For the first time, the Vatican speaks out

The Vatican has spoken. The “nihil obstat” (“nothing stands in the way”) published on Thursday, September 19, on the events of Medjugorje constitutes a point of reference clarifying the questions and debates that have accumulated over the past 43 years around the alleged apparitions of Medjugorje. In line with the “New Norms for the Discernment of Supernatural Phenomena” published last May, the “Note on the Spiritual Experience of Medjugorje”, under the title of “The Queen of Peace”, does not pronounce on the substance of the event (were there apparitions of the Virgin Mary?), but exercises a discernment based on the spiritual benefits experienced by the pilgrims and on the “alleged messages” of the Virgin Mary, that is, delivered by the “visionaries”: “by the no objection concerning a spiritual event, the faithful are allowed to adhere to it in a prudent manner. Although this does not imply a declaration of the supernatural character of the phenomenon in question, and recalling that the faithful are not obliged to believe in it, the no objection indicates that they can receive a positive stimulation for their Christian life through this spiritual proposal and authorizes public worship.”

The fruits of pilgrimages

Since six young Croats claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary on the hill of Podbdro, crowds of pilgrims have been coming to the village in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which has become a city welcoming 1.5 to 2 million visitors a year, despite the negative judgement of the successive bishops of Mostar, on which the parish depends. The statement presented by Cardinal Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), lists the good fruits of the pilgrimages: “the abundant conversions, the frequent return to sacramental practice (Eucharist and reconciliation), the many vocations to the priestly, religious and conjugal life, the deepening of the life of faith, a more intense practice of prayer, many reconciliations between spouses and the renewal of conjugal and family life.” But this positive assessment “does not imply declaring the alleged supernatural events authentic”, it only allows “to underline that ‘in the midst’ of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje, the Holy Spirit acts in a fruitful way for the good of the faithful”.

Are the messages from the seers from Mary?

As for the words delivered by the “alleged seers,” they must be considered “edifying texts,” but not “private revelations,” “since it cannot be determined that they are messages from Our Lady,” Cardinal Fernández specifies. These words must be considered as a whole, centered on the title of Mary as “Queen of Peace,” where the Virgin “does not place herself at the center, but shows herself fully oriented toward our union with God.” The note draws attention to the easily erroneous interpretation of some messages that put reprimands and threats in the mouth of the Virgin Mary, or when she seems to take the direction of the parish. “The messages of the Virgin cannot and must not take the place of the parish priest, the pastoral council and the synodal work of the community for decisions that are the object of community discernment,” the statement emphasizes. “Also problematic are the messages that attribute to Our Lady the expressions ‘my plan’, ‘my project’… in reality, everything Mary does is always at the service of the Lord’s project,” the text states. From now on, the new messages delivered by those who present themselves as visionaries will have to be reread by the Pope’s delegate in Medjugorje, Msgr. Cavalli, who will authorize or not their publication.

What does the Vatican say about psychics?

“The conclusions of this Note do not imply a judgment on the moral life of the alleged seers,” the text begins, because “charismatic gifts that can be linked to a spiritual experience do not necessarily require perfection.” This clarification alludes to criticisms made about the conduct of some of the seers. The statement ignores the fact that three out of six of them say they have benefited from a daily apparition for 43 years. The attention of pilgrims must be refocused on Christ and the sacraments: “People who go to Medjugorje must be strongly encouraged to accept that pilgrimages are not made to meet presumed visionaries, but to meet Mary, Queen of Peace, and, faithful to the love she has for her Son, to meet Christ and listen to him in meditation on the Word, in participation in the Eucharist and in Eucharistic adoration. As happens in so many shrines throughout the world, where the Virgin Mary is venerated under the most diverse titles.”

Are the apparitions authentic?

While the Vatican has avoided commenting on the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions, Cardinal Fernandez mentioned the assessment made by the commission of inquiry appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008. Delivered less than a year after the election of Pope Francis, the report (2014) of this commission chaired by Cardinal Ruini has not been published, but its positive assessment of the events of the first week had been leaked. Cardinal Fernandez quoted the passage in question, voted by twelve votes to one of the experts: “During the first seven apparitions between June 24 and July 3, 1981, the young people who were of sound mind, were not influenced by anyone and acknowledged having seen Our Lady entrusting them with messages of conversion and penance. This means that the devotion that arose in Medjugorje has a supernatural origin.” But the six visionaries say they continue to benefit from apparitions.

The Vatican, taking note of the complexity of evaluating supernatural phenomena, has renounced, except in exceptional cases reserved for the Pope, any declaration of authenticity. Is it a coincidence that the date of September 19 was chosen to publish the complex discernment on the events of Medjugorje? In France, the Church celebrates Our Lady of La Salette on this day, in memory of the apparition to two shepherds on the mountain of La Salette, in 1846, the first apparition to have been officially recognized, by the Bishop of Grenoble, on September 19, 1851.

To read the statement of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: Mary Queen of Peace. Note on the spiritual experience linked to Medjugorje