The Holy See has issued a long-awaited document on the ongoing apparitions in Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina). It does not decide whether the apparition is the Mother of God, but it appreciates the positive things happening around the place and gives its consent to the so-called nihil obstat of the local bishop.
Holy See of Medjugorje
.Medjugorje – a town of several thousand people in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the site of alleged apparitions of Mary since 1981. She has appeared to six lay people from their childhood to the present – although in the case of some, the apparitions were supposed to have ended. From the beginning sound systems Due to these events, pilgrims from all over the world, mostly Poles, flock to Medjugorje, seeking opportunities for personal conversion or deepening their relationship with God.
Initially, the at least restrained reaction of the Holy See cooled the enthusiasm of many believers, who were not certain that the content proclaimed there by – as they believed – Mary was safe for their spiritual life. However, at the initiative of Pope Francis, his special envoy – Archbishop Henryk Hoser from Poland – first worked there, and then a special commission was held to examine the nature of the messages heard by the so-called Seers and the pastoral life that had developed in this place.
The document just released by the Vaticansigned by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, is the first position of the Holy See regulating the Church’s attitude towards the apparitions in Medjugorje.
“The time has come to end the long and complex history surrounding the spiritual phenomena of Medjugorje. It is a history in which there have been divergent opinions from bishops, theologians, commissions and analysts,” we read in the first sentence of the document. The Vatican states that the Note does not concern a moral assessment of the lives of those experiencing the apparitions in Medjugorje (there were doubts about that), but only the theological and pastoral nature of the apparitions and events that took place there.
The Congregation notes that most of the messages proclaimed by the so-called Gospa (Lady) are in accordance with the doctrine of the Church: they are Christocentric, meaning they put Christ first. The document notes that the main theme of the messages is peace in the world: in them, Mary is to ask for constant prayer for peace and for the conversion to God of the people who receive this message. “Without returning to God there is no true peace,” says Mary in Medjugorje.
The Congregation, however, reserves that some of the content of these revelations raise theological doubts, for example when the Gospa speaks in them about “her” plans. According to the Holy See, errors of this kind may result from the personalities of the visionaries repeating the message. “The whole of the Medjugorje phenomena reminds us of the teaching of the Gospel, focusing our gaze not on the details, but on the great calls that appear in the messages Gospy. In light of these, some less important or unclear texts should be read with caution,” we read in the Note.
The document emphasizes that all this does not mean that the Church recognizes the ongoing apparitions in Medjugorje as authentic and unequivocally decides that the Gospa is Mary. However, it wants to recognize that “in the midst of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje, the Holy Spirit works fruitfully for the good of the faithful. Therefore, it is encouraged to appreciate and share the pastoral value of this spiritual proposal.”
Prepared by Anna Druś/Everything That Matters Most
Copyrighted material. Further distribution only with the publisher’s consent. September 19, 2024
