Pope Allows Pilgrimages to Site of Reported Apparitions

The Vatican on Thursday gave the green light for Catholics to continue flocking to a southern Bosnian village where children reported seeing visions of the Virgin Mary, per the AP. In a detailed analysis after nearly 15 years of study, the Vatican's doctrine office didn't 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 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith ruled that the positive "spiritual fruits" stemming from the Medjugorje experience more than justified allowing the faithful to organize pilgrimages there and permit public acts of devotion.

The decision overrules years of doubts about the veracity of the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje by the region's past diocesan bishops and Vatican experts. And it ignores current concerns about the economic interests that have turned Medjugorje into a thriving destination for religious tourists. Last year alone, 1.7 million Eucharistic wafers were distributed during Masses there, according to statistics published on the site's website. But with Pope Francis' blessing, 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 Mary sends them messages. By some counts, the Virgin Mary has appeared to the "seers" more than 40,000 times since 1981. However, unlike at the more well-known and established Catholic sanctuaries in Fatima, Portugal, or Lourdes, France, the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje were never declared authentic by the Vatican.

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