Vatican gives cautious endorsement to Medjugorje with nuanced stance
20 September 2024 14:17
The issue of Marian apparitions in Medjugorje stirs considerable controversy among the faithful and those outside the Church. Some are convinced of the authenticity of the events, while others have significant doubts. The Vatican has taken a stand.
The apparitions in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje were said to have begun in 1981, when six young people allegedly experienced visions of the Virgin Mary. According to some believers, these visions continue to this day. The Catholic Church has been investigating the authenticity of these apparitions for over 40 years. So far, it has neither rejected nor confirmed them. Finally, it has taken a definitive stance.
The Vatican spoke on the apparitions in Medjugorje
On 19 September, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document approved by Pope Francis, which generally evaluates the message from Medjugorje positively. It recognises numerous spiritual fruits associated with the parish and the Queen of Peace sanctuary, but it does not resolve the question of the supernatural nature of the phenomena.
The document mentions many conversions, returns to confession and communion, numerous vocations, reconciliations between spouses, and healings. The statement's authors emphasise that "such experiences occur above all in the context of pilgrimages to the places associated with the original events rather than in meeting with the 'visionaries' to be present for the alleged apparitions".
Should the faithful believe in the apparitions in Medjugorje?
The document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith does not prohibit people from continuing their pilgrimages, as the note adopts the formula "nihil obstat", which means nothing stands in the way. However, this does not imply recognition of the supernatural nature of these apparitions and does not obligate Church faithful to acknowledge the divine origin of the phenomena that supposedly occurred in Medjugorje.
The Dicastery encourages pilgrims going to the Bosnian place of worship to "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".
