The lady of Medjugorje is not your mother

In the Gospels, she says, “Do whatever He tells you.” In Medjugorje, she snickers and says, “You do you.”

Forty-seven thousand times.

Read the rest of my latest for The Catholic Weekly.

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93 thoughts on “The lady of Medjugorje is not your mother”

  1. Of course this must be taken as symbolic and allegorical in nature and never factual or literal.People often cling to the outlandish and irrational when it comes to religion and want so desperately to believe in things that simply are not reality.None of these sightings or miracles are ever substantiated and prove absolutely nothing. There is nothing supernatural or heaven-sent here.However,if grasping at straws provides comfort in their faith and the unknown,so be it. As long as people realize that these things are figurative in nature and never literal.

  3. People just want to be entertained, or for there to be a shortcut.
    Obedience is hard!
    Humility is hard!
    Some saints go their whole lives without a consolation from Heaven.
    And Our Lady is NOT a sideshow attraction. Just follow the money…

  4. I myself am a devout catholic. And I have a very strong faith in jesus. But as far as priest bishops and so on their just men. Yes their supposed to be living examples of christ. But if they break that promise and commit this awful unforgivable crimes they need to be punished and sent to prison just like anybody else. Sorry just because your a priest doesnt make you special and immune to punishment. I’m very sorry about your experience you had. I can’t begin to tell you how angry it makes me. The church needs a complete cleansing and rid of all the those demonic priest and bishops.

    1. Priests, & Bishops ARE “just” men. Sinners, just like us. But their HANDS are consecrated to GOD; they are the hands of Christ. Yes, THEY WILL be dealt with by God, just as we will, but it’s not OUR job to judge ! NEVER talk bad about Priests ! Their HANDS bring us Jesus in the Eucharist ! No Priests, no Jesus. As a “good” Catholic, you should read St Therese of Liseaux !

  5. Here is my story on Medjugorie, in the year 2012 after the death of my Uncle I took care of, I was going to visit family in Croatia. My plan was to treat my cousin Theresa who lives in Croatia to a week in Medjugorie where we could pray for our family and our departed and very much loved Uncle Eli. When I told my Priest who goes on pilgrimages there 6 times a year, he got very angry with me and said I would not get blessings if I did not go on one of his pilgrimages and stay at the hotel of a visionary. He told me to abandon my 80 yr cousin and go on one of his pilgrimages for one week. Interesting that a ten day pilgrimage to Medjugorie costs around $4000 while a round trip ticket to Croatia is around $1500. I suppose my two week volunteer work in Lourdes while I was in College did not count as good works done either. He said he could not answer that, but added that is what Ivan the visionary told him so it must be true! As a result I avoid all connected with Medjugorie and even think it is demonic!

      1. Really? The Holy Father has sent Bishop Henry Hosier, a Marian expert and reviewer of other apparitions as permanent Envoy to Medjugorje . The Bishop of Medjugorje turns 75 and will forced to retire, so anew Bishop may be much more receptive (wouldn’t take much to accomplish that)so that thing may change in a drastic way. In addition, the commission appointed by Pope Benedict XVI and overseen by Pope Francis has submitted findings that the first several apparitions are authentic and the others are still under review. Bishop Hosier from Poland said in 2017:
        “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has passed all documentation to the Secretariat of State — everything suggests the apparitions will be accepted before the year ends,” said Archbishop Henryk Hoser.

        “It’s difficult to believe the six visionaries have been lying for 36 years,” the archbishop said. “What they say is coherent, and none is mentally disturbed, while the apparitions’ faithfulness to church doctrine is also a powerful argument for their authenticity.”

        The archbishop spoke as he completed a report from his spring mission to the hilltop shrine, which has not been officially recognized by the church despite 2.5 million pilgrims annually.

        He told Poland’s Catholic Information Agency, KAI, he had found an “exceptional atmosphere” of “spiritual creativeness” at Medjugorje, characterized by “prayer, silence, meditation, Eucharist, adoration, fasting and reconciliation.”

        He added that the shrine was seeing “huge dynamic growth,” in contrast to older sanctuaries in Portugal, France and Poland and had succeeded in remaining “a true place for pilgrims” while “eliminating tourist elements.”

        “Everything is moving in a good direction. My mission wasn’t aimed at closing Medjugorje down, but at evaluating whether pastoral work is being properly organized there in line with church teaching,” Archbishop Hoser said.

    2. Sad experience, even more sad you would judge the entirety of Medjugorje based off one evil mans actions. Anyone who has read the Blessed Marys messages knows this site is completely false and misleading. Nowhere does our Blessed Mother ever give the notion that we may do as we please, or that following Christ is easy, Quite the contrary. Money is one thing, there will always be bad people no matter where you go, but to be so intentionally ignorant to something like this because of your one tiny experience is madness. I would encourage everyone who hasn’t to go read through ALL of the Blessed Mothers messages for yourselves.

  6. How about let’s stop focusing on “visions”, and start focusing on something that REALLY matters? Something that is destroying the church from within… (You know – that massive pink elephant in the purple tutu, that everyone tries so desperately to ignore??? )

    I woke up this morning to yet another newsfeed, on yet ANOTHER pedophile priest >;-[ I come from an world deeply Catholic family, that has several ordained religious. Like many others though, I left the church – not only as a disgusted response to the ever-growing, ongoing scandal, but in response to my own bad experience with a predatory priest. ( I reported an incident, and not only was nothing done, but the whole thing was very quickly swept under the rug, and hushed up. ) Not only is this problem not being dealt with, it is still being actively covered-up. Report and incident, complain about a clergy member, or even dare to bring “it” up, and see what happens to you. You will very quickly find yourself on the outside looking in.

    SEXUAL PREDATION, ( especially of minors ), IS A FELONY CRIME, and it should ALWAYS be reported to the police. Pedophile priest need to be reported, and jailed – not excused, hidden, and “moved around” with in the church. This is the REAL church crisis – not the “visions”. And before any holier-than-thou “defender of the faith” comes at me for daring to bring “it” up – think how you would feel if you were in my shoes. I’ve seen a dark side to the Church that most of you haven’t. It changes you – watching a priest go after a child. It’s like seeing a sheepdog kill the lamb it’s supposed to be protecting. You’ll never look at things the same again :-<

    1. I’m truly sorry for what happened to you. What a devastating experience it must have been. I can only pray that God will shower his fatherly love on you and perhaps, one day, walk you back to the sacraments of his church, which can bring real healing and peace like nothing else can. Sadly, just as there was a bad seed among the 12 apostles, there are still bad seeds within His church today. It is our duty to root them out no matter how difficult or painful. Many faithful Catholics are praying that Pope Francis and the Magisterium will have the courage, wisdom and strength to do this properly. We will all need to remain vigilant as the devil wants nothing more than to separate God’s people from the sacraments meant to bring us closer to God.

  7. On 27th december 1982 a statue of Lady Maddona made by pedophile and child molester artist was put into church in Medjugorje. Lady approved the statue in one apparition. 3 years later, on march 25th 1982, by order of Bishup Zanic, statue was taken out of church into chapel of apparitions.

    Now, i am a Christian and I believe in Christ, I dont see any way Lady Maddona would allow, or approve such a blasfemy and idiocracy

    It is not of good work. Not at all.

  8. Another reason why Medj is hoax is that one of the visionaries after JP2 died said that Our Mother Mary came with JP2 and said “this is my beloved son”. JP2 was a apostate, who organized Assisi meeting of all fake gods and prayed with them, this is braking of the very first commandment of Our Lord.
    Therefore only on this so called apparition seer from Medj had I know it is a hoax.

    1. you must be one of those anti Vatican II people or something because you obviously don’t believe in the one holy Catholic and apostolic church- calling a declared saint an APOSTATE!!! I’ve seen folks like you, your comments are really subversive to the Church, and please learn how to spell “breaking”.

      1. I think the Medjugorje apparitions were authentic in the beginning. Why would six children in a communist country who were not even particularly pious, risk harassment or detention by the authorities? Later on disturbing things did develop; whether it was manipulation by other people for monetary gain, or whether the Evil One interfered, is up to the Vatican to decide. BTW I too make typo errors all the time.

        1. Children are as gullible as adults, if not more so. If this is diabolic, they could easily have been misled as the devil has the power to take on the appearance of a good angel or even the Blessed Virgin Mary. A big problem with their claim is that, after changing their story, it came out that they originally went to that place to smoke cigarettes they had taken without permission. It is inconceivable that Our Lady would appear to a group in an act of disobedience or sin. Another big problem is that the seers are making a lot of money today with personal appearances and owning hotels for tourists. They seek attention, which is something you never see in genuine apparitions.

          1. I would like to know the current personal wealth of all the seers, then I would believe that they all became rich. I never see the women visionaries in couturier clothes. I am glad that the activities at Medjugorje are supervised by the Vatican. A lot of good things are happening there.

          2. Well to say that Our Lady would never appear to someone in an act of disobedience or sin not sure how you could say that. She appeared to Juan Diego when he tried to get away and not do what he was asked. Mary is the pure essence of the Gospel. Jesus said he came for the lost, he went to eat with tax collectors and prostitutes while the Pharisees and elders and others criticized and mocked him. To think that our heavenly mother would not come to her children because they were sneaking out and doing the great sin of smoking misses the whole purpose of the Gospel and quite frankly Medjugorje. The children admitted they were not overly religious but the whole town including them was more religious than we are. Everything was closed and was a Church holiday for the feast of St. John the Baptist. This is even one more significant fact since the whole call from Our Lady Queen of Peace is for Peace, Conversion, confession, fasting and prayer. Our Lady told them I do not choose the best. Although we have seen in times past her appearing to already sanctified souls this is not always the case.
            Perhaps some of you are not updated on what is transpiring in Medjugorje from an Ecclesial standpoint . The Holy Father first sent Bishop Hoser of Poland, who has been a key reviewer in other apparitions, to first go to Medjugorje and provide a report . Remember now this is coming from the Holy Father. Bishop Hoser’s reports have been so positive about Medjugorje being an extreme source of grace and model for the church today, with thousands going to confessions with multiple visiting priests. Just google his comments. After his initial report to the Holy Father , he was appointed permanent envoy to Medjugorje where he says masses and interacts with parishioners and the visionaries . He has had tremendous positive feedback on all aspects of Medjugorje.
            In addition if you have not heard, though it went out most Catholic major news wires, it is reported the Commission on Medjugorje originally appointed by Pope Benedict has submitted a report stating they believe the first seven days of apparitions are authentic and the jury is put on remaining days after as they are ongoing.
            Finally, just read an article that the current Bishop of Medjugorje who has been virulently negative on the apparitions is turning 75 at which age they are expected to retire. If Bishop Hoser somehow becomes the Bishop or some other appointed in light of current developments many more positive developments will occur.

            1. When has our Lord and savior ever spoken to us through objects or statues?
              The lord has always spoken through his prophets or during angel Ministry prior to the New Testament.
              We see only in scripture those who worship false gods get messages from statues or other fakes who claim to be prophets.

              This place is a hoax, simple as that.
              If people wanna believe in this hoax that is their business. However, anyone who has dedicated their life to reading scripture themselves will know it’s fake.

    2. As you may know, Pope John Paul II was canonized. He is now a Saint. The Church assures us that he is in Heaven. This fact alone does not prove the authenticity of Medjugorje but he was not an apostate.

  9. Medjugorje must be hoax. Why? Because one of the messages that supposedly Our Lady Mary told the visionaries was that all religions in the eyes of her son are the same. This is heresy. I have never gone to Medj and I won’t go any time soon. The problem with people is they don’t know the true Catholic dogma and Holy Scriptures because if they knew they would have spotted fake from miles away.

    2. First of all – we must acknowledge that as Jesus said, as high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my Father’s ways above what WE can see or know. After all, a God who always was and always will be, who created the heavens and the earth at His command and as St. Peter says in
      2 Peter 3:10 that the Lord will roll it up the same way – at His command. All things are under His power and He alone is judge of all. Therefore in judging others and whether or not they will be entering into Heaven or purgatory, thank GOD He alone is judge. The actual statement from Our Lady in Medjugorje as I have it from another source is as follows – “Members of all faiths are equal before God.” Please note it says the MEMBERS of all faiths are equal before God. Who can argue against this? Whether we like it or not all of us are equal in Gods eyes and all have a chance at salvation. When God judges us He will judge us equally and fairly. The second part says”God rules over each faith just like a sovereign over his kingdom. ” and “In the world, all religions are not the same because all people have not complied with the commandments of God. They reject and disparage them.” SO it actually says all religions are NOT THE same because all people have not complied with the commandments of God! The exact opposite of what Medjugorje naysayers have spread!!! Please do not belive what some ant-Medjugorje zealots preach but find out the truth of what actually was said. The Catechism bears this out regarding unity of faith. In particular the Catechism says:
      “817 In fact, “in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church – for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame.”269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ’s Body – here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 – do not occur without human sin:

      Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271
      818 “However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”272

      So this says two main things.
      1. All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.
      2. However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers .

      So for those born into situations they had no real chance of changing – the perspective of mercy and God’s understanding is tempered upon this background, and none of us save God alone and Our Lord Jesus Christ, knows all things about a human being.

      So this whole point about Medjugorje has been distorted. It really is more in line with Catholic teaching and it does not say all faiths are the same, it says the opposite. It says basically God gives all mankind a chance equally to share in salvation and His love.

      Wounds to unity

      817 In fact, “in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church – for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame.”269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ’s Body – here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 – do not occur without human sin:

      Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271
      818 “However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church.”272

      819 “Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth”273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: “the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.”274 Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to “Catholic unity.”276

      1. Thank you, that helped me a lot. I still have a hard time understanding things about Medjugorje, like Our Lady appearing everyday for almost forty years, among other things. Also that video of the man putting his hand in Vicka’s face and her having a reaction, and worse, lying that she thought the Lady was letting Baby Jesus fall so she moved as if to catch Him… but she moves back and not forward? Just awful. I love Our Lady with all my heart and really try to believe it but it’s all too suspicious. Garabandal is a freak show to me, totally demonic as I’ve seen in many analysis… Medjugorje is proving almost just as hard to believe, unfortunately.

        1. It’s total bullshit as are all the so called miracles whether Medjugorje, Lourdes or anywhere else. I went to Medj twice in the 1990s with my mum. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Regardless of people claiming to go there to meet God and be converted, feeling “called” to go and to revive their faith, and all the “good fruits” arguments, the main reason people go is because they hope they will see something supernatural and witness something that belongs on Harry Potter.
          The sun does not spin- that’s just your eyes reacting to the intense light. Rosary Beads do not “turn to gold”. People may hang up crutches because of physiotherapy or better medication- not because of “healing”.
          Lourdes- how can anyone, in the year 2023, still think there has ever been anything remotely miraculous there? Nobody has EVER hopped in to that Grotto with half a leg or an arm missing, or been pushed in with a wheelchair, and flesh blood and bone has literally started growing in front of people’s eyes and they’ve got a new limb. Never has anyone regrown the lung they just had taken out for cancer a week before. Let’s just cut the nonsense.
          And PLEASE do not insult me by saying the ridiculous coneback- that I am asking God to be my performing monkey and do magic tricks. The fact that I’ve already said miracles don’t exist shows that is not what I’m asking. I am simply pointing out that nothing truly and OBVIOUSLY miraculous ever happens- such as someone growing a new leg in front of hundreds of witnesses. This is because there is no such thing. And PLEASE don’t waste my time by saying miracles are nothing to do with what the eye can see and the real “miracles” are the conversions and the great spiritual feeling of closeness to God. Anyone can make this stuff up and convince themselves they had a religious experience. It’s all total nonsense. Over 40 years of this banal tripe? Virtually nobody who isn’t a keen church going Catholic has even heard of Medjugorje. Almost none if my family and friends, workmates etc have heard if it. If it’s so important why does the virgin always appear in some pokey backwater place? Why does God not make sure people know about these apparitions if he loves us and wants us to convert so much? I can assure you that the average person where I live in the North of England has never even heard of Medjugorje. So how can a loving God send the virgin Mary to deliver messages for over 40 years and do NOTHING to ensure they are actually heard by the masses and that they are UNDENIABLY real and true. Why is it always garbled, convoluted and shrouded in mystery and controversy. Why not try having our lady appear in times square or at the superbowl if God really wants these apparitions to be known and accepted by all humanity? How is the typical
          Threatening Catholic language of “Woe to those who wait for the sign” either fair or anything other than a total joke when the vast majority of the world, including a lot of Catholics who are just nominal catholics, have never even heard of the whole Medjugorge thing in the first place- STILL- after over 40 years.

          Because it’s total rubbish and silly nonsense that’s why !!

    5. Our Lady said: “Members of all faiths are equal before God,” not that all faiths are equal. Big difference!

  10. Why is everyone so caught up in visionaries and whether they are real or not? We already have Fatima and Lourdes, what more do we need? Go to Mass, pray your rosary, go to regular confession, read your bible, and maybe take on a special devotion to one of the saints. Is there really any time in there for anything else?

    1. The Vatican Commission has opined that the first seven days are authentic. Commission appointed by Benedict XVI

      1. You should not present rumor as a fact. Such is just as much a violation of the Eighth Commandment as slander.

    2. Be patient. Do the works of mercy. Let’s wait for the Church to decide while our lives must go on in love daily. It may end much sooner than anything on Medjugorie will ever be decided. Peace and Mercy.

    1. Pope John Paul II met with one of the visionaries at Castel Gandolfo. He requested that Marijana Sodo meet him there. He was a supporter of Medjugorge and he is canonized and Pope Francis is not. Sister Lucia Dos Santos (Fatima visionary) said that during her apparitions of Mary in her cloistered
      convent

      Mary told her she was appearing in Medjugorge. You still have to account for the fact of 610 vocations produced as a result of the influence of Medjugorge according to papal envoy Bishop Heuser who was sent to Medjugorge by Pope Francis to assess the pastoral situation there.

    2. It does not matter if the apparitions in Medjugorge are real, imagined or fraudulent. What matters is that Medjugorge is a holy place of prayer. Been there three times, 88, 89, and 90. The holiness radiating from the 7 or so masses every day, Eurcharistic adoration, rosaries, stations of the cross, and other prayer permeates the vast majority of people who visit there. My life was changed dramatically from a life of sin as a result of Medjugorge. The Vatican envoy has stated that Medjugorge is a light to the world.

      1. The whole thing was concocted by the Franciscans to try to cover up the brutal murders and atrocities committed there during World War II by these Catholic Priests were supported the Nazis. The so called Queen of Peace started appearing to prevent the place from becoming a pilgrimage site for the Serbs. These tourists need to visit the other side of apparition hill at Surmanci.

        1. Thank you…
          Many Catholics, myself included, need to know the “saints” who preached hate and murder against non Catholics. Since that directly disobeys the words of our Lord, the “saint” process must be very financial and political indeed.
          Unfortunately, most American Catholics never learned of the genocides supported by the Pope in Croatia.

        2. yeah well that’s an interesting theory – Franciscans have a history there back to the days of martyrdom at the hands of Muslims

        3. Re Franciscans trying to cover up brutal murders of WW II: The War was over in 1950; why would they try to cover it up 31 years later (in 1981) and not much earlier? Can’t be true.

      2. I was there in 1989. I too felt holiness in the air all around me which frequently brought me to tears; where did that come from? Things perhaps deteriorated later on at some point. I hope Pope Francis will soon make a formal statement.

      3. It does matter… They are giving sick people there false hope of healing and the whole thing is akin to those faith healers. How can you say lies are OK in a religion… The Jesus’s statue that’s there now that weeps water or as they say tears from the ankle is the perfect example of what the whole place represents… A lie.

        It is not OK to have hundreds of souvenir shops and promise posle that they can take a piece of medjugorje back with them.

        So stuff you and your whacked out ideology.

  12. This is not an article. It’s BS.

    Nice picture, fool. Mocking the Virgin is funny, isn’t it? And, yes, that was sarcasm.

      1. Certainly was mocking the apparitions and the visionaries implying they can treat Our Lady like a puppet. Very demeaning just an attempt to get a reaction I guess cause the editorial and journalistic content suspect at best

  13. Can you not recognise that for the past fifty years there is a great outpouring of Gods Holy Spirit throughout the whole world, to counteract the deluge of evil covering the Earth? Can you not understand that Jesus has sent His mother at this time of great trouble like he has in past times when danger lurked, to give us hope and strength and joy, as Mary brings us Gods love through her mothers heart, the greatest gift of Gods Holy Spirit . My whole family and I converted to the Catholic Church because of what Mary taught us through her teaching at Medjugorje. None of us have gone there, there was no need for us, Her teaching was sufficient, she answered all the questions we previously had in our heart, that no one could adequately answer.

    1. God often writes straight with lousy pencils….if medjugorje is proven an intentional fraud, don’t let it bother your faith in Jesus Christ….same for the Shroud or any other occult claims.

      1. Re the Shroud being an “occult claim.” Once I also doubted the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. Then one single factor convinced me, given that a second testing proved the old age of the Shroud coming from the Jerusalem area. “The Shroud having contained the bleeding body of a crucified, flagellated man does not show any signs of organic decomposition.” That would only be possible if after burial the body and the Shroud got separated after about 36 hours. If it was not Jesus’ Shroud, could it possibly have been that of another crucified, bleeding man who was buried in a tomb according to Jewish customs? Anything that touched the dead body had to be buried with the person. Did some members of the family nevertheless sneak back within 36 hours to unwrap the shroud, rewrap the body in another one in order to take home the first shroud? Does not make any sense.

    2. Well said and thank you. I will pray for those who do not believe Sadly there seems to be a lot of them out there and by the looks of some of the comments listed, they seem like they are church members????

    3. Wow Anna that is so awesome!!!!! Welcome home and Our Lady especially in Medjugorje has brought thousands dome to God and the Church. This article by the way is very misinformed. Just remember satan fought against all other apparitions as well calling them fake etc.

  14. The website of the Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, has an abundance of informative statements and homilies about Medjugorje, which demonstrate the first class care a wise and prudent shepherd has for his flock.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20160114002755/http://cbismo.com/index.php?menuID=98

    One of the inclusions at the above link is an article written by Fr Peter Joseph about the discernment of private revelations. It is very good.

    Subsequent to the Holy See taking a more direct responsibility, Pope Francis said Our Lady is not a postmistress sending out message every day. Thereby he completely discredited the ‘Medjugorje apparitions’ without even having to mention them by name. His homily is a blueprint for discernment of private revelations and of pastoral solicitude.

    http://www.lastampa.it/2013/11/14/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/the-virgin-mary-is-not-a-postmistress-who-sends-messages-every-day-HqxAjVkrFVzfDHLdkkbLtM/pagina.html

    God requires obedience to the shepherds He has placed over us. Belief in private revelations that have been authenticated and approved by the Church is not compulsory, but nevertheless prudent and advisable. How foolish and dangerous then to illogically believe in Medjugorje which has not only not been approved, but has been the cause and subject of so many negative judgments and statements from those whom God has appointed to judge the claims of the so called ‘visionaries.’

    1. I will certainly accept Pope Francis’ official statement re Medjugorje, but the truth is that messages are received now once a month, not daily (I get the Medjugorje Newsletter); and e.g. Our Lady of Laus, France, 1664 (approved) appeared to the visionary for 54 years. Other things have to disqualify Medjugorje, not how many times, where, and in what way the alleged apparitions occur.

    1. Bravo, Mark Mallet. You hit the nail on the head. Well said. I hope people will take the time to read your article here.

  16. Those who credit the Medjugorje phenomenon would benefit from reading about Our Lady of Kibeho. What a complicated story! I’ll try to summarize, but will gloss on a lot of details. 7 visionaries reported seeing Mary and other saints. Three of them have been assessed by the Church as having received genuine visitations from the Blessed Mother. Four of them were ruled as having fabricated their visions. However, at least one of the four who fabricated his visions converted from paganism to Christianity. Talk about great fruit! There was rejoicing in the heavens over his conversion, I’m sure. My bet (resolvable only in heaven) is that the Blessed Mother probably appeared to one or more of the Medjugorje visionaries originally, and then like the seeds who grew up among thorns, wicked people in the world and temptations of Satan choked off the grain. However, God in his mercy still brings good out of our evil works.

  17. You are only a journalist Simcha and not the authoritative judge on the authenticity of apparitions.

  18. I really didn’t want it to be a hoax. I don’t think the seers were rubbing their hands together for money at the beginning–that temptation came later. Maybe initially our Lady really did come to warn them of the terror their countries would go through? After all was said and done I think the devil did what he does best. He never wears the devilsuit when he does it. The jerk. He did it at Lourdes and Garabandal too (Akita makes me wonder and some of Kibeho too). Westerners are a little bit harder to fool, but I think we fell for it.

    What’s crazy is the in-your-face evil stuff that comes out of Mexico or the Caribbean. When I learned Spanish in Ecuador my host mother (devout Catholic) went to see a witch doctor from time to time. They weren’t little Indians that didn’t know better either. She was devout and went to mass on Sunday. I think it’s a strange carry-over from their pre-Christian roots.

    I guess we were duly warned by St. Paul to be on our guard about some of this strange stuff.

    1. I agree, Anna Lisa. Wasn’t Lucifer the most beautiful angel? Evil often seems to come to us in the disguise of something loving and good. Once it gets a foothold, the ugliness emerges.

      The good news is that the Holy Trinity always prevails, and that Our Lady and the saints support us. It is sometimes hard to discern what is good and holy, though, because Satan is no fool and he knows how to appeal to our vanities and fears.

      Peace and all good – Susan, ofs

      1. Yes, Lucifer has been known to mimic apparitions in the past. I can’t remember the exact figure, but at Lourdes there were far more fake apparitions than the real ones.

        It also seems that one of the visionaries was duly warned when she saw for a few moments that the apparition was diabolical–with all of the same features of the Mary that had been appearing, but horrifyingly evil. The excuses the apparition made for this sounded odd. Why would Our Lady need to make a single excuse for herself?

        1. And Lucifer was also known to mock real apparitions in the past as well. For example at Fatima the day of the great miracle I read in the Little Fatima book which ahs the seers accounts, that someone namely a priest or someone in the form of a priest mocked everyone and told then to go home when it was a little past time of the miracle predicted. It was said he disappeared. The proof will be in the pudding in Medjugorje.

    3. And the devil persecuted the children at Fatima through authorities and others and threatened to kill them, as they did Bernadette. The children at Medjugorje likewise, as the then communist authorities did everything to try and stop and discredit the apparitions (hey anti-Medjugorje apostolate members – congrats you are one with the atheist communist government that persecuted and maligned and lied about the visionaries as well!), including threatening to jail. Fr. Jozo the pastor became spiritual advisor for the children when he came back from being away and the apparitions had begun… he had complete doubts and said as many of you do, we have the Eucharist, the gospels, the Mass that is all we need…one day in church, praying and trying to understand all of these events, he heard a voice clearly say to him “go out and protect the children” (by the way to doubters these things can easily be verified by a web search). He got up, opened the door, and all of the children ran into his arms crying Father please protect us as the communist authorities were searching for them all over town. From that point on Fr. Jozo believed them fully. He was ultimately imprisoned and tortured for supposedly speaking sedition against the government as he would not stop the events and mentioned being liberated with respect to sin, which they used as threat to liberate from the soon-to-fall communist government.
      In the meantime, Bishop Zanic whom the AM (anti-Medjugorje) zealots hold up as their hero against the apparitons, he who once claimed the children were not lying, after Fr. Jozo was imprisoned it is easy to see in my opinion he became scared and used a minor correction from Our Lady on how one of the Franciscans he disciplined he should not have been so harsh, used that to say Our Lady would NEVER correct a Bishop (L O L) and from that point on became a chief accuser and harasser NOT a fair minded judge in the Holy Spirit of events in Medjugorje. What did he so to help Fr. Jozo in prison by communist authorities? NOTHING. He was probably afraid he would be there too. So we have the local bishop and many others aligning with atheist government authorities in persecuting the children reporting the apparitions early on. Wow how crazy can that be. Many of the falsehoods have been perpetrated to this day. In her new book “My Heart will Triumph” Mirjana Soldo details the persecution she had she was forced to leave all of the visionaries behind and be by herself in her home town of Sarajevo. She went back to high school which she loved. The authorities soon found out and put her picture on the front page and mocked her about supposedly seeing Mary and calling her crazy. Even her high school teacher persecuted her so much she had to leave and quit which affected her deeply. She said every day the authorities came to her door and spent so much time telling her to recant her lies, of course she never changed her words. Vicka ended up with a tumor very painful that would render her unconscious this is documented as well. She suffered very long with this, and she was told she would be healed, to seal an envelop and give it to the Holy Father (JPII) as to the date. Of course this DID come to pass on the exact date, all proven with x-rays and documentation and this is one of the items with the commission. Ivan was told by Our Lady the date he will die, he said he is not afraid. (AM zealots portray him as millionaire greedy etc.) He spoke all over the world prior to the kabash put on it by Mueller (now replaced and seemingly anti-medj) CDF. All of them have been fasting on bread and water in silence on Wednesdays and Fridays for 38 years.

  19. Simcha- Thank you for this. Someone I know visited Medjugorje as a youth. Mixed experience. He did fall into a pretty damaging and life-affecting grave sin while there. Details unnecessary. I know people say, “oh well it’s not hurting anyone because the ‘Gospa’ isn’t anything bad.” But I have often wondered how many people have had experiences like my friend while visiting. Of course, people fall into grave sin all the time away from Medjugorje, so it may be nothing at all. Just have always wondered to myself if maybe there was some correlation there. Just a thought.

    1. There have been accounts of people and clergy doing terrible things at World Youth Days as well. Doesn’t negate the Holy Spirit’s presence there nor the apparitions in Medjughorge. God doesn’t stop people from using their own free will to make bad mistakes

  21. Please take a trip to Medjugorje to report a credible story, instead of fake news. I expect sarcasm from teenagers, not you through Catholic Weekly.

    1. The dumbest thing conservative Catholics have done is adopt Trump’s stupid playground taunt “fake news” to shout down every fact they don’t like and inoculate themselves against reality. Multiple local bishops have said that Mary is not appearing there, as Simcha documented. You’ve got nothing.

    2. That’s really it Anti-Medj are truly the fake news of Catholocism, though many times like our Protestant brothers and sisters who spread lies about the Church, are believing some of the vicious lies printed by certain organized Medj detractors and spreading them as truth with NO JOURNALISTIC or other research!!!

  22. It was obvious in 1989 (my only 3 day visit) that the village was benefiting from a housing boom because of the pilgrims. Luckily we stayed at a local citizens house where the father spoke impeccable English and he pointed out that the collapse of communism in Yugoslavia was imminent because no one believed in it anymore. An interesting coincidence and a mysterious parallel with Fatima and the ending of the First World War. I saw some strange things outside the church, e.g. A young lady in bare feet climbed the very rocky path to the Cross as quickly as I did in sturdy shoes and arrived just behind me to my surprise… While inside the church for the 4 pm rosary (when one of the seers was present) I was left with the impression that nothing extraordinary had happened and that the one seer present took everything in his stride. It could have been a rosary recited anywhere in the world but was none the less quite prayerful. Our host Dragan seemed to take it all very much for granted and did not appear to be very devout. My final thought was that any village that has an apparition is blessed also in ways other than the spiritual yet, in spite of the commercialisation both Medjugorje and Lourdes are rather remote, hilly locations of considerable beauty where one might expect Our Lady to appear, if she was to appear anywhere on earth. Has Simcha been there?

    1. You don’t need to have been there to listen to the local ordinaries who have, multiple times, declared that Mary is not appearing there. End of story.

  23. Your article contains half truths. While the Church won’t declare a site to be authentic while visionaries are still receiving visions, the Church has always been swift in declaring it false if it there was evidence. I can think of several of these examples over the past decade. The Church hasn’t ruled on Medjugorje and yet you have. You haven’t been there, I have.

    I was a witness to the miracle of the sun. I watched it with eyes wide open while some others around me had to avert their eyes, I watched as water appeared on the knee of the bronze sculpture of the Risen Christ. I wiped water away from solid bronze and watched it reappear on the dry, clean metal over and over. You do not believe in these miracles Simcha but you cannot explain them to me.

    If the Church declares Medjugorje to be false, I will assent my will to the Church. But you are not the Church Simcha and I think it’s presumptive of you to make Her declarations for Her. And you still cannot explain what I’ve seen.

    1. Multiple local bishops have already said that Mary is not appearing at Medjugorje, as Simcha clearly documented and you ignored. It’s a fraud. Stop promoting it.

      1. And yet, the Church took it out of the hands of the local bishop. (Which is also well documented) Also you can’t explain what I saw either Mark. Either I’m, and thousands of others are lying, I’m blind and someone is reading your comments to me, or I witnessed a miracle. do you actually have the audacity to tell a person who saw a miracle to “stop promoting it”?

      4. I would appreciate if you speak for yourself -don’t tell us what to do . Local Bishops do NOT have authority everyone knows this it has been handed over to the Commission in Rome, so your response is inaccurate.

      5. You my friend are spreading fraudulent information- everyone knows it was long removed from the virulently anti-Medjugorje Bishop (Zanic deceased, Peric present) jurisdiction

  24. What does “you do you” mean? What’s the significance of it being said so often?

    1. “You do you” means “do what you want” or more loosely, “don’t listen to other people, because they’re not you”. I believe Simcha refers to the Gospa’s habit of affirming whatever it is that the visionaries feel like doing at the moment, especially with the back-and-forth over vocations – I’d also apply it to her comments on the saintliness of rebellious priests…

    2. “You do you” means “do your own thing” or “do whatever you want.” It isn’t necessarily harmful to say this now and then about trivial things – I usually hear it applied to people’s fashion or music tastes – but all that repetition from an alleged authority? Yeah, I don’t see any good coming of that.

  25. Your take on Medjugorje is the same as mine.

    My Blessed Mother never went against Church authority. When Juan Diego feared his Bishop would not believe him, she never defied the Bishop. She produced her image on Juan Diego’s tilma and produced beautiful (non-native) roses in December. Defiance is not her style.

    I am sympathetic to those who have a devotion to this. They want to believe and trust. And they are good people. But they are not asking themselves why priests, bishops, and the Popes of our time (St. John Paul and Benedict never showed up there, in addition to Pope Francis) have never promoted Medjugorje, and in fact have advised the faithful to stay away, via the Bishops. Surely these three popes, who have had such great love of Mary, would have promoted this if it was licit.

    As far as the gold rosary chain phenomena – Satan has been known to pull party tricks in order to pull good people away from God.

    Lenten blessings to you and your family – Susan, ofs

    1. How many rosaries which supposedly turned to gold have been examined by a jeweler? That doesn’t happen.

      1. I know this is a little bit off topic but I wanted to ask why there are planned parent hood ad and birth control ad?

        1. Author of this post, remove this picture, because you don’t even know what you’re doing. Do it before it’s too late, you’re doing yourself a disservice

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