Medjugorje and Vatican

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the assent of Pope Francis, grants approval for devotion linked to Medjugorje, recognizing the abundant spiritual fruits received at the Sanctuary of the Queen of Peace without making a declaration on the supernatural character of the Marian apparitions.

As the Dicastery for the Docrine of the Faith announces its approval for devotion linked to Medjugorje, Mons. Armando Matteo, the Dicastery’s Secretary, reviews the timeline of various commissions and bishops’ statements regarding the alleged apparitions at the Shrine.

The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith presents the document “The Queen of Peace” on the spiritual experience in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje, saying Pope Francis’ approval is based on the pastoral reality and not evaluations about its supernatural nature.

At a conference dedicated to the deepening of the new “Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for proceeding in the discernment of alleged supernatural phenomena”, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández clarified some parts of the document “The Queen of Peace” about the spiritual experience in the Herzegovinian Marian shrine, writes Vatican News.

Vatican News Editorial Director says Pope Francis' approval for Medjugorje was made possible thanks to the recognition of the positive fruits of the spiritual experience lived in that place, along with the pastoral approach of the Pope.

By the Bishops of Tuscany

During the "ad limina Apostolorum” visit of Bishops of the Region of Tuscany, from April 16-20, 2007 we had a meeting at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the Secretary Monsignor Angelo Amato, who, while talking with us about the apparitions of Medjugorje, invited us to make public the homily of the Bishop of Mostar of June 15, 2006 given at St. James Parish in Medjugorje (see below), to make clear the religious phenomenon connected to this place.

Here are the latest standards (1978) on Marian apparitions. They contain only two formulas: one which acknowledges the supernatural and one which rejects it

A Vatican Insider article dedicated to the work of the Committee on the apparitions of Medjugorje, presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, has provoked some quite varied reactions.

The article stated that in addition to the positive formula (“constat de supernaturalitate”, established as supernatural) and the decidedly negative one ("constat de non supernaturalitate, “It is established that there is nothing supernatural here”), there is also an intermediate formula (“non constat de supernaturalitate”, there is nothing supernatural here). In fact, the latest available standards published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1978, the result of a decision by the former Holy Office discussed four years previously, only covers the first and third formulations set out above. The first case gives an affirmative answer to the question of supernatural events. In the second case ("no constat de ...") the answer is negative.

By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When the bishop of Green Bay, Wis., recently recognized a series of Marian apparitions from 1859, it marked the first time apparitions in the United States received official approval.

That's quite an achievement considering that more than 1,500 visions of Mary have been reported around the world, but in the past century only nine cases have received official church approval as being "worthy of belief," said an expert in Marian apparitions.

Interview about 1978 document written by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), concerning guidelines for Catholic Bishops in discerning claims to private revelation such as apparitions.

VATICAN CITY, 13 APR 2010 (VIS) - Press Office of the Holy See

The International Investigative Commission on Medjugorje met for its first session on 26 March 2010.

The Commission, presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, His Holiness' vicar general emeritus for the diocese of Rome, is composed of the following members:

Archbishop Allessandro D’Errico, Apostolic Nuncio to Bosnia and Herzegovina, gave statement about Medjugorje on March 18th at the end of 48th Bishop’s Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the statement broadcasted by Radio Mir Medjugorje, he amongst other things said: “Whenever I would meet Holy Father, he was always very much interested in Medjugorje. He was involved in everything, starting with the time when he was Head of Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. He is aware that this is the issue of special importance, and he, as supreme authority of the Church, needs to give his precise statement about that matter. Holy Father is very much familiar with Medjugorje phenomenon; he even mentioned that to me personally. He knows about great deeds which are done in this territory by the priests, religious, franciscans, lay people. On the other side he asks himself how come there are such opposed information about that phenomenon.

Vatican City, Mar 17, 2010 / 09:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A statement was released by the Holy See on Wednesday confirming the formation of a commission to investigate the “phenomenon” of Medjugorje.

We translated the following excerpt from the Italian original "90 years since the first apparition at Fatima, interview with Cardinal Bertone" to English, which was published in the most widespread Catholic weekly magazine in Italy, Famiglia Cristiana (number 19/2007).

According to the oldest American Catholic newspaper, National Catholic Register, a Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith official has denied a vademecum (booklet, guide, handbook, manual or similar type of document) is being prepared about how the Catholic Church and bishops should deal with alleged Marian apparitions and visions, such as are those at Medjugorje.

For ten years now, the statue of Gospa in the town of Civitavecchia is weeping tears of blood

An interview with Mons. Girolamo Grillo from Civitavecchia – “The tree can be recognised by its fruits”, quotes Bishop Girolamo Grillo the words of Jesus from the Gospel, when somebody asks him about Gospa weeping tears of blood in the town of Civitavecchia. A little statue of Our Lady bought in Medjugorje more than ten years ago started to weep tears of blood about ten years ago, in the village of Pantano, near the town of Civitavecchia, 60 km from Rome.

• The Pope Benedict XVI is not against Medjugorje
• Cardinal Ratzinger spoke in an inspired way about Medjugorje

• Medjugorje in Light of the Pope's visit to Sarajevo
• The Pope, Medjugorje and the Provincial of the Hercegovina Franciscans
• The President of Croatia, Medjugorje and the Pope
• Statements of Pope John Paul II about Medjugorje
• Pope John Paul II wrote positively about Medjugorje
• Our Lady about Pope John Paul II

A pope’s first encyclical is said to be programmatic, a kind of manifesto of the style that Peter’s successor desires giving to the Church during his pontificate. And how could one not see in the title of Pope Benedict’s document the will to begin from the foundation of Christianity: God is love (1Jn 4:16), so that this humanity ever more divided amid the sea of options proposed by society might be shown the tracks that lead to God.

Benedict concludes his Encyclical with praise for Mary, “Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness.” To Mary, who knitted love into every moment of her life, who became the mother of Love, are dedicated the last words of his letter on love. His words are full of grace and tender love for the little woman of Nazareth.