Cardinal Fernández: With new norms it will be easier to decide on Medjugorje

By L'Osservatore Romano

“Regarding Medjugorje, no conclusion has yet been reached, but with these guidelines we believe it will be easier to move forward and reach a conclusion,” said Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, during the press conference. conference presenting the new standards for discerning presumed supernatural phenomena. Responding to a journalist's question, he added that “for other cases that have been present in the Dicastery for many years, these guidelines will make it easier to reach a prudential conclusion.” He continued: “In many cases, these phenomena developed well and normally. Sometimes a phenomenon can be easily managed without problems, producing positive results: this has happened in most sanctuaries. Many shrines frequently visited by the faithful grew out of a similar experience. There was never a declaration, neither from the bishop nor from the Dicastery, and they grew normally without problems as a popular devotion. In short, explained the Cardinal, “a beautiful phenomenon can grow” without requiring “a declaration of supernatural origin. In the cases of Lourdes, Fatima and Guadalupe, their enormous growth did not depend on a declaration of supernatural origin.” .

To a second question on the same subject, the Cardinal replied: “Regarding Medjugorje, we will see. For example, I have not read the material available at the Dicastery, I know some details, but we must study to reach a conclusion with these new standards. Keep in mind that a phenomenon may be considered good, not dangerous initially, but it may have some problems in its further development. This is why it is sometimes necessary for a declaration to clarify these different stages: this is a distinction that we make. And then, suppose there is a green light, a “nihil obstat”, we may also have to clarify that certain details should not be taken seriously, if I remember correctly, the Madonna over there was giving orders, set the program. , the place, what the bishop should do, etc. This needs to be clarified.”

The Medjugorje affair

The voices and testimonies of the faithful of the Gospa – the Lady, the Madonna in Croatian – constitute the strongest account, which has lasted for almost 43 years, of the “Medjugorje phenomenon”. Until June 24, 1981, the name of this small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina (then in communist Yugoslavia), in the diocese of Mostar-Duvno, was only known to residents of the region. Today, it is a spiritual reference point, as well as a physical pilgrimage destination, for many people.

Two girls, aged 15 and 16, Ivanka Ivanković and Mirjana Dragičević, reported seeing a female figure on a small cloud while walking on a rocky hill called Podbrdo at 4 p.m. on June 24, 1981. Shortly after , Vicka Ivanković, Ivanka's cousin, joined them. All three claimed to have seen the mysterious figure again, this time with a child in her arms, whom they immediately identified as the Virgin Mary. Ivan Dragičević, Jakov Čolo and Marija Pavlović were the other three young people who formed the group known as the “visionaries”. The six young people spoke about the apparitions of Mary, who presented herself as the “Queen of Peace” with a message fundamentally calling for reconciliation and conversion.

From that afternoon and these stories, in an isolated territory that was about to experience a bloody war, a story began that marked the life of the Church, touching millions of people in various ways: through conversions, long lines at confessionals and extraordinary participation in Eucharistic adoration, as well as through strong skepticism and fierce opposition.

In response to the growing experiences related to Medjugorje, in 1991 the bishops of Yugoslavia declared in the “Zara Declaration” that, based on the investigations carried out so far, it was not possible to state that there It was about apparitions and supernatural phenomena. phenomena.

International Commission of Inquiry

To clarify the facts of Medjugorje, Pope Benedict XVI created on March 17, 2010 an international commission of inquiry within what was then the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Commission, chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, gathered and examined “all the material” related to the issue during 17 meetings and presented a detailed report to the Pope, including recommendations on “the supernatural character or not” of the apparitions , and suggesting the most appropriate pastoral solutions. The Commission examined all the documentation available in the Vatican, in the parish of Medjugorje and in the archives of the secret services of the former Yugoslavia. They interviewed the so-called “visionaries” and witnesses and conducted an on-site inspection in Medjugorje in April 2012. This work continued for almost four years, ending on January 17, 2014, when the final report was released. given to Pope Francis.

Concerning Medjugorje, during a press conference on the plane returning from the apostolic trip to Fatima on May 13, 2017, Pope Francis recalled that “all apparitions or presumed apparitions belong to the private sphere, they are not part of of the ordinary public Magisterium of the Church. ” He specifically referred to the work of the commission of inquiry, distinguishing three aspects: “Regarding the first apparitions, when (the “visionaries”) were children, the report more or less says that an investigation more “Regarding the alleged current apparitions, the report has its doubts” and “thirdly”, the Pope noted, “the core of the Ruini report: the spiritual fact, the pastoral fact, the people who go there and meet. convert, people who encounter God, who change their lives for this, there is no magic wand, and this spiritual and pastoral fact cannot be denied.

The appointment of Archbishop Hoser

It is with this in mind that the Pope decided, on February 11, 2017, to entrust Mgr Henryk Hoser, Polish Archbishop, with the mission of “special envoy of the Holy See” to “deepen knowledge of the pastoral situation” in Medjugorje and, “in particular, the needs of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage” to “suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future”. This mission was of an “exclusively pastoral” nature.

On May 31, 2018, without addressing the specific issues related to the alleged apparitions, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Hoser as Apostolic Visitor of a special character for the parish of Medjugorje, for an indefinite period and at the discretion of the Holy See. This role was also “exclusively pastoral”, in continuity with the mission of special envoy of the Holy See that he had accomplished. “The mission of the apostolic visitor”, announced the Press Office of the Holy See, “aims to ensure stable and continuous accompaniment of the parish community of Medjugorje and the faithful who go there on pilgrimage, whose needs require a particular attention”.

Pilgrims in Medjugorje to meet Christ and his Mother

In an interview with Vatican News, Archbishop Hoser explained that pilgrims from all over the world come to Medjugorje “to meet Christ and his Mother.” He emphasized that “the Marian path is the safest and most secure” because it leads to Jesus. In Medjugorje, the faithful focus on the Holy Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and frequent participation in the sacrament of Penance. For the archbishop, it was a truly “Christocentric” worship, lived in the proximity of the Virgin Mary, venerated under the title of “Queen of Peace”.

Pope Francis authorizes pilgrimages

In the same vein, on May 12, 2019, Archbishop Hoser and the Apostolic Nuncio to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, announced the decision of Pope Francis to authorize pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which can now be officially organized by dioceses and parishes and no longer take place only in a “private” form as previously indicated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

On this subject, Alessandro Gisotti, then interim director of the Press Office of the Holy See, specified that the Pope's authorization had to be accompanied by the warning “to avoid these pilgrimages being interpreted as an authentication of known events , which still require examination by It is therefore necessary to avoid that such pilgrimages create confusion or ambiguity from a doctrinal point of view. This also applies to pastors of any rank who intend to go to Medjugorje and solemnly celebrate or concelebrate there. Gisotti also emphasized that “given the significant flow of people and the abundant fruits of grace that have flowed from them, this provision is part of the particular pastoral attention that the Holy Father wanted to give to this reality, aiming to promote and to promote the fruits of good. » Thus, the apostolic visitor “will have an easier time establishing relationships with the priests responsible for organizing the pilgrimages to Medjugorje, as reliable and well-prepared people, offering them information and guidelines to carry out these pilgrimages.

Aldo Cavalli, New Apostolic visitor

On November 27, 2021, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Aldo Cavalli as successor to Bishop Hoser, who died on August 13, as the new Apostolic Visitor, responsible for the pastoral care of pilgrims traveling to Medjugorje.