Archbishop Hoser to continue his pastoral mission in Medjugorje

Archbishop Henryk Hoser, retired Archbishop of Warsaw-Prague in Poland, begins his mandate on Sunday as Apostolic Visitor to St James Parish in Medjugorje. He will inaugurate his ministry with a solemn Mass in the evening and has invited all of the faithful and pilgrims present to participate.

Archbishop Hoser was first appointed by Pope Francis as a special envoy from the Holy See to St James Parish on February 11, 2017. At that time the Holy See’s Press Office stated that the mission entrusted to the then Archbishop of Warsaw-Prague "has the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there in pilgrimage, and on the basis of this, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future…"

Pope Francis nominated Archbishop Hoser a second time "as special apostolic visitor for the parish of Medjugorje" on May 31, 2018. According to the statement released by the Holy See’s Press Office, the mandate will last for "an undefined period and ad nutum Sanctae" (at the Holy See’s disposition).

Once again, Archbishop Hoser will exercise "an exclusively pastoral office" in continuity with his first mandate which came to an end recently. The Holy See’s Press Office explains, "the mission of the Apostolic Visitor has the aim of ensuring a stable and continuous accompaniment to the parish community of Medjugorje and to the faithful who go there as pilgrims, and whose needs require particular attention."

Medjugorje, an entirely Catholic village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a place of faith that has attracted millions of pilgrims since June 1981, when the Virgin Mary first appeared to six Croat youngsters from Herzegovina.

Vatican News