The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared there for the first time in 1981 (and then repeatedly). At least that is what the six young people who claimed to have experienced the apparition said at the time. The apparitions have not yet been recognized by the Church.
However, in a document approved by Pope Francis and published on Thursday, the Vatican positively acknowledged the “many spiritual fruits” associated with Marian devotion in Medjugorje. There have been “numerous conversions” of people who have discovered or rediscovered the faith. The document does not comment on the apparitions themselves.
