SURPRISE FROM VATICAN - HOLY SEE IS TAKING THE MEDJUGORJE
PHENOMENON INTO THEIR OWN HANDS
The Church has decided to studiously review the events at
Medjugorje and a new Commission will decide.
The Catholic Church is starting a new commission that will
look into the Medjugorje events. This sums up what Cardinal
Vinko Puljic, president of the Bosnia and Hercegovina Bishops
Conference and Archbishop of Sarajevo, said to reporters at
the end of the Bishops conference held July12-14, 2006 in
Banja Luka. This announcement surprised many, because Medjugorje
was not even one of the topics discussed at the meeting. On
top of that, it is well know that the Church will not take
a definite position about the Medjugorje phenomenon while
it is still going on, and even more well known is the position
of the bishop of Mostar, who time and again has claimed that
there are no apparitions of the Mother of God in his diocese.
The request from the Vatican for a new commission will reanalyze
the position of the bishops taken in the 1991 Zadar declaration,
by which "it cannot be determined that anything supernatural
is happening there"? It cannot ignore what is happening
in Medjugorje and has been insisting for over a half a year
that something be done.
The Medjugorje phenomenon has had effects all over the world,
there are more and more pilgrims from the entire world coming
in throngs to the small village in Hercegovina and are praying
to the Mother of God. The commission will be put together
by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, even though
the normal practice is for this kind of commission to be established
by the local bishop. But, because of the negative position
of Bishop Ratko Peric, the commission will be international
in order for it to be completely objective and neutral. It
will probably consist of two teams that will have clear jurisdiction
and orders.
Holy Place
The Holy See has decided to take Medjugorje into its own
hands and finally decide whether Medjugorje is an official
shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary where people come not only
privately but with the official recommendation of the Church,
or a "normal" place of prayer in which nothing supernatural
has occurred.
"I was very happy to hear the news that Cardinal Vinko
Puljic announced," said Father Petar Ljubicic, who is
the priest that will announce the secrets of Medjugorje when
the time comes. "We have been expecting this for a long
time. The Cardinal said that the Holy See, that is the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, will name a new commission
that will analyze and look into what has already been happening
in Medjugorje for 25 years. Since I was a priest in Medjugorje
and have followed the events since the beginning, I am very
happy that it will now be looked into more seriously."
Serious study
Father Petar said, "As for the previous commissions,
that looked into the events, I can say that some members were
open and serious theologians, who were specialists in spirituality
and had studied mystical experiences, but there were also
other individuals who were not serious about the events and
never actually came to Medjugorje. I ask myself how they could
give an opinion of up until now, they can not be certain of
anything supernatural?. Some on the council rejected even
that apparitions were possible at all. That greatly confused
me. The need was felt a long time ago for the Holy See to
take the whole matter in its own hands.
Public Responses
July 24, 2006: Rick Salbato of Unity Publishing, one of Medjugorje's
main detractors, responded to this news with the following
comment:
I have read this many times already but do not believe
it since I know what the Vatican has done and is doing.
All that is going on in the Vatican now is political talk
about how and when, not what to do.
Later, our email correspondence:
Rick,
I hope this might result in the sensible action of removing
your ugly detraction articles, putting down your poison
pen and standing by until the Vatican has made its decision.
Or do you wish to be held accountable for even more lost
conversions? The bible says that a millstone is waiting
for people who lead God's children astray. Your website
is full of innuendo and false witness and you still have
the gall and the pride to stick to your guns. Most of your
objections have been long-refuted. You base all your defence
on the Bishop of Mostar, who is clearly doing your cause
no good whatsoever. This is well-known by anyone who has
followed Medjugorje. Worse, you lead ignorant people to
believe that the position of the Bishop of Mostar is the
official position of the church. More lost souls!
Regards,
Paul [Marian-Times]
Paul,
I think you will agree that morally I am safer having
a personal connection to the bishop of Medjugorje and a
friend in Levada then listening to you and Medjugorje promoters.
I want you to understand something. I have a very good
friend who does not believe in Akita, Japan and writes against
it. I, on the otherhand do believe in it, and write in favor
of it. It does not matter if he is right or I am right because
there is no sin. We do not have to believe in any private
revelation. What does matter is that we tell the truth and
do not lie. The problem I have with Medjugorje promoters
is that they lie all the time. Even Cardinal Ratzinger,
before being Pope, referred to these lies.
Rick
Rick,
I wish to tell you something.
There is GOOD reason why we should be more morally responsible
with what we publish. Millions of souls hear about Medjugorje
and do a search on the internet. They come across websites
such as yours and read the negative comments and judgements,
NONE of which come from the vatican, only from those who
wish to damage. The vatican has only ever wanted to WAIT.
I can refute every single one of your objections and in
fact I have already done so on my website, in a effort to
undo some of the damage you have done.
Medjugorje has been the cause of UNTOLD division in the
Church. It all began when the Bishop of Mostar suddenly
changed his tune and started digging dirt on the people
involved - visionaries and priests. He couldn't just let
it be and let the vatican process take its course. He cried
and complained when the Yugloslav Bishops Conference found
his objections groundless and wanted to approve Medjugorje.
His was a deliberate campaign to destroy Medjugorje. You,
and others like you, have simply jumped on his bandwagon.
Regards,
Paul
Apologies:
I realise that it is not my place to pass any type of judgement
or even say anything against a member of the clergy. If
I have offended God or borne any false witness against the
Bishops of Mostar, I hearby apologise and humbly ask God's
forgiveness.
Paul Baylis, Maria-Times.
UPDATE JULY 24, 2006
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, announced a commission would be formed
to review the alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje and
pastoral provisions for the thousands of pilgrims who visit
the town each year.
"The commission members have not been named yet,"
Cardinal Puljic told Catholic News Service in a July 24
telephone interview. "I am awaiting suggestions from
the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" on
theologians to appoint.
"But this commission will be under the (Bosnian) bishops'
conference" as is the usual practice with alleged apparitions,
he said.
The cardinal said he did not expect the commission to be
established until sometime in September because of the summer
holidays.
He said the primary task of the commission would be to
review a 1991 report from the region's bishops that concluded,
"It cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural
apparitions or revelations."
In addition, he said, the commission would be asked to
review pastoral provisions that forbid official diocesan
and parish pilgrimages to Medjugorje, while at the same
time allowing priests to accompany groups of Catholics in
order to provide the sacraments and spiritual guidance.
When asked if the new commission was the idea of the doctrinal
congregation or of the bishops' conference, Cardinal Puljic
said, "I would rather not answer that question."
Cardinal Puljic announced the future formation of the commission
during the bishops' July 12-14 meeting in Banja Luka.
On June 25, thousands of pilgrims converged on Medjugorje
to mark the 25th anniversary of the first alleged apparition
to six young people.
The Vatican continues to monitor events at Medjugorje,
where the apparitions apparently continue, but it has not
taken a formal position other than to support the bishops'
ban on official pilgrimages. [Side note: This does not equate
to the Vatican's disapproval of the apparitions in line
with the local Bishop's opinions, but refers to official
pilgrimages as those that are sponsored by parishes or priests
which would seem to give the apparitions premature approval
before the church officially does. Private pilgrimages from
individuals accompanied by priests are fine.]
Officials from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith were not available July 24 for comment.
