After many years of waiting Vatican issued an official letter in which he took a stance on the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje. This one is said to have appeared to the so-called six seers from June 1981 to the present day and conveyed her messages to them.
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of Pope Francis, assessed the messages from Medjugorje. Interia has familiarized itself with the note prepared by the Holy See. The document has 42 points and speaks primarily about the “fruits” of what has happened over the decades in the Bosnian town and whether it did not contradict the teaching of the Church.
Vatican: Should say “alleged”
The Vatican emphasizes that it has not ruled on whether the apparitions are supernatural in nature. However, from reading the documents it follows that The Holy See has reservations on this issue.
The document shows that although the Church positively evaluates the fruits of what is happening in Medjugorjethis is not equivalent to “recognizing alleged supernatural events as authentic”. Similar words are said in the context of the messages of Our Lady. The Vatican says directly: “when one speaks of messages (…), one should always mean alleged messages”. Although the Church assesses most of the messages as edifying.
However, the document shows that the Vatican has reservations about some of them. “It is worth being careful so that these few, confusing elements do not overshadow the beauty of the whole,” we read in the note. The content of these messages can lead to “misunderstandings” that can lead smaller groups to distort “spiritual experience.” Especially if they are read selectively, the Vatican warns.
The faithful must be careful
The Holy See warns that the faithful must be “careful and cautious” in interpreting and spreading alleged messages”. What exactly is this about? Problematic are the messages in which the Virgin Mary says: “my plan”, “my project”. This is what results from the messages from 2004 and 2005. According to the Vatican, these words “can be misleading”. The Church points out that what Mary does is always subordinated to God's plan – and not her own.
The Holy See emphasizes that “the messages as a whole have a strong theocentric accent.” Therefore, those from 2004 and 2005 should be placed in a broader context.
In some of the messages, the Mother of God, in turn, insistently promotes listening to his messages. So often that it obscures the content of the messages themselves, the Vatican commission points out. In addition, Mary gives instructions regarding dates, places, practical matters and makes decisions in ordinary matters. For example, those regarding the celebration of her birthday.
Although there are not many such messages, the Church suggests that the faithful should be guided by “prudence and common sense, not to take these details seriously or attach importance to them.” Additionally, the Vatican explains that such messages can be explained by “the personal wishes of the alleged seers.”
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The Seer
In the document, the Church also indirectly addresses the issue of the so-called six seers, to whom Mary allegedly appears with varying frequency. The Vatican points out that if someone goes on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, should not focus on the meeting with “alleged seers”. Instead, he should meet the “Queen of Peace” and Christ through meditation and the Eucharist.
The Vatican emphasizes that it does not judge the moral lives of alleged seers and that “spiritual gifts do not necessarily require moral perfection of the persons involved in order to function.”
The Holy See noted the positive impact of the place on pilgrims, pointing to numerous conversions, a return to the sacraments, vocations and “numerous cases of reconciliation between spouses and the renewal of marital and family life”. The Vatican adds, however, that it has nothing to do with participating in meetings with “seers in order to participate in alleged apparitions.”
Positive message from Medjugorje
The Church ultimately assessed the message from Medjugorje positively. “Positive fruits are manifested primarily as the promotion of a healthy practice of living the faith,” the note said. It added that “there were no negative or risky results among God's people.” Finally, the so-called nothing stands in the way (Latin: “nothing stands in the way”) for the piety and spiritual experience resulting from the visit to Medjugorje.
The Vatican points out that even if there are different opinions about the authenticity of some reports from the Bosnian town, the church authorities are called upon to “appreciate the pastoral values”.
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Medjugorje: Pope Francis did not hide his skepticism
Medjugorje is a small town located about 100 kilometers from Sarajevo. According to the message, from June 1981 until today, Mary has been appearing to the so-called six seers. When the apparitions began, they were all teenagers. Some of them are said to have apparitions every day, some only once a year. In her messages, the Mother of God is said to address issues such as: peace (she calls herself the Queen of Peace – editor's note), a call to conversion, fasting, following Christ, and encourages reading the Holy Scriptures.
In 2017, Pope Francis did not hide his skepticism during a press conference. “I am personally more cynical. I prefer a Madonna who is the Mother of God, not a telegraph office manager who sends messages every day at a certain time. This is not the Mother of Jesus,” the Pope declared. And these alleged current apparitions do not have much value. This is my personal opinion, Francis said.
Want to talk to the author? Write: dawid.serafin@firma.interia.pl