While offering an overall positive judgment on the Marian devotions associated with Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Vatican says in a new document that some issues still need to be clarified. Source: Crux.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) presented the document, titled “The Queen of Peace,” in a news conference yesterday.
In the foreword for the nearly 20-page document approved by Pope Francis, the DDF said: “The time has come to conclude a long and complex history that has surrounded the spiritual phenomena of Medjugorje.”
A synthesis stated that the approval for devotion to Medjugorje was given due to “the abundant spiritual fruits received at the sanctuary of the Queen of Peace, without making a declaration on the alleged supernatural character of Marian apparitions”.
“Many positive fruits have been noted in the midst of a spiritual experience, while negative and dangerous effects have not spread among the People of God,” the synthesis said.
However, the DDF insisted that the approval of devotion does not constitute “a judgment about the moral life of the alleged visionaries” and that any spiritual gifts received by a person “do not necessarily require those involved to have moral perfection”.
The DDF also urged a certain caution, saying, “Although we find many positive elements that help to heed the call of the Gospel, when we consider the overall set of messages tied to this spiritual experience, some people believe that certain messages contain contradictions or are connected with the desires or interests of the alleged visionaries or others.”
The alleged Medjugorje apparitions began in June 1981, and they are often divided into two categories: the “originals,” which took place during the period of June 24-July 3 of that year, when the Virgin is believed to have appeared daily to six young people aged between 10 and 17 at the time, and subsequent apparitions some of the original seers claimed to have, at times daily, since 1989.
While the original set of alleged apparitions all took place in the same place, seers who claim to still receive messages from the Virgin Mary have said they see Mary at random times and places.
FULL STORY
Vatican offers cautious green light to Medjugorje devotion (By Elise Ann Allen, Crux)
RELATED COVERAGE
Vatican sees spiritual value of Medjugorje, doesn’t judge it supernatural (CNS)
