Vatican finally approves Medjugorje devotion: visit Mary but not the visionaries
Pilgrims
pray around a statue of Mary on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, in this Feb. 26, 2011, file photo. (CNS photo/Paul
Haring) The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the assent of Pope Francis, has given its approval to the promotion of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title “The Queen of Peace,” linked to the “Medjugorje phenomenon.” Significantly, however, it did not make any declaration on the alleged supernatural character of the Marian apparitions there.
It gave the nihil obstat (“no objection”) to the Medjugorje phenomenon in accordance with the new norms issued by the same dicastery with the pope’s approval on May 17 of this year. This means, as the relevant norm states, that, “Without expressing any certainty about the supernatural authenticity of the phenomenon itself, many signs of the action of the Holy Spirit are acknowledged ‘in the midst’ of a given spiritual experience, and no aspects that are particularly critical or risky have been detected, at least so far.”
The Vatican approval comes 43 years after the Virgin Mary is said to have first appeared to six children, known as “visionaries,” in a small village named Medjugorje in war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 24, 1981. Devotees say Mary has been appearing and giving messages to the world through the “visionaries” ever since.
News of the apparitions quickly attracted pilgrims to the site, and since 1981 more than 50 million people from all over the world, not just Catholics but also other Christians, Muslims and even nonbelievers, have come to visit or to pray at the site.
In a “Note about the Spiritual Experience connected with Medjugorje,” issued today, Sept. 19, the Vatican dicastery stated: “The time has come to conclude a long and complex history that has surrounded the spiritual phenomena of Medjugorje. It is a history in which bishops, theologians, commissions, and analysts have expressed a series of divergent opinions.”
The note was presented at a crowded Vatican press conference by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández and Msgr. Armando Matteo, respectively the prefect and secretary of the dicastery, and Andrea Tornielli, the editorial director of Vatican Media. Both the cardinal and Mr. Tornielli had visited and prayed at Medjugorje once in the past and gave their personal witness to the profound spiritual atmosphere at the shrine.
The history of Medjugorje
Cardinal Fernández, in a 75-minute presentation, recalled the long, often heated discussion around Medjugorje, including between the Franciscans who have control over the shrine and the local bishops. St. John Paul II wanted to visit in 1995, during his visit to Sarajevo, but Ratko Perić of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno wrote to the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith advising against a visit. The Polish pope, however, made clear in private letters his positive thinking about Medjugorje and wrote in 1992, “I visit this place every day when I pray.” In another letter in 1995, he wrote, “It seems to me that the terrible things that are happening in the Balkans today [the war and ethnic cleansing] cannot be understood without Medjugorje.”
In a long interview with journalist Vittorio Messori published in 1985 as The Ratzinger Report, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger said that “one of our criteria is to separate the true or presumed ‘supernaturality’ of the apparitions from that of its spiritual fruits” and added that the question relates to “the evaluation of the vitality and orthodoxy of the religious life that develops around these places.” Later, as Pope Benedict XVI, he set up a commission led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini that delved deep into the Medjugorje case. The results of the investigation were given to Pope Francis, who declared it “very, very good.”
Pope Francis also appointed a special envoy, Msgr. Henryk Hoser, to examine the situation in Medjugorje. He produced a positive report, as did his successor, Msgr. Aldo Cavalli, who recently told Cardinal Fernández that Medjugorje is “an oasis of peace and faith where God, through the Queen of Peace, does a lot of good.”
On May 12, 2019, Pope Francis authorized the organization of pilgrimages to Medjugorje, but the Vatican stated that care must be taken “to prevent these pilgrimages from being interpreted as an authentication of known events.”
At today’s press conference, Cardinal Fernández concluded that recent popes have shown “an attitude of great respect in the face of a devotion that is so widespread among the people of God, which translated into an analysis of the spiritual phenomenon that is happening in the heart of the people, rather than in a conclusion on the supernatural origin or not of the phenomenon.”
Green light from the Vatican
Today’s note “indicates that the faithful can receive a positive encouragement for their Christian life through this spiritual proposal, and it authorizes public acts of devotion.” It does not, however, “imply a declaration of the supernatural character of the phenomenon in question” or oblige the faithful to believe in it.
The Vatican emphasized that the nihil obstat “does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic. Instead, it only highlights that the Holy Spirit is acting fruitfully for the good of the faithful ‘in the midst’ of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje.”
The Vatican document notes “the positive fruits” that have resulted from the Medjugorje spiritual experience, including the many devotees it has inspired worldwide.
“The positive fruits are most evident in the promotion of a healthy practice of a life of faith, in accordance with the tradition of the Church,” the note said. “In the context of Medjugorje, this applies both to those who had been previously distant from the faith as well as to those who had practiced the faith only superficially.”
It stated:
The uniqueness of the place lies in the large number of such fruits: abundant conversions, a frequent return to the sacraments (particularly, the Eucharist and Reconciliation), many vocations to priestly, religious, and married life, a deepening of the life of faith, a more intense practice of prayer, many reconciliations between spouses, and the renewal of marriage and family life. It should be noted that such experiences occur above all in the context of pilgrimages to the places associated with the original events rather than in meetings with the ‘visionaries’ to be present for the alleged apparitions.
The Vatican note stated that “[n]umerous healings have also been reported in connection with Medjugorje,” and “[i]n many cases, people were able to overcome a spiritual crisis thanks to Medjugorje.”
In his presentation, Cardinal Fernández said Medjugorje has inspired Marian devotional and prayer groups as well as works of charity, “particularly those that care for orphans, drug addicts, alcoholics, children facing various difficulties, and people with disabilities.”
The Vatican note concluded by stating that “the positive fruits linked to this spiritual experience are evident and, over time, they have become distinct from the experience of the alleged visionaries, who are no longer seen as the central mediators of the ‘Medjugorje phenomenon.’ In the midst of this phenomenon, the Holy Spirit is carrying out many beautiful and positive things.”
The visionaries
Cardinal Fernández spoke at length about “the messages” that the visionaries allege to have received from the Queen of Peace. He made it clear, as Pope Francis has as well, that the Blessed Virgin must not be seen as a delivery person and emphasized that discernment is required regarding the alleged messages.
The Vatican note insisted that “the positive assessment that most of the messages of Medjugorje are edifying does not imply a declaration that they have a direct supernatural origin. Consequently, when referring to ‘messages’ from Our Lady, one should always bear in mind that they are ‘alleged messages.’”
The 17-page Vatican note gives 13 pages to central aspects of the messages. It begins with one related to names Mary gives to herself and states that “Queen of Peace” is “the most original title in the messages.” It continues:
This title offers a vision that is theocentric and very rich in the true meaning of peace. According to this understanding, peace signifies not only the absence of war; it also has a spiritual, family, and social meaning. Indeed, this peace is achieved primarily through prayer, but it is also spread through missionary efforts.
The note underlines that “this peace is not an end in itself, nor does it express the highest Christian value. Rather, it is the fruit of love that is lived, which is the greatest and most beautiful virtue. It is the love that surrenders itself to God’s love and expresses itself in the fraternal love that avoids quarrels, does not judge, and forgives.”
It says “a nucleus of messages” shows that Our Lady does not place herself at the center but “shows herself to be fully directed towards our union with God,” and “she invites the listener to encounter God, who is always present in daily life.”
“A constant call to abandon a worldly lifestyle and excessive attachment to worldly goods appears in the messages, along with frequent calls for conversion, which makes true peace in the world possible,” the note states.
“At the same time,” the Vatican note says, “there is an insistent exhortation not to underestimate the gravity of evil and sin, and to take very seriously God’s call to fight against evil and the influence of Satan.” The messages also repeatedly insist that “prayer is fundamental.”
The note from the Vatican doctrinal office concludes, “[T]he faithful must be attentive and cautious in interpreting and disseminating the alleged messages,” and it offers some guidance in this regard. “It is Gospa [a Croatian term for the Virgin Mary] herself who calls upon us to put her messages in perspective,” it says. “For, she clearly affirms that we must listen to the Gospel. Often, she asks that her messages be listened to, but she also subordinates them to the incomparable value of the Word revealed in the Holy Scriptures.” Her call to read the Holy Scriptures “is one of the most repeated requests.”
In his presentation, Cardinal Fernández spoke about the visionaries and some concerns that have been raised in their regard. The Vatican document says its conclusions “do not imply a judgment about the moral lives of the alleged visionaries.” But it adds that people who go to Medjugorje should “be strongly advised that pilgrimages are not made to meet with alleged visionaries but to have an encounter with Mary, the Queen of Peace, and—faithful to her love for her Son—to encounter Christ and listen to him through meditation on the Word, by participation in the Eucharist, and in Eucharistic Adoration.”.
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