Medjugorje

Shrine in Medjugorge

Međugorje ([ˈmɛdʑu.ɡɔːrjɛ], roughly meh’-joo-gor-yeh) is a town located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, around 25 km southwest of Mostar and near the border of Croatia. The town has become well-known due to apparitions of the Virgin Mary, reportedly seen by six local children beginning on June 24, 1981. It is said that a vision appeared nightly to four of the original six children present, during which time ten "secrets" of future events were revealed. These apparitions are still controversial within the Catholic Church and while some authorities believe in them, they have not been officially accepted.

When word spread of these visions, millions flocked to the town for healing and absolution. The site of the visions, Podbrdo of Mount Crnica, has become known as "Apparition Hill". However, it is nearby Mt. Krizevac that has prominence for pilgrims and where many miracles are reported to occur. The civil war of the early 1990s caused the number of visitors to decline, though it continues to be a popular pilgrimage destination for the faithful.

The name Međugorje is of Slavic origin and translates as "area between two mountains". At an altitude of 200 meters above sea level, it has a mild Mediterranean climate. The town consists of an ethnically-homogeneous Bosnian Catholic population of over 4000, and the Catholic Parish consists of five neighboring villages; Medjugorje, Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci.

Overview

A Marian apparition is an event in which the Mary, the mother of Jesus is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more persons regardless of their religious faith. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition. They have been interpreted in psychological terms as pareidolia, and in religious terms as theophanies. Apparitions sometimes recur at the same site over an extended period of time. In the majority of Marian apparitions only a few people can see Mary.

On June 24, 1981, while on the hill of Podbrdo in Medjugorje, six teenagers - two boys and four girls - saw a vision of the Blessed Mother holding the infant Jesus. The following day, four of those six children felt drawn to return to the site, where they again saw the Mother, this time with her arms empty. Word quickly spread and hundreds, then thousands, began gathering daily at the site. This prompted the communist authorities to declare the situation dangerous, and they began harassing the children in an attempt to prevent their return to the site.

The children, Ivan, Ivanka, Jakov, Mirjana, Marija, and Vicka, determined to continue what they believed to be divine visitations, requested protection from their parish priest, Father Jozo Zovko O.F.M of St. James Church. Father Jozo allowed them to use a room to the side of the sanctuary, later moving to the rectory, where they continued to receive the apparitions. Bishop Zanic forbid them use of the rectory in September 1987, at which time they moved to the choir loft of St. James. Apparitions are reportedly seen in this location by the visionaries to this day.

In the history of the Roman Catholic Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared in apparition many times throughout the ages, the most recognizable names being Guadalupe (Mexico), La Sallette, and Lourdes (France), Knock (Ireland) and Fatima (Portugal). But never in recorded Marian history has she appeared daily for so long a period of time, to so many chosen visionaries, with such profound global results as in Medjugorje. However, in 1992 the republic's Roman Catholic bishops declared that evidence was lacking to confirm that the apparitions were divinely inspired and attempted to forbid visitations to the site.

Appearance and messages

Diary of the beginning

Cross on Mt.Krizevac, the site of many reported miracles, near Apparition Hill, Medjurgorje.

These are the reports of the six witnesses, who have not only been tested and examined, but have sworn under oath the veracity of their experiences with the Blessed Virgin Mary, known affectionately as "Gospa".

First day

On June 24, 1981 six youth, Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković,Ivan Dragićević, Ivan Ivanković and Milka Pavlović, reported seeing what they described as "an incredibly beautiful young woman with a little child in her arms". Though she didn't speak, she gestured them nearer. They immediately this to be a visit from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Second day

The following day the group decided to return to the site of the previous day's visitation, the area of Crnica hill known as Podbrdo, at the same time of day, 6:00 p.m. Following a flash of light, they looked up and saw her again, this time without the child. The children approached and dropped to their knees in prayer. After the prayer she began to speak with the children. This event was agreed to be "indescribable" by those present.

On this particular day, two of the children from the previous day, Ivan Ivanković and Milka Pavlović, were not with them but were replaced by two others: Marija Pavlović and Jakov Čolo. This group of six from the second day of visitation report that Our Lady regularly appears to them. Milka Pavlović and Ivan Ivanković, from the first day, have reported only sporadic visitations since that time.

Third day

Having been told that she would come again the next day, the children set off to Podbrdo, again at 6:00 in the evening. While still enroute, they saw a light flash three times and Mary again appeared. She suddenly disappeared, but reappeared as the group began to pray. Having been advised to bring holy water "to make sure that it was not of Satan", Vicka splashed it in the direction of the vision saying, “If you are Our Blessed Mother, please stay, and if you are not, go away from us". When Mirjana asked her name, she replied, “I am the Blessed Virgin Mary". As they descended the hill, Our Lady appeared one more time, saying, “Peace, peace, peace and only peace. Peace must reign between man and God, and between all people!”

Fourth day

Our Lady appeared three times to the children on the fourth day. This time, the children felt free to converse freely, asking many questions and receiving advice and guidance in return. By this time, the visionaries had begun to be accused of lying and of taking drugs. Our Lady encouraged them with "Do not be afraid of anything".

Fifth day

By this time large crowds began gathering. By noon of the fifth day there were reported to be about 15,000 people. Our Lady came and went many times that day. At one point, the children asked her why she didn't appear in the Parish Church for everyone to see. She replied," Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe". On the same day, the Parish Priest, Fr. Jozo Zovko, examined the children on what they had seen and heard in the previous days.

Sixth day

The children were taken to the nearby city of Mostar for medical examinations after which they were proclaimed "healthy". The chief examinging doctor reportedly stated, "The children aren't crazy, the person who brought them here must be though."

The crowds on "Apparition Hill" that day were greater than ever, and the first reported miracle occurred. Daniel Šetka had come with her parents to the site with the express purpose of healing. Our Lady exhorted the parents to pray, fast and believed. The child thereupon was healed.

Seventh day

On this day, the children were tricked into going a distance by vehicle "to be able to stroll in peace". However, while traveling they didn't fell right and demanded to be let out of the car. Immediately, Our Lady drew near to them from the direction of Podbrdo, which by this time was over a kilometer away. This gave them confidence in continued visitations, no matter the location.

Subsequent visits

Soon following, the police began to hinder the children and pilgrims enroute to Podbrdo; eventually attendance at this site was forbidden as it was deemed a "danger". However, Our Lady continued to appear to them in secret places, in their homes and in the fields.

Since they could no longer visit Apparition Hill, as it had come to be called, the Parish Priest began to host the pilgrims in the Church, enabling them to participate in the rosary and to celebrate the Eucharist. At times the children received visitions there. Though the priest's original motivation had been purely of kindness rather than belief, he eventually became their defender after having experienced a visitation himself. He testified his support of the apparitions, even to the point of serving a prison sentence.

Beginning in January 1982, the children utilized a closed off area of the Parish Church for safety reasons. In April 1985 the Diocesan Bishop stepped in and prohibited the church's use, so the children began to gather in a room in the Parish house.

From the orinal visitation until today, there have only been five days when none of the children saw Our Lady. She has not, however, limited her visitations according to locations or people gathered. The length of the visits have also varied, from minutes to an hour.

The apparitions in Medjugorje have appeared in various places in or near the city, to people of different age, stature, race, education and walks of life. They have occured at previously specified times, or unexpectedly. This has led the faithful to believe that the apparitions are not a product of the imagination but real visits.

The six visionaries who gathered on the second day of visitation are now adults. They have continued to daily communicate with the Holy Mother, following the guidance and messages they receive from her.

The messages

The six children - the visionaries - have given testimony to the receipt of a series of messages given by the Holy Mother. Though many messages have been received, they can be summarized into five basic themes. They were instructed to convey these messages to the people. The theme of the messages follow.

Peace

The first message given on the third day of visitation was "Peace, peace, peace and only peace! Peace must reign between God and man and between people". Many of her messages have continued this theme. While appearing in Medjugorje, she specifically refers to herself as the "Queen of Peace".

Faith

On the fourth, fifth and sixth day of apparitions, those present were exhorted to have strong faith. This message has been repeated many, with the admonition that without faith we cannot arrive at peace. Our Lady has continually stressed the importance of faith on every occasion and charged the visionaries to bring the light of faith to others. Faith has been stressed as a solution to every problem. an She presented it as the pre-requisite of all prayer, desires and demands, relating it to health, wholeness and to all other human necessities.

Conversion

This has been the content of many messages. However, the conversion she speaks of is explained not as a conversion to a particular religious persuasion, but the conversion of the heart. True conversion means the purifying or cleansing of the heart.

Prayer

On the fifth day of apparitions Our Lady began counseling those gathered to pray. "Pray without ceasing." Prayer stimulates and strengthens one's faith, bringing order to the relationship with God.

Fasting

On the sixth day of the apparitions, Our Lady began recommending fasting for its aid to faith. Fasting strenghtens ones domination of himself, resulting in true freedom and ability to surrender to God.

A summary of the messages received from the Holy Mother is that peace is the ultimate goal. The accomplishment of that peace is most easily attainable through the practices of faith (confidence), conversion (internal change), prayer (communion with God) and fasting (self-discipline).

Duties given to the Visionaries

The six visionaries who have been in near-daily contact with the since 1981, have each received a specific area in which to focus their prayers. These "intentions" are:

During the course of time, The Blessed Mother has made known to each of the Visionaries secrets of a time yet to come. There is no indication from the Visionaries whether these secrets foretell wonderful or tragic happenings. And that's the way Gospa wishes it should be. As Mirjana has said, "Secrets are secrets." Each Visionary will receive a total of 10 secrets and upon hearing the tenth, they will no longer receive daily apparitions from Gospa, rather, they will see her annually. Mirjana, the first to receive ten secrets sees her annually on her birthday, March 18th. Ivanka receives her yearly apparition on June 24th, the anniversary of the first apparition. Jakov receives his annual apparition on December 25th. Vicka, Ivan and Marija are still receiving daily apparitions.

The ten secrets

The Web site Overview of Medjugorje claims that, in addition to the messages, the Virgin Mary promised to confide to each of the six visionaries ten "secrets" on future events, some of which concern the whole world. To date, three visionaries, Mirjana, Ivanka, and Jakov report they have received all ten messages, while Ivan, Marija and Vicka say they have received nine. The six visionaries would eventually each know all ten secrets, but none has fully disclosed them except to announce that they include chastisements for the world and that they will begin during the lifetimes of the visionaries.

The visionaries have so far revealed only one of the "secrets": Our Lady has promised to leave a supernatural, indestructible, and visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared. She said: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for His grace. The time is for deepening your faith and for your conversion. When the sign comes, it will be too late for many."

According to the same Web site, when all ten secrets have been revealed to each one of the six visionaries, Our Lady will stop appearing, and three warnings will be given to the world. After the three warnings, the permanent visible sign will be left on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje. Those who are still alive will have little time for conversion. For that reason, the Blessed Virgin calls for urgent conversion and reconciliation. The permanent sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the messages become reality.

Bishop Peric's Homily

Bishop Ratko Peric, (Mostar-Duvno) on the occasion of administering the Sacrament of Confirmation in the parish of Medjugorje, June 15, 2006, called on 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." [1]

Excerpt of the main message in his homily regarding Medjugorje:

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 Christ, if today I were not to publicly advise, from this place and on this occasion as well, to all those interested throughout the world, that in this local Church of Mostar-Duvno, there exists something similar to a schism. A number of priests that have been expelled from the Franciscan OFM Order by the Generalate of the Order, due to their disobedience to the Holy Father, for years now have been forcefully keeping a few parish churches and rectories along with church inventory. They have not only been illegally active in these parishes, but they have also administered the sacraments profanely, while others invalidly, such as Confession and Confirmation, or they have assisted at invalid marriages. This type of anti-ecclesial behaviour is shocking to all of us. At the same time, this scandal of sacrilegiously administering the sacraments, especially of the Most Holy Body of Christ, must shock all the faithful as well who invalidly confess their sins to these priests and participate in sacrilegious liturgies. We pray to the Lord that this scandal and schism be uprooted as soon as possible from our midst.

Thirdly, I am truly grateful to the Holy Father the Pope, to John Paul II of blessed memory and to the reigning Benedict XVI, who have always respected the judgements of the bishops of Mostar-Duvno, of the previous as well as the current bishop, regarding the so-called “apparitions” and “messages” of Medjugorje, all the while recognizing the Holy Father's right to give a final decision on these events.

The judgements of the bishops, after all the canonical investigations made thus far, can be summarized in these following points:

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 administer this parish of Medjugorje or those who come as visitors, are not authorised to express their private views contrary to the official position of the Church on the so-called “apparitions” and “messages,” during celebrations of the sacraments, neither during other common acts of piety, nor in the Catholic media.

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.[2]

At the end, the appeal to the visionaries and those involved to demonstrate ecclesiastical obedience:

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.[3]

Controversy and official statements

priest's evaluation

Catholics are divided on the credibility of the alleged visions. Negative judgments, expressed early by the local Bishop, Pavao Zanić, have been voiced by writers such as Michael Davies and E.Michael Jones, who suggested, among many other objections, that the alleged apparitions may have been used by the local Franciscan Order to challenge the authority of the diocese.

The region in which Medjugorje lies is reported to have seen centuries of rivalry between members of the Franciscan Order, which runs the parish, and the diocesan hierarchy, in particular the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, the diocese to which Medjugorje belongs (see The Truth about the 'Herzegovinian' Affair).

Ironically, it was the Bishop who initially supported Medjugorje, while the key Franciscan Father Jozo Zovko, OFM, was not convinced until, while praying in St James church, he received a message to "protect the children." Subsequently, both were called in by the communist secret police who gave orders to stop the "disorder." Father Jozo refused and was sent to jail for 3 years, but was released after one and a half years.^{[citation needed]} {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

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After a period of silence, bishop Pavao Zanic actively joined in challenging what was happening in Medjugorje, writing two statements which he sought to publish to the world. He even edited two written statements directed at the whole world. 1. "The actual (unofficial) position of the Episcopal curit of Mostar in reference to the happenings of Medjugorje," 30th of October 1984; 2. "Medjugorje, 1990."

In a letter of 25 March 1985 and a homily of 24 July 1987, Bishop Pavao Zanić adopted a negative position with regard to the alleged apparitions, provisionally forbidding, until a Commission of the Bishops' Conference completed an inquiry, "the priests who organize pilgrimages or come here ascribing a supernatural character to these events, to celebrate Mass in the territory of my diocese."

In an official memorandum of the Vatican State Secretary Office No. 150.458, on the 1st of April 1985, Cardinal Casaroli charged Croatian Cardinal Franjo Kuharic to convey to bishop Zanic that he should "suspend the airing of his own personal statements and renounce making judgements, until such time as all the elements could be conclusively gathered together, and the happenings could be clarified," because bishop Zanic's statement, "The actual position..." had had considerable reverberations in the press. The bishop's hoped-for co-operation has scarcely been discernible and a number of web sites have been actively spreading his personal statements and opinions, creating confusion among the faithful - the very result the Vatican anticipated when it charged Cardinal Kuharic to convey this message to the bishop.

Because Bishop Zanić referred the matter to the Episcopal Conference, responsibility passed to the conference that still included all the bishops of the already dismantling Yugoslavia. In 1991, it issued a statement known as the Zadar Declaration, that said: "The bishops, from the very beginning, have been following the events of Medjugorje through the Bishop of the diocese, the Bishop's Commission and the Commission of the Bishops Conference of Yugoslavia on Medjugorje. On the basis of the investigations so far it cannot be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations."

As a result of persisting confusion in the minds of the faithful, particularly as to the authority of the local bishop to forbid pilgrimages to Medjugorje and as to whether the bishop's opinions represented official Vatican opinion, inquiries were addressed to the Holy See. Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone (Secretary to the "Congregatio," presided over by Cardinal Ratzinger) Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent a reply on 26 July 1998, saying:

"What Bishop Peric (successor to Pavao Zanic) said in his letter to the Secretary General of "Famille Chretienne," declaring: "My conviction and my position is not only 'non constat de supernaturalitate (not proven to be supernatural),' but likewise, 'constat de non supernaturalitate' (proven to be not supernatural) of the apparitions or revelations in Medjugorje," should be considered the expression of the personal conviction of the Bishop of Mostar which he has the right to express as Ordinary of the place, but which is and remains his personal opinion."

Fr. Daniel-Ange (France) summarizes this way:

• The declarations of the Bishop of Mostar only reflect his personal opinion. Consequently, they are not an official and definitive judgement from the Church.^{[citation needed]}

• One is directed to the declaration of Zadar, which leaves the door open to future investigations. In the meanwhile private pilgrimages with pastoral accompaniment for the faithful are permitted.^{[citation needed]}

• A new commission was announced in June 2006.

• In the meanwhile, all Catholics may go as pilgrims to Medjugorje.^{[citation needed]}

EWTN's "Frequently Asked Questions" gives an ample account of the history of the question, avoiding any judgement for or against the authenticity of the alleged apparitions.

Scientific research on the visionaries

A number of scientific and medical investigations have been conducted on the visionaries in Medjugorje.

The international French-Italian scientific theological commission "On the extraordinary events that are taking place in Medjugorje" reportedly examined the apparitions of Medjugorje. The assembly of seventeen renowned natural scientists, medical doctors, psychiatrists and theologians published a 12-point "conclusion" on 14 January 1986 in Paina near Milan. The summary was that "one can conclude that after a deeper examination of the protagonists, facts, and their effects, not only in the local framework, but also in regard to the responsive chords of the Church in general, it is well for the Church to recognize the supernatural origin and, thereby, the purpose of the events in Medjugorje."

A French team headed by Mr. Henri Joyeux undertook a series of neurological tests, using EEG and EKG device to examine the internal reactions of the visionaries and the synchronization of their ocular, auditory, cardiac, and cerebral reactions before, during, and after the reported apparitions. They concluded from their readings that the object of observation is apparently external to the visionaries, and they excluded any external manipulation or mutual agreement between the visionaries. The results with individual electro-encephalograms and other reactions were collected and described in Joyeux's book, written with R. Laurentin, Etudes medicales et scientifique sur les Apparitions de Medjugorje (Paris, 1986)scientific report [4] The results of psychiatric investigations] by the Institute for the Field Limits Of Science (IGW), the Innsbruck Centre For Study and Research on Psychophysiology of States of Consciousness, the European School of Hypnotic Psychotherapy Amisi of Milan, and the Parapsychology Center of Bologna, likewise concluded that the alleged visionaries showed no signs of pathological symptoms, and no stress other than appropriate for their unusual situation. They pointed out that there is a difference between a state of ecstasy induced by hypnosis and one which comes about spontaneously, and concluded that the alleged visionaries were not under any form of hypnosis.

Psychologist and skeptic Armando De Vincentiis analyzed some of the works of Dr. Margnelli and Dr. Gagliardi in his book " Estasi: Stimmate e altri fenomeni mistici " ( " Ecstasy: Stigmata and other mystical phenomena " available only in Italian, Avverbi 1999, Rome, page 118). According to De Vincentiis, about the similarity between ecstatic state and hypnotic state, " the conclusions of the two authors [Margnelli and Gagliardi] present several weak points" ( " Estasi: Stimmate e altri fenomeni mistici ," Avverbi 1999, Rome, page 63 ). Moreover, author De Vincentiis suggests that we should reconsider the role of hysteria ( a well-known psychopathology ) in all mystical experiences ( quoted work, pages 47 trough 49 ).

Full account of the works of the three committees on Medjugorje can be found here: http://www.skepticwiki.org/index.php/Virgin_of_Medjugorje

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Connell, Janice T. (1996). Meetings with Mary: Visions of The Blessed Mother. United States: Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-39705-3. 

• Connell, Janice T. (2007). The Visions of the Children: The Apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-36197-1. 

• Laurentin, René (1990). Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Today. Dublin: Vertitas Publications. ISBN 1-853-90054-9. 

External links

All links Retrieved April 21, 2008.

• The Medjugorje Parish
• Medjugorje Apparitions
• International youth festival Medjugorje
• Alleged apparitions at Međjugorje
• 1978 Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith document on apparition discernment
• 2004 statement by Bishop Ratko Perić of Mostar-Duvno

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