the Church of Rome, in fact the six seers since the beginning refused to follow instructions set by Church’s authorities and bishops. One of the seers is by now married to a former Miss USA and all of them are rich, owning hotels, living in large mansions provided with swimming pools. The local bishop was kidnapped on April 2, 1994 and he was released only thank to the intervention of UN Troops.
Another constant message coming out from there is that of the relativity of all religions. But, as it was pointed out since the Middle Age, if you think that all religions are good, then you don’t believe in any of them. Medjugorje could be simply dismissed as a fraud on epic scale which is provoking phenomena of mass hysteria.
continued regularly for over a quarter century.
In 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI formed an international commission to study the Medjugorje phenomenon. On Saturday, Francis said commission’s report had been taken up by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, although the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said it hadn’t yet been discussed.
Lombardi acknowledged that Francis was probably referring to Medjugorje in his homily but he stressed that his brief mention was not the Vatican’s final word. Francis’ off-the-cuff comments “are not an official pronouncement that gives a wide-ranging and articulated doctrinal or pastor indications,” he said.
This article is very sad. The reason the apparitions have not been approved yet by the church is because they cannot be until they have stopped or the visionaries have passed away. When you go to a place that is so holy, evil will be lurking. That does not mean it is the work of the devil. The apparitions have done great things for this area economically. But do not get it twisted…just because the visionaries house so many people does not mean they are rich. They barely get by actually, and all carry great crosses for having such a great gift. I understand something like this seems supernatural, and it definitely sounds like mass hysteria. But it is by no means anything evil.
This place is not holy!. As for the visionaries, everyone knows they are rich. They are not carrying crosses – if you want to know what crosses are look at the children of Fatima and Bernadette. Bernadette was always sick and had to leave her family for a convent far away knowing she’d never see them again. The mother superior was horrible to her. The children of Fatima died painful deaths and even peformed painful penances up til the end. Lucia had to leave her mother at 14 and family and also go to a convent far away. She lost other cousins in the 1918 epidemic and her father too. Now if that is not suffering I don’t what is.
Have you been there to medjugorji
The medjugorje Marian sightings don’t line-up biblically , something is wrong . I’d stay away from medjugorje if I was catholic .
http://medjugorje1.blogspot.ca/2013/12/medjugorje-devil-fool-hanged-man.html
I got involved in a Medjugorje prayer group in my Parish and began reading the messages. It caused me to begin prayer and fasting and I spiraled further and further into a severe manic episode where I required very little sleep and food. Long story short I ended up across the state in a hot dry field trying to climb the 7 story mountain. Fortunately I was apprehended before dehydrating to death and placed in a mental ward for 3 weeks. I was diagnosed Bi Polar I who had experienced a severe manic episode with psychotic behavior. I had never had a manic episode before. I’ve since been on lithium and have serious doubts that the devil was involved in this episode and it was brought on by reading about the visions and messages. I have no proof but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Church rules the visions are a hoax, or worse, the work of the devil.
I am so sorry this happened to you. My daughter used to adore the blessed sacrament in a chapel at a parish whose members were deeply entrenched and she started to get terrorized by the devil. She began looking around the chapel trying to figure out why the devil was taking residence there. She found posted materials proclaiming what the visionaries were reporting. She has never gone back to that chapel, has found a new chapel to adore in and has had peaceful adorations ever since. God bless your health, your sister Mary
I agree with the author and thank him for his diligence and insights. I have recently become interested in learning more about these apparitions and those of Lourdes and Fatima and upon comparison I feel in my heart that this is not a fraud but a handiwork of the Deceiver. I think the seers were either put up to it or sadly, share a rare psychological defect or condition-shared psychosis. Furthermore anyone who would seek “proof” of God’s power to heal and proof of the need for conversion by way of traveling to any place of apparition is crossing the line of veneration into Marian worship, idolatry and heresy. God is with each of us and lord Jesus is our only means of salvation. For those of us blessed to be Catholic we need to only pray, confess, ask the blessed mother in the rosary to illuminate her son so that He can facilitate our conversion. Mary is a servant of God. She submitted herself to her father’s will as a slave for love of him. Anyone that would flirt with Marian worship by going to a place that the church won’t even validate is acting in a disordered, disobedient fashion. They seek not to glorify the lord but instead to exalt the perfection that God created above God himself! Anyone acting in this way should be excommunicated and have already experienced a self-imposed spiritual excommunication. To need anything in this world outside of your own faith in God, belief in what our church proclaims, and participation in the sacraments is a sign of a disbelieving heart that would choose to put our lord God to the test. As far as evil masquerading as Mary, our saints reported the enemy appearing to them in the guise of Jesus but were smart enough to dismiss his lies and knew in their heart God was allowing this test to strengthen their faith. The harshness of our lady towards the seers in Bosnia, her condemnations, her pointing to herself as an conduit to salvation-our lady could never do these things. She only speaks of Jesus-never herself. She is always gentle and would have no need to use physical force on anyone. She would never inspire a visionary to disobey the church, she would never “rough up” anyone as a way to prove the power thats been entrusted to her. Nor would she be involved in the mediation of local disputes between religious orders and members of the clergy. If the children supposedly sensed she was the holy virgin then why did they feel the need to question whether she was of satan – Saint Bernadette never doubted the goodness of her visitor even if she didn’t know for sure if she was seeing the mother of God in the grotto?! As, far as healings go, some can be psychosomatic, some through faith in God alone, or some tricks of the enemy. The father of lies will sell you what you are willing to buy. Furthermore, our lady loves us and would never break our hearts by saying that she will leave us and this is the “last time” she will visit her people. Why if Jesus gave her to us would she ever want to abandon the world she came from? The real Virgin Mary would never be coarse, threatening, abandoning the ones whom Jesus gave to her. This is not my mother! Ever since finding out about these events my prayers have been with mother church and the false seers asking that they repent, ask the church to condemn these abominations and with the church’s help work to uproot the devil from this place so that the true face of our mother can bless them-if it is God’s will. A seer claimes to be in possession of blessed mother’s memoires. The only word Mary would ever need to write is “Jesus”-autobiographies are products of vanity. She is only concerned with what we know of Jesus. She would find no use for telling her lifes story. She points to the lord always and would never give the world something that outshines him. If the faithful are searching for God, God lives in all of us and we only need to stand where we are to see proofs of him. There is nothing in this world that a good catholic needs outside of the church.
Blessed Virgin Mary Pray For Us
“Pray for your children.
That they obey only your son,
Seek the truth only in the church,
Know that you are their mother and
Love them.
Recognize and condemn the works of the evil one, whom you crush under your blessed feet.
That your little ones cease in their testing of their father in heaven and that all believers never fail to speak the truth, and gladly accept dispisement and ridicule for the sake of the truth and for the salvation of those led astray.
Amen”
Blessings and love, your sister in Jesus Mary Martinez
Mary,
Your words are so true. Sometimes, as Catholics, we forget that Mary’s only role is to bring us closer to Jesus. When I was on my manic tour, I went to Minnesota to go to my Aunt’s funeral. I stopped an old guy walking on the street for directions and then randomly asked him if he had been to Medjugorje. I had no reason to ask him but he said he had and then told me his story. He said a man there who looked liked Jesus told him that Satan was like a viscous dog on a chain tied to a stake. We don’t have to go to him but he also can’t get us if we stay outside the chain. Then he told me he saw the sun appear like a spinning Eucharist and that he can see that even now when he looks at the sun. He said his doctor told him not to do that but he sometimes did anyway. His eyes were all milky. I couldn’t help but wonder why Mary would want someone to damage their eyesight that way.
I also spoke to people who had sent their rosaries to be blessed at Medjugorje and upon the return, the silver turned to gold right before their eyes. I thought this sounded like a parlor trick and not something that would have anything to do with visions of Mary. I told an older lady in that prayer group that I was worried that her husband was addicted to going to Medjugorje because he kept going back every year and taking new people with him. She told me he wasn’t addicted, he just wanted to go back and feel what he did before. I almost laughed because that’s kind of what addicts do. I will continue to pray for them. I think some people want to be mystics instead of being rooted in reality and trust in God.
A further proof that is the Devil at work there, (in Italian):
http://xn--cristianit-q4a.it/monsignor-andrea-gemma-medjugorje/
“I will continue to pray for them. I think some people want to be mystics instead of being rooted in reality and trust in God.”
Pots and kettles. This is very likely what precipitated your manic episode. Your desire to be more than you really are – a human being.
There is a difference ‘tween fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, which the early Church did by the way – see the Didache – and turning yourself anorexic.
The only ‘hysterics’ I see are those posting on this site.
Medjugorje is not real but Garabandal truely is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garabandal_apparitions
There is much confusion about Medjugorge.
First of all : although it is true that 2 consecutive bishops of Mostar have condemned Medjugorje as false , those condemnations have not been accepted by the vatican. Card. Bertone has even publicly stated that it was a personal opinion – of the bishop – and not a official judgement since the matter was in the hands of the bishops conference of yugoslavia.
That bishops conference has not condemned Medjugorje as false but has pronounced a “non constat”
With other words ; we have not been able to establish [ yet ] that the alleged apparitions are of supernatural origin , but, also not [ yet ] that they are false . With other words ; it is not yet clear.
A few years after that pronunciation the vatican has decided to start an own investigation .
That one was concluded last year by Card, Runi, but the “result ” the judgement has not been made yet , the CDF is still working on it apparently.
So the judgement that still stands for now is the judgement of the bishops conference , the “non constat”
As again , a ” non constat ” does not mean that the apparitions are condemned as false .
That would be a : “constat de non” ; or “it is ascertained that the apparitions are not from supernatural origin”.
I think that what will happen is that the vatican will uphold the judgement by the – former- yugoslav bishops conference , the “non constat” .
That would mean that the supernatural origin of the apparitions are not confirmed but neither is it established that they are false . In the mean while some form of devotion in Medjugorje will be allowed .
If you ask me , I dont see how 30 million people going to Medjugorge to pray , fast and go to church can be the result of something false .
Lets be realistic, only a very small percentage of catholics nowaday still believe in what the church teaches in matters of moral.
While practicly everybody who “believes “in Medjugorge does accept the moral teachings of the church.
Hereby a link to the letter of Cardinal Bertone ;
http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfaubry.htm
excerpt :
“What Bishop Peric said in his letter to the Secretary General of “Famille Chretienne”, declaring: “My conviction and my position is not only ‘non constat de supernaturalitate,’ but likewise, ‘constat de non supernaturalitate’ of the apparitions or revelations in Medjugorje”, should be considered the expression of the personal conviction of the Bishop of Mostar which he has the right to express as Ordinary of the place, but which is and remains his personal opinion.
Finally, as regards pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which are conducted privately, this Congregation points out that they are permitted on condition that they are not regarded as an authentification of events still taking place and which still call for an examination by the Church.”
What many believers in the sanctity of the apparitions of Medjugorje ignore is the ferocious dispute between Franciscans and the Vatican which began in 1961 and was never settled or healed. When a critical point was reached, lo and behold, the children begun to see Mary and, even more troubling, Mary sided with the Franciscans…I do believe that Medjugorje will be remembered as a diabolic scam of huge proportions.
Mathe, what you write is not true. Of course the Vatican have approved what the bishops of Mostar and the bishop conference of Bosnia has declared! In October 2013 CDF said: ….”all should accept the declaration, dated 10 April 1991, from the Bishops of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, which asserts: ‘On the basis of the research that has been done, it is not possible to state that there were apparitions or supernatural revelations.’”
http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/article/vatican-to-us-faithful-stay-away-from-pro-medjugorje-events-12114001
Cardinal Bertone didn’t deny this! Bishop Ratko Peric has said to Pope Benedict in their private meeting (ad limina):
” In my opinion, from the numerous local facts, it is evident that these events can be defined not only by “non constat de supernaturalitate” ie: it is not certain that these events concern supernatural apparitions, but also by “constat de non supernaturalitate” ie: it is certain that these events do not concern supernatural apparitions.”
Cardinal Bertone was referring to THIS.
I’m tired that pro-Medjugorje people twist things, so often, so often and mix up things.
I searched for negative articles about Medjugorje and found this one. Let me say, it is factually incorrect on multiple accounts. As I read that even the bishop was taken hostage, but it is not said by whom, most likely during the war between Croatian Catholics, Muslims and Serbian Orthodox. And that is also put on Medjugorje’s count? Strange for an article that wants to objectively prove the apparitions are false. During the war in Medjugorje were stationed UN Spanish blue helmets.
I have been twice so far. The local city Mostar is near only on the map, there is so steep mountain between. No surprise the division line between Catholics and Muslims pass at Mostar. Centuries of uneasy history.
But my point is not that. I have my doubts in the apparitions too. I want to see that what the seers say materializes in reasonable time frame. Seer Marija Pavlovic Lunetti, the one who gives the 25th of the month messages, said in 2017 that she hopes for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary will happen in 2017. Now we are at the end of 2019. Does it mean the secrets are cancelled, or that the Triumph along with the era of peace will happen first? If that is the case, why don’t the seers tell us more clearly? That is not the first instance of changed timeline narrative. I think the Medjugorje seers are not enough saintly to the level of the alleged apparitions of Our Lady.
About the apparitions themselves, i really don’t know. I expect pope Francis to finally say his word. And if Our Lady indeed appears there, why don’t She make the promises happen?
I can speak from my own families experience that much evil is occurring there. My brother was coerced by a pedophile under religious pretenses to go there and he molested my brother there while staying with a family. At just 15 he was given Raccia which is essentially vodka and they told him cross were turning to gold and more. My brother was also abused by a priest for many years. God does not run a postal service of messages to this area, they are using this opportunity for money plain and simple. Since God is great He does work many good things for those that believe even though they are going to a place that is founded on a lie. There is much more to the story but its important that more people know that what is going on there is not all that it seems. Seek God in your own area, attend retreats with your local Church, give more, love others greater and serve. God Bless.