True
History of Medjugorje
by E.
KNOWN AS:
Medjugorje Apparitions.
SEERS: Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Ivan Ivankovic and Milka Pavlovic.
LOCATION:
YEARS: June 24,
1981 to present.
STATUS:
The following is a list of correspondence that took place regarding Medjugorje:
On December 13, 1981, (Ref # 977), only 6
months after the alleged apparitions, the Most Rev. Pavao
Zanic, Bishop of Mostar wrote regarding the attitude
toward the events in Medjugorje. The Bishop's Office expressed its desire, and
even demanded, that the propaganda stop because of the
disobedience of the pastoral personnel and the "visionaries." This
was a futile attempt.
On April 12, 1983, (Ref. # 241), the
Most Rev. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar
wrote A letter to the parish priest, indicating that instructions are to be
followed. Again, the Bishop's Office expressed its desire, and even demanded, that the propaganda stop because of the
disobedience of the pastoral personnel and the "visionaries." Once
more, this was a futile attempt.
On March 31, 1983, (Ref. # 297), the Most Rev. Pavao
Zanic, Bishop of Mostar wrote an invitations for a
meeting.
On September 27, 1983, (Ref. # 982), the Most Rev. Pavao
Zanic, Bishop of Mostar wrote another invitations for
a meeting.
On July 19, 1984, (Ref. # 777), the
Most Rev. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar
wrote another invitations for a meeting. The purpose of the three previously
mentioned meeting was to allow the Bishop to exercise his pastoral authority by
demanding that the propaganda stop because of the disobedience of the pastoral
personnel and the "visionaries." These meetings also proved futile.
On October 31, 1984, at a meeting held in
the Chancery Office in Mostar, the Most Rev. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar
demanded that Medjugorje's occurrences "be toned
down and eliminated little by little."
March 25, 1985 (Ref. # 281), the Most Rev.
Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar
wrote to Rev. Tomislav Pervan, OFM, parish priest at
St. James parish in Medjugorje. This letter makes reference to the priests of
the parish contravening the previous instructions of the Bishop.
On January 9, 1987, the Episcopal Conference
established a commission to continue the investigation of the events at
Medjugorje. At this time, it was determined that while awaiting the results of
the commission's investigation and the Church's judgement,
pastors and faithful should observe an attitude of prudence customary in such
situations. Therefore, it is not permissible to organize pilgrimages and other
manifestations motivated by the supernatural character attributed to the events
of Medjugorje. Legitimate devotion to Our Lady, recommended by the Church, must
conform to the directives of the Magisterium and
especially to those contained in the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis
Cultus of 2 February 1974 (cf. AAS, 66, 1974, pp.
113-168).
On July 24, 1987, in a sermon delivered at
St. James Church in Medjugorje, the Most Rev. Pavao
Zanic, Bishop of Mostar stated, "In this diocese,
by divine decree, I am the shepherd, teacher of faith, and judge in the matters
of faith. Since Medjugorje's events have created
tension and division within the Church (some believe in it, some do not), and
have evaded Church control, since the recommendations and decisions of the said
authorities such as the Commission, the Congregation, and the Bishops'
Conference have been ineffective, I, the Ordinary of Mostar,
responsible before God for the discipline in the diocese, repeat and sanction
former decisions of the ecclesiastical authorities. I do forbid the priests who
organize pilgrimages or come here ascribing a supernatural character to these
events, to celebrate Mass in the territory of my diocese, and this until the
Commission of the Bishops' Conference ends its inquiry.
On July 11, 1988, on the subject of Fr.
Tomislav Vlasic, OFM, the long-time advisor to the "seers", Marija Pavlovic provided a letter
that was published in the November 1988 Issue of Fidelity. This letter pertains
to Fr. Vlasic's attempt to form a co-ed religious community in a house in
2. Now I declare that I have never asked the Madonna for any approval for this
undertaking begun by Father Tomislav V. and Agnes Heupel.
I have never explicitly petitioned the Madonna concerning whether I should
participate in this undertaking and I have never received from the Madonna any
instructions regarding this group, except that each one of us should remain
free in choosing his own way of life.
3. From the text and testimonies which bear my signature it follows that the
Madonna communicated to me that the community and the program of Father
Tomislav V. and Agnes Heupel are the way God intended
for me and the rest of us. Now I repeat that I have never received from the
Madonna, nor have I given to Father Tomislav V., not to any other individual,
any such approval or instructions from the Madonna.
4. My first declaration, as published in Croatian and Italian, does not
correspond to the truth. I personally had no desire to give any sort of written
declaration. Father Tomislav V. kept suggesting to me, stressing over and over
again, that I as a seer should write the declaration which the world was
waiting for.
5. I also have to say that the contents of "My Declaration" as it
presented bearing my signature pose some questions. For the time being, I can
give this unequivocal answer, which I do before God, the Madonna, and the
Church of Jesus
In May, 1990, the February, 1990,
statement of the Most Rev. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar, appeared in Fidelity Magazine.
When asked by a priest from
1. "An ex-Franciscan priest Ivica Vego, due to his disobedience, by an order of the Holy
Father the pope, was thrown out of the Franciscan religious order by his
General, dispensed from his vows and suspended 'a divinis.'
He did not obey this order, and continued to celebrate Mass, distribute the
sacraments and pass the time with his mistress. According to the diary of Vicka and the statements of the 'seers', Our Lady claimed
13 times that Vego was innocent and that the bishop
was 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."
2. "The Marian theologian Rene Laurentin behaves
in the same manner. He came to visit me around
3. "The main players on which Medjugorje rests are retired Archbishop F. Franic, R. Laurentin, L. Rupcic OFM, Amorth, Rastelli S.J., and some Franciscans and charismatics
from all over the world. Many books have been quickly published, as well as
articles, brochures, films, and souvenirs. There are tourist agencies,
pilgrimages, 600,000 copies of prayerbooks (written
by two Franciscans, Vego and Prusina,
who were thrown out of their Order) published in many languages, fanatical
prayer groups that are inspired by the apparent messages of Our Lady, and
finally there is the greatest motivator of all -- money. No one even mentions
that which throws doubt on the 'apparitions.' The bishop has been warning
everyone, but the 'machinery' has been working overtime."
4. "Fifty miraculous healings have been mentioned, then 150, 200, 300, and
so on. Laurentin chose 56 dossiers and sent them to
the 'Bureau medical de Lourdes.' Dr. Mangiapan
responded in their Bulletin, April '84, that these
dossiers have no practical value, and they cannot be used or considered as
serious proofs of the apparitions in Medjugorje. Much has been written about
the healing of Diane Basile. I sent the dossier to
Dr. Mangiapan who studied the case and then took the
position 'opinion plus que reservée.'
It is a case of multiple sclerosis. More will be written about this later in a
book."
5. "The credibility of the 'seers' - Mirjana Dragicevic. One month after the beginning of the
'apparitions' I went to Medjugorje to question the 'seers.' I asked each of
them to take an oath on the cross and demanded that they speak the truth. (This
conversation and oath were recorded on tape.) The first one was Mirjana: 'We went to look for our sheep when at once...'
(The associate pastor interrupted and told me that they actually went out to
smoke, which they hid from their parents.) 'Wait a minute, Mirjana,
you're under oath. Did you go out to look for your sheep?' She put her hand
over her mouth. 'Forgive me, we went out to smoke,' she said. She then showed
me the watch on which the 'miracle' occurred because the hands of the watch had
gone haywire. I took the watch to a watch expert, who said that the watch had
certainly fallen and become disordered. After bringing the watch back to her I
told her not to mention that a miracle occurred. Yet, on cassettes taped later
on, she went to to speak of how a miracle occurred
with the watch and that initially they had gone out to search for their
sheep."
"Later on, she claimed that Our Lady said that all faiths are equal. How
much can we believe Mirjana?"
6. "Vicka Ivankovic
has been the main 'seer' from the beginning and through her the creator of
Medjugorje, Rev. Tomislav Vlasic OFM, has launched the main portion of
falsehoods regarding Medjugorje. He presented himself to the Pope in a letter
May 13, 1984 as follows: 'I am Rev. Tomislav Vlasic, the one, according to
Divine Providence, who guides the seers of Medjugorje.' It would have been
better for him to withdraw into the 'desert' and
remain silent, because his past speaks enough about him. Vicka
spoke and wrote much, and in so doing she fell into many contradictions. Prof.
Nikola Bulai, a member of the first commission,
questioned her and wrote a 60-page study on her. He numbered all the
illogicalities and falsehoods of her diary..."
7. "On the 14th of January 1982 Vicka, Marija, and little Jakov came to
visit me. Vicka began to speak quite nervously
because she was speaking falsehoods. She said, 'Our Lady sent us to you to tell
you that you are too harsh with Franciscans...' In what way?
'We don't know!' Two Franciscan chaplains in Mostar, Ivica Vego and Ivan Prusina, which the bishop sought to remove from Mostar because of disorder and disobedience towards the
faithful of the newly-established cathedral parish in Mostar,
defended themselves before their superiors by saying they would not leave Mostar because Our Lady, through Vicka,
told them not to leave. This was mentioned to me by a member of the Franciscan
Provincial Council."
"I asked Vicka at our meeting: 'Did Our Lady
mention anything about the Mostar chaplains, Vego and Prusina?' 'She did not. We
don't know them,' responded all three. Our conversation lasted 30 minutes, and
I taped all of it. I repeated the question of the chaplains of Mostar several times, and they always responded, 'We don't
know them.' Later on, I found from Vicka's diary that
they knew the chaplains very well. It was clear to me that they were lying, yet
I did not want to mention this to them in order to maintain their confidence
during our conversations."
The above are just a few quotes, they being sufficient to demonstrate that
Medjugorje is not a heavenly manifestation. The Most Rev. Pavao
Zanic, Bishop of Mostar, concluded by saying,
"There are many prayers and pious activities in Medjugorje. Some say that
there have been conversions as well. I have received, indeed, many truly
touching letters, and I feel sorry for those who will sooner or later be
disappointed. But there has also been fanaticism, superstition, and
misinformation in the events of Medjugorje. I have also received many rude
accusations in the mail which I cannot mention, all in the name of the
"Queen of Peace". That which is positive in these events cannot
justify the falsehoods and lies that have been spread in order to win the world
over for God. Jesus said: "I have come into the world to give witness to
the truth" (
"Those who have written about Medjugorje have sold their books well and
have made great profits. Unfortunately, those who have written critically
haven't fared as well because they have come across an organized boycott."
On November 27-28, 1990, during the
meeting at
"On the basis of studies that have been made to this moment, it cannot be
confirmed that supernatural apparitions and revelations are occurring
here."
"Yet, the gathering of faithful from various parts of the world to
Medjugorje, motivated by reasons of faith, requires the pastoral attention and
care of the bishops. Therefore, in the spirit of church communion, our bishops'
conference is willing to assist the diocesan bishop in organizing the pastoral
activity in Medjugorje so that a proper liturgical and sacramental life may be
promoted, and so that manifestations and contents which are not in accord with
the spirit of the church may be prevented and hindered
In October, 1993, the Most Rev. Ratko Peric, Bishop of Mostar
stated,
"But after a few months, when he heard the small fibs and large lies,
insincerities, inexactitudes, and all sorts of fabricated stories from those
who claimed that the Gospa was appearing to them, he became totally convinced
that it was not a matter of supernatural apparitions of the Gospa. Then he
started to bring out the truth and to expose the falsehoods. The greatest
satisfaction of his ten years of hard work was when the bishops of
"The verdict of the Bishops' Conference is for me an authoritative
instruction, responsive, and binding unless another kind of verdict is brought.
But until now there has been no other (ecclesiastical) judgment. In the same
declaration the bishops said that a healthy devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary
necessarily must be in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church and
set about publishing proper liturgical-pastoral directives to that
effect."
"The Church recommends prayer, fasting, penance, reconciliation, and
conversion to each of its members. I do not want to forbid anyone to go
wherever he wants to pray to God. But I cannot approve that from the altar of
the church in Medjugorje the priests themselves advertise 'pilgrimages to the
place of apparitions,' despite the fact that they have simply not been
recognized as supernatural by the church. If, after serious, solid, and professional
investigation, our Bishops' Conference had the courage to declare that Medjugorje's apparitions are not supernatural, in spite of
massive stories and convictions to the contrary, then that is a sign that the
Church, even in the 20th century, 'upholds the truth and keeps it safe' (1 Tim.
3:15). I affirm this unequivocally and I answer it publicly to all those who
have written either anonymous or signed letters to me with contrary
advice...."
On October 11, 1994, at the synod on
the subject of "The Consecrated Life and its Role in the Church and in the
World," the Most Rev. Ratko Peric, Bishop of Mostar appealled to the Holy See
for help regarding "confusion and division" in the diocese.
Bishop Peric stated the following in the presence of the Holy Father. "The
episcopal declaration states: 'On the basis of
investigations to date, it is impossible to confirm that we are dealing with
apparitions and supernatural revelations.' The alleged 'apparitions' create
great confusion and division, and not only in the local Church. We are
therefore waiting for the Holy See to exert its powers to restore and
strengthen the unity of this particular Church."
On March 23, 1996, the Most Rev. Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote a letter to Most Rev. Leon
Taverdet, bishop of Langres.
"
"Your Excellency, "
"In your letter of February 14, 1996 you inquired what is the present
position of the Church regarding the alleged "apparitions in
Medjugorje" and whether it is permitted to the Catholic faith to go there
for pilgrimage. "
"In reference to that it is my honor to make known to you that, regarding
the authenticity of the apparitions in question, the Bishops of the former Yugoslavia
confirmed in their Declaration of April 10, 1991 published in Zadar: '. . .On the basis of investigation up till now it
cannot be established that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and
revelations. However, the numerous gatherings of the faithful from different
parts of the world, who are coming to Medjugorje prompted both by motives of
belief and certain other motives, require the attention and pastoral care in
the first place of the bishop of the diocese and of the other bishops with him
so that in Medjugorje and everything related to it a healthy devotion toward
the Blessed Virgin Mary would be promoted in conformity with the teaching of
the Church."
"For that purpose the bishops shall issue separate appropriate
liturgical-pastoral directives. Likewise by means of their Commission they
shall further follow and investigate the total event in Medjugorje."
The result from this in what is precisely said is that official pilgrimages to
Medjugorje, understood as a place of authentic Marian apparitions, are not
permitted to be organized either on the parish or on the diocesan level,
because that would be in contradiction to what the Bishops of former Yugoslavia
affirmed in their forementioned Declaration."
"Kindly accept, your Excellency, an expression of my profoundly devoted
affection! "
"+ Tarcisio Bertone"
On June 19, 1996, the director of
the Holy See Press Office, (
OP/MEDJUGORJE/NAVARRO-VALLS
This extract from an interview with Mgr. Ratko Peric,
Bishop of Mostar, by Yves Chiron was published in Présent, 25 January 1997. The interviewer was particularly
anxious to obtain clarification from the Bishop concerning the claim by
propagandists for Medjugorje that superior authorities in the Church will
overturn the verdict --non constat de supernaturalitate (that there is no evidence of any
supernatural happenings at Medjugorje).
Chiron: "The last official Church document concerning the events at
Medjugorje is the declaration published at Zadar on
10 April 1991, by the members of the Episcopal Conference of Yugoslavia. This
declaration stated in particular: "On the basis of studies conducted so
far it cannot be affirmed that supernatural apparitions and revelations are
occurring. 'It is almost six years since this judgement was published, is it still valid?'"
Bishop Peric: 'The judgement of the Church is the
same and it is still valid. There is no fact, argument, affirmation or miracle
which proves that there is a case of "apparitions or supernatural
revelations.'"
On May 16, 1997, Rev. Ante Luburic, Chancellor, Diocese of Mostar,
made a statement regarding Medjugorje, a place of religious disorder,
disobedience, and anti- ecclesiastical activity. Quoting parts of the
statement,
"More than ten Franciscan priests
do not have canonical faculties to hear confessions in the Diocese of
"More than forty Franciscans have not received the necessary faculties to
work pastorally in
"Many Religious communities are living and working in the parish of
Medjugorje without the permission of Church authorities, such as: 'Beatitudes,'
'Kralijice, mira, potpuno tvoji,' 'Cenacolo,' 'Oasi di pace,' and 'Franjevke pomocnice svecnika.' Hence,
Medjugorje has become a place of Religious disorder, disobedience and
anti-ecclesiastical activity."
"In Medjugorje, the periodical 'Glad mira'
and 'Press Bulletin' are published without the necessary permission from Church
authorities. These same periodicals proclaim the 'authenticity of the
apparitions' and speak of the 'shrine' even through no responsible Church
statement has ever claimed 'authenticity' nor proclaimed any 'shrine.'"
"Hence, these are some of the "fruits" of those who are using
Medjugorje to 'sell shady peace' to the world, and who have hardened themselves
in their disobedience towards the Holy See and the Franciscan charism."
On October 2, 1997, writing to
Thierry Boutet, the editor of Famille
Chrétienne, Most Rev. Peric, Bishop of Mostar states,
Prot.: 1267/97
"I am answering your letter of September 29, 1997 received by fax from the
Nunciature of Sarajevo."
"4. 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.
On May 26, 1998, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary,
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote to Bishop Gilbert Aubry, Bishop of Saint-Denis on
"On that account - whereas I consider it impossible to respond to all of
the questions put by your Excellency - I am anxious above all to make clear
that it is not the practice of the Holy See to assume, in the first instance, a
position of its own regarding supposed supernatural phenomena. This Dicastery, therefore, in what concerns the credibility of the
"apparitions" in question, limits itself simply to what has already
been established by the Bishops of the former Yugoslavia in the Zadar Declaration of 10 April 1991: "... On the basis
of the investigations conducted to this point, it is not possible to affirm
that it is a case of apparitions or of supernatural revelations"."
On July 21, 1998, the Most Rev. Ratko Peric, Bishop of Mostar,
wrote regarding visits to unauthentic apparitions:
"Regarding 'pilgrimages to Medjugorje of a private nature', the Congregation
maintains that they are allowed 'under the condition that they are not
considered an authentication of events still going on, which demand further
investigations by the Church'. Hence, nothing new here.
Official or church pilgrimages are not allowed, nor are 'private' visits
allowed that have the intent of proving that the so-called 'apparitions' and
alleged 'messages' are authentic! Therefore the official position of the local
Bishop is the same official position of the Bishops' Conference of 1991.
And both priests and the faithful as Catholics should adhere to this position!
On June 15, 2006, the Bishop of
Medjugorje stated in his homily:
III. – “Apparitions”. First of all, the fact that a
person makes a humble Confession and receives Holy Communion in this parish
church and that this person feels spiritually well due to God’s forgiveness,
each and every believer will recognize and give due praise to God for this, who
is the source of all graces. At the same time, this person will take care not
to proceed from this state of grace towards an illogical and inconsistent
conclusion: “I made a Confession. I feel good and now I am converted. Therefore
the Madonna is appearing in Medjugorje!” This type of believer and penitent is
nonetheless obliged to go to confession, receive the other sacraments, observe
the Commandments, whether any private apparitions are recognized or not.
Secondly, I would be an irresponsible minister of the Mystery of the Body and
Blood of
Thirdly, I am truly grateful to the Holy Father the Pope, to
1 - Medjugorje is a catholic parish in which liturgical and pastoral activities
are carried out, just as in all the other parishes of this diocese of Mostar-Duvno. No-one except the official Church authorities
is then authorized to attribute the formal title of “shrine” to this place.
2 - On the basis of Church investigations of the events of Medjugorje, it
cannot be determined that these events involve supernatural apparitions or
revelations. This means that till now the Church has not
accepted, neither as supernatural nor as Marian, any of the apparitions.
3 - Priests who canonically
4 - The Catholic faithful are not only free from any obligation to believe in
the authenticity of the “apparitions” but they must also know that church
pilgrimages are not allowed, whether official or private, individual or group,
or from other parishes, if they presuppose the authenticity of the
“apparitions” or if by undertaking them attempt to certify these “apparitions”.
5 - As the local Bishop, I maintain that regarding the events of Medjugorje, on
the basis of the investigations and experience gained thus far, throughout
these last 25 years, the Church has not confirmed a single “apparition” as
authentically being the Madonna. The fact that during these 25 years there has
been talk of tens of thousands of “apparitions” does not contribute any
authenticity to these events, which according to the words of our current Pope,
who I encountered during an audience on 24 February this year, commented that
at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith they always questioned how
all these “apparitions” could be considered authentic for the Catholic
faithful. They particularly do not seem to be authentic when it is known
beforehand that these so-called “apparitions” will occur:
To one of the “seers” on the 18th of March every year, but along with this she
will also receive an “apparition” on the 2nd of each month, with “messages”
which you can expect, according to the established procedures;
The second will receive an apparition on every day of the year, and if this
were not enough, an added special “apparition” on the 25th of each month along
with a type of press release, which once again you can foresee and expect;
The third will receive an “apparition” on the 25th of December, on
The fourth will receive an “apparition” on the 8th of September every year
along with a specific message;
The remaining two will receive the same, every day along with “messages” that
can be anticipated since they are variations on the same theme. This fact and
the flood of so-called apparitions, messages, secrets and signs, do not
strengthen the faith, but rather further convince us that in all of this there
is nothing neither authentic nor established as truthful.
Therefore I responsibly call upon those who claim themselves to be “seers”, as
well as those persons behind the “messages”, to demonstrate ecclesiastical
obedience and to cease with these public manifestations and messages in this
parish. In this fashion they shall show their necessary adherence to the
Church, by neither placing private “apparitions” nor private sayings before the
official position of the Church. Our faith is a serious and responsible matter.
The Church is also a serious and responsible institution!
Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the greatest possessor of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who through the same Holy Spirit conceived in her
body and gave birth to the Second person of the Trinity, Jesus
September 3, 2008. [Source:
dailymail.co.uk]
Pope finally launches crackdown on world's largest illicit Catholic shrine and
suspends 'dubious' priest.
“The Pope has begun a crackdown on the world’s largest illicit Catholic shrine
– by suspending the priest at the centre of claims that the Virgin Mary has
appeared more than 40,000 times.
Benedict XVI has authorised
‘severe cautionary and disciplinary measures’ against Father Tomislav Vlasic,
the former ‘spiritual director’ to six children who said Our Lady was appearing
to them at Medjugorje in
The Franciscan priest has been suspended after he refused to cooperate into
claims of scandalous sexual immorality ‘aggravated by mystical motivations’.
He has also been accused of ‘the diffusion of dubious doctrine, manipulation of
consciences, suspected mysticism and disobedience towards legitimately issued
orders’, and is suspected of heresy and schism.
Father Vlasic was a central figure in promoting the apparitions that allegedly
began in 1981 and continue to this day.
In 1984 he boasted to Pope
But the Bosnian cleric later took a back seat when it emerged that he had
fathered a child with a nun called Sister Rufina, and
that he refused to leave his order to marry her but instead begged her not to
expose him.
Father Vlasic then moved to
Medjugorje has grown to become the most visited unauthorised
Catholic shrine in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims a
year, including many from the
But the local bishops are convinced the claims are bogus and in 2006 complained
directly to Pope Benedict.
This led to a
The decree confirming his suspension was signed with the Pope’s approval by
Cardinal William Levada, head of CDF, and Father Jose
Carballo, the Minister General of the Franciscan
Minor Order.
It confines Father Vlasic to a Francisan monastery in
He is banned from making public appearances, preaching and hearing confessions
and he will be required to make a solemn profession of the Catholic faith.
The
The action was taken earlier this year but was made public this week by the
Bishop of Mostar, Ratko
Peric, at the request of the
Father Vlasic is the second spiritual adviser to the seers to be suspended from
his ministry. The other, Father Jozo Zovko, was suspended by Bishop Peric in
2004.
It represents a massive blow to millions of Medjugorje followers worldwide who
were hoping that the
Earlier this year, Italian Bishop Andrea Gemma denounced
the Medjugorje claims as the ‘work of the Demon’ and predicted that ‘soon the
The phenomenon began on 25 June 1981 when six children – Mirjana
Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Ivanka Ivankovic and Jakov Colo – told a priest they
had seen the Virgin on a hillside near their town.
Three Church commissions failed to find evidence to support their claims and
the bishops of the former
In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to
the site, but this has been widely ignored.
Instead the seers have grown wealthy as a result of their claims – and so has
their town, which has boomed as a result of the ‘Madonna gold rush’.
Some today own smart executive houses with immaculate gardens, double garages
and security gates, and one has a tennis court.
They also own expensive cars and have married – one of them, Ivan Dragicevic, to an American former beauty queen.”
On June 6, 2009, during the
celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Parish of Medjugorje, the
Bishop of Mostar stated:
"Finally, a word or two on our local situation. From the 17th to the 24th
of January this year I was in
"I therefore stand by everything I said and dutifully demanded from this
very place three years ago: from the Franciscan fathers who are the pastoral
ministers of this parish, from the parishioners and other faithful, as well as
from the so-called seers; that the presumed daily apparitions, known as the
“phenomenon of Medjugorje”, have not been declared as authentic by the Church.
Not even after the investigations of various commissions nor
after 28 years of media hype. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we cannot behave
as if these “apparitions” are authentic and approved. If as Catholics, loyal
sons and daughters of the Church, we wish to live according to Church norms and
teachings, glorifying the Holy Trinity, venerating the B. V. Mary ever Virgin,
the Immaculate Conception, the Mother of God who was Assumed in heaven and wish
to confess all that the Church teaches us in the Creed, then we need not search
for alternative “apparitions” and “messages” whose character the Church has not
acknowledged as supernatural!
REVIEW
CONCLUSION
Based on what has been said, the Catholic Church has proclaimed,
1. The supernaturality is not proven (meaning there
is nothing heavenly about Medjugorje.)
2. The non-supernaturality is proven (meaning what
appears to be supernatural is the result of human manipulation for the purpose
of fame and wealth.)
3. As previously said, official or church pilgrimages are not allowed, nor are
'private' visits allowed that have the intent of proving that the so-called
'apparitions' and alleged 'messages' are authentic!
4. The fruits of the alleged 'apparitions' of Medjugorje have been those of
great confusion and division, and not only in the local Church. Such IS NOT,
AND CANNOT BE of God!
5. The alleged "seers" have been proven to lie over and over during
the investigations of the commissions appointed by the Catholic Church. Such IS
NOT, AND CANNOT BE of God!
6. As mentioned above, one of the "seers" claimed that Our Lady said
that all faiths are equal. Such IS NOT, AND CANNOT BE of God! SUCH A DOCTRINE
IS NOT CATHOLIC!
Regarding the necessity of the Catholic Church for salvation, the Catechism of
the Catholic Chuch states,
846 "How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the
Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes
from
The above is sufficient to prove that the faithful would achieve greater
spiritual growth by attending authentic approved Shrines such as those at