A vicious attack against Fr. Jozo Zovko, OFM., and Medjugorje
has been launched in the main traditionalist publication in
the US, The Wanderer, (November 14, 2002).
Many of these false allegations have been refuted long ago
and this is just one more example of how the enemies of Medjugorje
rely upon disinformation in order to destroy Medjugorje and
her Franciscan priests. Highly volatile "flash words"
are used so as to indirectly associate Medjugorje with recent
scandals in the USA involving clergy, though no facts are
given to back up these allegations. Guilt by association,
innuendo and slander serve their intended purpose. The Wanderer
should be held accountable for such libelous journalism.
You'd think this time the news editor for The Wanderer would
have at least gotten the date right: "the alleged apparitions
began in 1979," in light of the fact that several paragraphs
later Paul Likoudis quotes: "the apparitions of the blessed
Virgin Mary first started in 1981," (p.1)
In point of fact Likoudis established lack of credibility
four years ago with his article, "Film Probes Underside
of MEDJUGORJE INDUSTRY," (The Wanderer, March 26, 1998).
Now, four years later, the director and producer of that
film, the cameraman, the journalists - all of whom Likoudis
referred to and quoted throughout his article - testify publicly
that everything he reported was false. It was all part of
a deliberate campaign to destroy Medjugorje! And Likoudis
has the audacity continuing this campaign in the November
14, 2002 The Wanderer! This is criminal. He and the Wanderer
should be held accountable! There never were any death threats
made by the Franciscans of Medjugorje against Jones and others
There never was a pedophile ring of Franciscans in Medjugorje!
The story that was kept alive for two years in the Muslim
newsdaily, "The Feril Tribune," - that all money
given by pilgrims to the Franciscans in Medjugorje during
the war, for refugee aid,
was instead used by them for ethnic cleansing of Muslims -
was entirely false!
At the time the acting Provincial for the Hercegovina Province,
Fr. Tomislav Pervan, OFM., felt it necessary to answer some
of these accusations in an article titled "Campaign Against
Medjugorje" in the Croatian weekly "Nedjeljna Dalmacija
(April 17, 1998). Likoudis and The Wanderer should be
apologizing and printing a retraction instead of continuing
their shameless campaign.
I can just imagine the scenario surrounding Fr. Jozo's speaking
engagement at the Basilica of Immaculate Conception in Washington,
DC.... The same thing happened several years ago when he was
invited to speak at the National Conference of Medjugorje
at the University of Notre Dame. My
bishop's fax machine was flooded with faxes from the same
number (is it a coincidence that one paragraph from Likoudis'
article is exactly the same - word for word - as a paragraph
in the fax my bishop received)? The attempt failed. Bishop
John M. D'Arcy saw right through what was happening.
Commenting on the recent The Wanderer article, the Franciscan
Provincial in Mostar, Fr. Slavko Soldo, OFM., Fr. Jozo's superior,
told me: "It's not true that Fr. Jozo was suspended by
his Franciscan general. He is not suspended! He is a priest
in good standing with his community!" (Note that the
November 14th letter from the Provincial and a November 21st
letter of clarification
from the Franciscan Vicar General in Rome are posted at www.childrenofmedjugorje.com.)
He continued: "And regarding the charges against him,
it's interesting that not one of those women has ever sent
any of those letters to me. And I'm the first person who should
know. Fr. Jozo is responsible to me as far as discipline goes.
I find it interesting that neither has the bishop ever sent
me a copy of any of those supposed letters. Let me repeat:
never have such charges - or anything like them - ever been
brought to my attention - and there are none in my office
files preceeding my time as Provincial! Of course now they
can be invented and sent to me afterwards."
Fr. Soldo has good reason to be frustrated. Charges of sexual
misconduct brought against Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, OFM (who was
named Pastor in Medjugorje after Fr. Jozo was sent to prison)
spread publicly by the Bishop of Mostar have been refuted
countless times by the very woman whose name appears at the
end of the letters - who was supposed to have written them
and sent them to the bishop. ... she pointed out to him that
two letters he had with her name at the end were even written
in different handwriting... "I am ready to swear by the
Cross in the presence of anybody and everybody that I never
disclosed or wrote who the father of the child is." The
bishop's response was to ask her to be quiet, and he continued
spreading those letters to journalists as authentic! (Cf.
"At the Sources of Medjugorje: Objections," Daria
Klanac, ZIRAL, Hrvatski mladezi bb, Mostar, 1999, p. 39).
The Holy Father has just recently thanked Fr. Jozo for all
that he has done in a signed blessing delivered to Fr. Jozo
by Polish pilgrims coming to Medjugojre via Rome and the Vatican.
And what is it that Fr. Jozo has done to draw this extraordinary
attention and gratitude of the Holy Father except
to "protect the children' as heaven asked him to do.
The original children were the visionaries when the Communists
tried to silence them. It was Fr. Jozo and not the bishop
who protected the children. And it is Fr. Jozo and not the
Bishop who has continued to "protect the children"
of Medjugorje worldwide.
Soon all will come into the light.
And be at peace. These kinds of slanders are exactly the
kinds of things that should be expected if Our Lady were really
coming to Medjugorje!
