Medjugorje and the Church

The alleged apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje continue daily, and the Catholic Church has continued to investigate these events during the past 31+ years. The fruits of Medjugorje are very good! 35 million people have pilgrimaged to Medjugorje since the apparitions began, including 300,000 religious, priests, and bishops. Because of Medjugorje, millions of  people are praying, fasting, and attending Holy Mass. And many more people are praying the daily Rosary with their families and going to confession regularly.

Pope Benedict XVI has recently appointed a new Vatican Commission, which has been given the responsibility to investigate the Medjugorje events in order to determine if they are authentic and deserving of more official recognition. The six visionaries have been interviewed by the Vatican Commission to witness regarding their visions and conversations with the Mother of God. As of February 2013, the Vatican has not officially declared their findings in regard to Medjugorje, except to say that private pilgrimages are permitted to Medjugorje and that the reported heavenly messages may be read and shared.

As we await the Church’s updated decision regarding these events, let us prayerfully respond to her call, which is to renounce sin and to live the Gospel message more faithfully.

In the meantime, we are reminded that no Church recognition or imprimatur is necessary for the reading, publication, and spreading of private revelations, prophecies, or miracles (so long as they have not been condemned). With this in mind, we wish to move forward with the heart and mind of the Church and thus with her blessing.

It is important to note again that it is not against the Church or her canon law to read and meditate on reliable apparitions and their messages, even on the ones that have not been officially fully approved by the Church, provided they have not been condemned and do not in any way disagree with doctrine and Church teaching. The authors recognize and gladly accept that the final authority regarding the supernatural character of the apparitions and heavenly messages in this book rests always and finally with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

Pope Urban VIII also gave sound advice about following reported, reliable heavenly apparitions, saying:

“In cases like this, it is better to believe than not to believe, for, if you believe, and it is proven true, you will be happy that you have believed, because Our Holy Mother asked it. If you believe, and it should be proven false, you will receive all blessings as if it had been true, because you believed it to be true.”

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