In a detailed analysis after nearly 15 years of study, the Vatican’s doctrine office did not declare that the reported apparitions in Medjugorje were authentic or of supernatural origin. And it flagged concerns about contradictions in some of the “messages” the alleged visionaries say they have received over the years. But in line with new Vatican criteria in place this year, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled that the “spiritual fruits” stemming from the Medjugorje experience more than justified allowing the faithful to organise pilgrimages there and permit public acts of devotion.
The decision essentially overrules the original doubts about the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje by the region’s past diocesan bishops. And it ignores current concerns about the economic interests that have turned Medjugorje into a thriving destination for religious tourists. But with Pope Francis’ approval, the doctrine office decided that “the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive” justified its decision.
It said doing so “highlights that the Holy Spirit is acting fruitfully for the good of the faithful in the midst of this spiritual phenomenon”. In 1981, six children and teenagers reported seeing visions of the Madonna on a hill in the village of Medjugorje, located in the wine-making region of southern Bosnia. Some of those original “seers” have claimed the visions have occurred regularly since then, even daily, and that .