Vatican still has not taken a position on Medjugorje?

Medjugorje Icon at Podbrdo, place of apparition (Beemwej)

It has been over three years since Vatican Radio announced that a special commission had completed its report on Medjugorje:

January 18, 2014

Commission to submit study on Medjugorje

(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, confirmed on Saturday that the international commission investigating the events in Medjugorje held its last meeting on 17 January. The commission, created by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.

The commission has reportedly completed its work and will submit the outcomes of its study to the Congregation. http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/01/18/commission_to_submit_study_on_medjugorje/en1-765219

Notice also:

“Still no papal decision: The Provincial of the Franciscan Order in Hercegovina denies that Pope Francis has told him to pray that he has made the right decision on Medjugorje, and expresses surprise that an American priest residing in Medjugorje gave this impression on June 25.” http://www.medjugorjetoday.tv/news-archive-2014/

Rest assured that no media outlets have got their hands on the ‘Ruini Dossier’, the commission have successfully locked the dossier concluded by Cardinal Ruini as top secret.

Our sources inform us that although the commission was formed by a team of 20, they formed sub-committees, one to present a positive argument and one to present a negative argument, similar to the process of canonisation of a saint where there are advocates of sanctity, and the ‘devils advocate’.

A lot of the ‘leaks’ coming through are from those connected within these ‘sub-committees’ sometimes giving a biased stance.

The commission report itself is not a decision. The decision will be made by Pope Francis according to the recommendation of Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, after reviewing the findings of the commission.

Sources in touch with the Vatican and the commission have told us the commission have reviewed positives and negatives and a ‘severe but positive’ pronouncement has been recommended to Pope Francis. Positive meaning the Vatican recognises the good coming from Medjugorje and will allow pilgrimages to continue, but severe because they wish to calm down any hype connected with the phenomena and keep the focus on prayer and not the visionaries or apparitions. We reiterate here that Pope Francis may not wish to even go ahead with this recommendation and decide something of his own accord.

However if His Holiness does go ahead then possibly both sides of the argument are not going to be fully satisfied and both sides will be in some way slightly confronted, as the commission on the one hand have found no evidence of the visionaries faking the apparitions, recognise countless conversions and have informed Pope Francis they are ‘open to the possibility the Blessed Virgin is appearing’ in a manner that they recognise as unprecedented in Church History, but equally they are pointing out various ‘uncertainties’ such as the visionaries running hotels and the period of apparitions still ongoing makes them de facto inconclusive. These uncertainties have lead them to suggest protective restrictions to be made for the visionaries and the public, and better spiritual guidance for the visionaries. http://www.nationalmedjugorjemovement.com/news/vatican-reccomends-severe-but-positive-decision-to-pope-francis/

Here is something from last Fall:

MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina – As a journalist covering the Vatican, I’ve obviously been aware for a long time of the debate that swirls around Medjugorje, the small town in Bosnia-Herzegovina where revelations of the Virgin Mary allegedly have been taking place since 1981.

I know that some take the phenomenon seriously, others are skeptical, and many are waiting for Rome to declare officially one way or the other.

Yet until last week, I’d never had the chance to see the place with my own eyes.

I went to Medjugorje with my parents, one of whom is a deep believer in the apparitions, the other not so much. On the day of our arrival, we went to Saint James church, knowing the Franciscans running the place were praying the Rosary before Mass, and that there’d be Eucharistic adoration after.

I was personally shocked to see the long lines for confession, despite there being 35 confessionals in seven different languages. I didn’t stop to count, but there must have been some 300 people in line at least. …

In the last five decades, the Church has overruled several hundreds of alleged private revelations.

As long as the apparitions are ongoing, the Vatican’s preferred course is to defer to the local bishop. The last two bishops of Mostar-Duvno, the diocese to which Medjugorje belongs, have said clearly that nothing supernatural is happening here.

When approached by Crux for comment, Bishop Ratko Perić politely but forcefully refused, answering simply that “there’s no interview about Medjugorje, which is in the hands of the Holy See.”

Yet he’s spoken and written about it before, discouraging pilgrims from visiting the site. In 2009 for instance, he wrote: “Through the ‘seers’, followed whole floods of lies, contradictions, promises, speed-ups, slowdowns, falsehoods, uncertainties.”

In that document the bishop also highlights various contradictions between the seers’ own accounts, and inconsistencies between the messages when studied chronologically. …

In 2010, under Benedict, the Vatican set up a commission to study the Medjugorje question. Five years later, on June 6, 2015, Pope Francis told reporters that “we’ve reached the point of making a decision and then they will say.” But over a year later, nothing has been said. https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2016/09/22/debate-rages-medjugorje-maybe-place-prayer-enough/

Here is more recent news:

February 13, 2017

Vatican says Bishop Henryk Hoser will not be deciding on the merits of reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary

Pope Francis is sending a bishop to a Medjugorje, Bosnia, shrine to gain “deeper knowledge” of the pastoral needs of millions of Catholics drawn there by reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said on Saturday Polish Bishop Henryk Hoser’s mission doesn’t involve deciding the merits of the reported apparitions. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/02/13/pope-francis-sending-bishop-to-medjugorje/

February 9, 2017

ROME- Pope Francis said that clerical sexual abuse is the work of the devil, there’s corruption in the Vatican, warned against new religious orders with a “restorationist” mentality, and even appeared to take a gentle shot at reputed Marian apparitions such as Medjugorje, saying the real Madonna is not “the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter.”

These are only a handful of the points Pope Francis touched on during a meeting with 140 Superiors General of male religious orders and congregations last November, in an informal, behind-closed doors exchange.

The transcript of the encounter was published on Friday by the Jesuit-run magazine La Civiltà Cattolica, which is celebrating its issue number 4,000. …

“But the real Madonna! Not the Madonna at the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter, saying: ‘My children, do this and then the next day do that.’ No, not that Madonna. The real Madonna is the one who generates Jesus in our hearts, a Mother.”

The superstar Virgin Mary, who seeks the limelight, the pope insisted, “is not Catholic.”

Though he didn’t give examples as to what he was referring to, whenever Francis brings up the image of the Virgin as a “postmistress,” many think of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where some believe she’s been appearing daily since 1981. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/09/pope-denounces-restorationist-orders-takes-shot-medjugorje/

So, it appears that Pope Francis probably does NOT accept the apparition at Medjugorje, but has decided to take some actions related to it.

For those unfamiliar with Medjugorje, it is a town located in the Herzegovina region of western Bosnia and Herzegovina where false messages and claimed miracles related to an alleged ‘Marian apparition.’ ‘She’ is often referred to as “Our Lady of Medjugorje” and “Our Lady Queen of Peace” by those who believe that she has been appearing since 24 June 1981 to six children in Medjugorje. This apparition allegedly has been giving daily messages to three or so people ever since.

While the findings of commission report have not been released, many Catholics correctly believe this apparition is false and not from Jesus’ mother Mary. Because of the ‘daily message’ aspects of it, many believe that Pope Francis was also condemning Medjugorje when he made the following statement on November 14, 2013:

Curiosity impels us to want to feel that the Lord is here or rather there, or leads us to say: “But I know a visionary, who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady.” But look, Our Lady is the Mother of everyone! And she loves all of us. She is not a postmaster, sending messages every day. http://www.catholicismusa.com/instead-of-curiosity-and-seeking-novelities-listen-to-the-breeze-of-wisdom/

We will see how this Marian-focused pontiff will deal with this–so far I have not seen him comment on the report. He seems to be content to let many followers of his church visit the location while he has it studied further.

He could embrace parts or all of Medjugorje, condemn parts or all of it, or continue to say little or nothing about it. But no matter how Pope Francis handles it, the Medjugorje apparition is false–it is demonic. But again, since Pope Francis has endorsed other demonic apparitions (Fatima and Guadalupe come to immediate mind) he might decide to endorse this false one.

Also, it is not just my view that this apparition is false. Notice the following reports, mainly from Catholic leaders, as cited on Wikipedia:

On 10 April 1991, the Yugoslav Episcopal Conference issued at Zadar a declaration that states: “It cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations.” (Biskupije Mostar-Duvno Trebinje-Mrkan”. Cbismo.com. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2013-04-01)

On 2 October 1997, Bishop Ratko Perić of the diocese of Mostar-Duvno, in which Medjugorje is situated, wrote: “On the basis of the serious study of the case by 30 of our ‘studiosi’, on my episcopal experience of five years in the Diocese, on the scandalous disobedience that surrounds the phenomenon, on the lies that are at times put into the mouth of the ‘Madonna’, on the unusual repetition of “messages” of over 16 years, on the strange way that the ‘spiritual directors’ of the so-called ‘visionaries’ accompany them through the world making propaganda of them, on the practice that the ‘Madonna’ appears at the ‘fiat’ of the ‘visionaries’, my conviction and position is not only non constat de supernaturalitate [the supernaturality is not proven] but also the other formula constat de non supernaturalitate [the non-supernaturality is proven] of the apparitions or revelations of Medjugorje.” (Ratko Perić, Bishop of Mostar (2 October 1997). “Letter to Thierry Boutet, editor of Famille Chrétienne“. Retrieved 2 December 2013)

On 21 October 2013, the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States communicated, on behalf of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that, in the light of the 1991 Zadar declaration about the Medjugorje events, Catholics, whether clergy or laypeople, “are not permitted to participate in meetings, conferences or public celebrations during which the credibility of such ‘apparitions’ would be taken for granted” (http://medjugorjedocuments.blogspot.com/2013/11/2013-cdf-twice-to-us-bishops-on.html)

Here is a report claiming that Pope Francis has blessed a Medjugorje medal:

When Alicia Italiani from Erie, PA, wrote to Pope Francis to ask if her devotion to the Medjugorje message was was acceptable to the Church, the response was different from what she had expected. She received a Medjugorje medal, and a note that the Pontiff had personally blessed it.

The envelope Alicia Italiani received from the Pope, and its contents: The medal to the right has the word Medjugorje inscribed, and has been for sale in Medjugorje for years

Pope Francis is in agreement with the Medjugorje message, even if he is still to raise his voice on the authenticity of the apparitions. In early May the Pope personally blessed a Medjugorje medal and had it sent to an American woman who had asked him if following the Medjugorje message was okay with the Catholic Church.

“Several months ago, I wrote a letter to Pope Francis asking his blessing and prayer for my family and for myself. I have a devotion to Our Lady of Medugorje, and I understand that whether the alleged apparitions in Medugorje are approved or not, that prayer and fasting and any devotion to the Blessed Mother is good and pleasing to God. But I still felt like I needed to know if it was OK to follow those particular messages (just because there’s been so much confusion regarding the devotion within the Church)” Alicia Italiani from Erie, PA, tells the newsletter The Spirit of Medjugorje.

“On May 6, I received a response back. The response was from the Papal Nuncio to the United States from Pope Francis. Included in the envelope were a medal from Medugorje, a medal of St. Michael the Archangel and two holy cards – one with a picture of Pope Francis and the other a picture of St. Francis with his prayer for peace. The note said that the medals were blessed by Pope Francis! I felt so comforted and I just wanted to share the story” Alicia Italiani tells.

With some believing it to happen this year, Pope Francis is expected to issue a verdict on Medjugorje at some point. In January an international Vatican Commission ended four years of investigations by passing on its final report to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Both its contents, the further procedure, and the time-table have remained under lock. http://ourladyprays.com/pope-francis-blessed-medjugorje-medal/

I have seen no statement in the past year from Pope Francis endorsing Medjugorje, despite the fact that he is a Marian-focused pontiff, and may have ‘blessed’ a medal.

Notice something I reported about Medjugorje and related matters (such as the alleged Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal) in 2012:

What About the Healings?

Are claimed healings associated with Fatima proof that the messages were from God? There are several reasons to consider that they are not proof.

The first is that there have been hundreds of claimed healings from those going to discredited sites like Medjugorje. According to Msgr. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar, the “seers” claimed messages from the “Marian” apparition that were clearly false and the facts he laid out prove this…

Ecumenical Private Revelations and Medjugorje

Some Fatima supporters are afraid that “a politically correct and ‘ecumenical’ revisionist ‘interpretation’ of the Message of Fatima” is being adopted by certain members of the Catholic clergy.

Some also believe that the messages of Medjugorje are “heresy after heresy” and encourage ecumenism that many Fatimists oppose.

The “Lady” in Medjugorje allegedly said:

All religions are equal before God…In God there are no divisions or religions; it is you in the world that created divisions…God directs all denominations as a king directs his subjects…It is you who are divided on the earth. The Muslims and the Orthodox, like the Catholics, are equal before my Son and before me, for you are all my children. (Ferrara C. Setting the Record Straight. The Fatima Crusader, 98, Spring 2011, pp. 19-20)

Since the Fatimists can (correctly) denounce Medjugorje as heresy because of some of the messages, all should realize that the same is true with many of the messages of Fatima.

Msgr. Pavao Zanic, the former Bishop of Mostar (which includes Medjugorje), in 1990 wrote:

For even a short description of the falsehoods about Medjugorje we would need 200 pages… Presbitero Rodriguez Teofilo…asked me for the reasons why I do not believe in the “apparitions”… I told him about the case of the ex-Franciscan priest Ivica Vego. Due to his disobedience, by an order of the Holy Father the Pope, he was thrown out of his Franciscan religious order OFM by his General, dispensed from his vows and suspended “a divinis.” He did not obey this order and he continued to celebrate Mass, distribute the sacraments and pass the time with his mistress. It is unpleasant to write about this, yet it is necessary in order to see who Our Lady is speaking of. According to the diary of Vicka and the statements of the “seers,” Our Lady mentioned 13 times that he is innocent and that the bishop is wrong. When his mistress, sister Leopolda, a nun, became pregnant, both of them left Medjugorje and the religious life and began to live together near Medjugorje where their child was born. Now they have two children. His prayerbook is still sold in Medjugorje and beyond in hundreds of thousands of copies.

Yet, many still believe in Medjugorje.

In 1985, Cardinal Ratzinger “banned pilgrimages to the site. But this has been widely ignored. Instead the seers have grown wealthy as a result of their claims.”

The banning was ignored because many believe that because some of the messages seem fine (the devil is subtle enough not to make all the messages clearly false), some are curious, and others believe that various claimed healings at Medjugorje are proof that it is valid anyway. But obviously Mary of the Bible would not have made false statements justifying a fornicating priest nor would she have endorsed all religions as equal as was claimed.

Notice that in 1985, Cardinal Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI, also condemned Medjugorje.

Yet, because of signs, personal feelings, and allegedly healings, many within Roman Catholicism as well as some without (someone lent me a book of Medjugorje a few months ago written by a Protestant who became convinced the messages are genuinely from Mary), consider these signs to be miraculous proof that Mary is present in Medjugorje and is now speaking to us. Despite the fact that parts of what is said are clearly blasphemous and against scripture.

Why should anyone care about this?

Although most non-Catholics do not think that reports of apparitions can affect them, if they live long enough this century, they will find that this is not the case. Claimed Marian apparitions are a much bigger deal than people realize and seems to tie in with a variety of prophecies throughout the Bible (e.g. Isaiah 47, Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2, Revelation 17).

Furthermore, did you know that apparitions that some believe to be Mary were partially responsible for how the Greco-Roman churches gained influence over the Church of God in Asia Minor in the third century and Europe in the Middle Ages? Did you know that basically because of apparitions in Mexico and Russia that nearly all of Latin America became “Catholic” and Russia became accepting of icons? Did you know that Satan has many in Asia and elsewhere looking to female apparitions and apparently has had his seers prophesy that one or more future “Marian” apparitions will help the Beast/Great Monarch rise up?

Jesus warned that nearly everyone would be deceived in the end (Matthew 24:24) and apparitions seem likely to be part of why.

Partially what Medjugorje itself shows is that despite facts, truth, and warnings, people often want to believe what they think they see as opposed to the truth. This will become a bigger problem later as well.

The Bible specifically warns of a “virgin” that uses enchantments who is also called the Lady of Kingdoms. Notice the following as shown in a Catholic version of the Bible:

1 Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called delicate and tenderâ€¦4 Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and have given them into thy bend: thou hast shown no mercy to them: upon the ancient thou hast laid thy yoke exceeding heavy.

7 And thou hast said: I shall be a lady forever: thou hast not laid these things to thy heart, neither hast thou remembered thy latter end.

8 And now hear these things, thou that art delicate, and dwellest confidently, that sayest in thy heart: I am, and there is none else besides me: I shall not sit as a widow, and I shall not know barrenness.

9 These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood. All things are come upon thee, because of the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great hardness of thy enchanters. 10 And thou best trusted in thy wickedness, and hast said: There is none that seeth me. Thy wisdom, and thy knowledge, this hath deceived thee. And thou best said in thy heart: I am, and besides me there is no other.Â 11 Evil shall come upon thee, and then shalt not know the rising thereof: and calamity shall fall violently upon thee, which thou canst not keep off: misery shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. 12 Stand now with thy enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast laboured from thy youth, if so be it may profit thee any thing, or if thou mayst become stronger. 13 Thou hast failed in the multitude or thy counsels: let now the astrologers stand and save thee, they that gazed at the stars, and counted the months, that from them they might tell the things that shall come to thee. (Isaiah 47:1, 4-7, 11-13, DRB)

In the New Testament, notice what the Apostle Paul warned:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Deception must be clever to work, and multitudes have already been deceived by signs and wonders coming from statues and alleged apparitions of Mary. The “interfaith movement” will like employ “Mary” as a tool for improper unity (see Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction?).

As far as the Bible goes, all should realize that there is nothing in the Bible, or even in early church writings, that supports the view that God wanted to use weeping statues, apparitions, etc. of Mary. Sadly, however, multiple millions are not willing to truly accept that–and more will be deceived in the future.

For more information, please check out the following:

Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions Do you know much about Mary? Are the apparitions real? What happened at Fatima? What might they mean for the rise of the ecumenical religion of Antichrist? Are Protestants moving towards Mary? How do the Eastern/Greek Orthodox view Mary? How might Mary view her adorers? Here is a link to a YouTube video Marian Apparitions May Fulfill Prophecy. Here is a link to a sermon video: Why Learn About Fatima?
The ‘Lady’ of Guadalupe: Any Future Ramifications? It is claimed that a female apparition appeared near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. How has it affected the world? What might it suggest about the future? A video of related interest is titled: The ‘Lady of Guadalupe’ and Prophecy.
Satan’s Plan Does Satan have a plan? What is it? Has it already been successful? Will it be successful in the future? Here is a link to a related video: Satan’s Plan A Brief Introduction.
Will the Interfaith Movement Lead to Peace or Sudden Destruction? Is the interfaith movement going to lead to lasting peace or is it warned against? A video sermon of related interest is: Will the Interfaith Movement lead to World War III? and a video sermon is also available: Do You Know That Babylon is Forming?
Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy? Pope Francis has taken many steps to turn people more towards his version of ‘Mary.’ Could this be consistent with biblical and Catholic prophecies? This article documents what has been happening. There is also a video version titled Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?
Feast of the Immaculate Conception? Did early Christians teach Mary had an immaculate conception and led a sinless life?
Origin of the Marian Dogmas: Where Do Catholic Scholars Say The Four Dogmas of Mary Came From?
Assumption of Mary Did Mary die? Was she taken to heaven on August 15th? What is known? What does the Bible show?
Do you understand the ramifications of the ‘Lady of Guadalupe’? It is claimed that a female apparition appeared near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. How has it affected the world? What might it suggest about the future?
What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons? Did Catholic and Orthodox “saints” endorse or condemn idols and icons for Christians?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
The History of Early Christianity Are you aware that what most people believe is not what truly happened to the true Christian church? Do you know where the early church was based? Do you know what were the doctrines of the early church? Is your faith really based upon the truth or compromise?
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy? Here is a link in the German language: WO IST DIE WAHRE CHRISTLICHE KIRCHE HEUTE? Here is a link in the French language: Où est la vraie Église Chrétienne aujourd’hui?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L’Histoire Continue de l’Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.