Great news for the Marian shrine of Medjugorje!

For the first time, the Catholic Church recognizes the “spiritual fruits” of Medjugorje (1), but without pronouncing on the “supernatural character” of the apparitions.

There is no more controversial place for “Marian apparitions” than Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where phenomena have been occurring since 1981, with multiple alleged messages from the Virgin Mary.

Cautious until now, the Vatican, which has nevertheless authorized Catholic worship and pilgrimages - a million visitors a year - has now taken a major step forward: without recognizing the “supernatural character” of the apparitions, the Catholic Church acknowledges for the first time the pastoral validity of the “spiritual fruits” observed among the faithful, as well as the theological coherence of most of the “messages” attributed to the Virgin Mary.

So much so, in fact, that the Holy See published numerous excerpts from the document on Thursday September 19. Entitled “The Queen of Peace: Note on the spiritual experience in connection with Medjugorje”, it has been endorsed by Pope Francis and signed by the Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez.

www.lefigaro.fr

(1) In Medjugorje, a Catholic parish in the municipality of Čitluk in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Virgin Mary has appeared to six Croats from Herzegovina since June 24, 1981