Medjugorje: What Catholics should know about the alleged Marian apparitions

National Catholic Register, Sep 19, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

Since June 24–25, 1981, the eve and feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, when six children in a small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina first reported seeing and receiving messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary, more than 40 million pilgrims from around the world have flocked to the small village named Medjugorje. 

Pilgrims attend Masses at Medjugorje’s St. James Church during the day and the evening Mass is celebrated outdoors to accommodate huge crowds. They climb rocky Podbrdo — Apparition Hill — bearing a statue of Our Lady, marking where she allegedly appeared. Pilgrims also climb up Mount Križevac, praying the Stations of the Cross, journeying to the huge cross nearly 40 feet tall built by villagers in the early 20th century. They fill the lines at all the confessionals, as the sacrament of penance is offered daily.

Franciscan priests have administered to the needs of the souls of the Croatian people in the parish and region with its Mediterranean climate and fertile plains for farmers and vineyards since the 13th century, and they have been closely involved with the visionaries and pilgrims from the start of the apparitions.

The visionaries

The six visionaries are Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, Ivan Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, Jakov Colo, Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo, and Ivanka Ivankovic-Elez. Always called “the visionaries,” they are now adults. While Vicka, Ivan, and Marija still reportedly receive a daily apparition at the specific time of 6:40 p.m., the others do so now only on particular dates. Mirjana allegedly receives apparitions once a month — plus once a year on March 18, her birthday — with Ivanka reporting once a year on June 25, the anniversary of the first apparition, and Jakov once a year on Christmas Day.

The message

Our Lady came to Medjugorje to show the faithful the way to peace and help convert lives so as to return to God, according to the visionaries, including to bring people to her son, Jesus. Early in the apparitions, she reportedly identified herself as the “Queen of Peace.”

“Dear children, this is the reason for my presence among you for such a long time: to lead you on the path of Jesus. I want to save you and, through you, to save the whole world. Many people now live without faith; some don’t even want to hear about Jesus, but they still want peace and satisfaction! Children, here is the reason why I need your prayer: Prayer is the only way to save the human race” (July 30, 1987).

Five ‘stones’

As David had five stones to defeat Goliath (see 1 Samuel 17:40), priests in Medjugorje explain Our Lady’s messages and directions as five stones to defeat Satan and save souls. They are:

1. Daily prayer, especially the daily rosary.

2. Fasting — on Wednesdays and Fridays because, through fasting, wars can be stopped and natural laws suspended. 

3. Reading the Bible daily and placing it in a prominent place in the home. 

4. Confession. According to the visionaries, Mary requested regular monthly confession: “Monthly confession will be a remedy for the Church in the West. One must convey this message to the West.” Even Sts. John Paul II and Teresa of Calcutta availed themselves of this sacrament weekly. Mary also reportedly said: “Pray, pray! It is necessary to believe firmly, to go to confession regularly, and, likewise, to receive holy Communion. It is the only salvation.” 

5. Mass and the Eucharist: Our Blessed Mother has been said to emphasize Sunday Mass and receiving the Eucharist in a state of grace, noting that Jesus gives us his graces in the Mass, and Our Lady is also said to have added the importance of going to daily Mass when possible.

Formal commissions

In 1986, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger formed a commission among the bishops of Yugoslavia to investigate the alleged apparitions. In 1991, the official statement from the Yugoslavia Bishops’ Conference stated that it was not determined yet if the apparitions are of supernatural origin; pilgrims are allowed to go to Medjugorje; and priests are also allowed to tend to the spiritual needs of pilgrims.

On March 26, 2010, then-Pope Benedict XVI appointed Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini to head a commission of cardinals, theologians, psychologists, and others to examine Medjugorje. In 2016, the commission finished its report, and a year later, it was given to Pope Francis by the CDF. At that point, it had split the examination into two phases: the first seven appearances between June 24 and July 3, 1981, and all those happening later and still reportedly continue. The report recognized the supernatural nature of the first seven appearances. 

The report had four recommendations: Place Medjugorje under Vatican control; allow church-organized pilgrimages; declare Medjugorje a pontifical shrine; and declare the first apparitions authentic and supernatural. Then, in an in-flight press conference in 2017, Pope Francis said: “Concerning the alleged current apparitions, the report expresses doubts.”

A year after the pope expressed personal suspicions about the events, in May 2018, Francis assigned Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser to help oversee all aspects of pastoral ministries in Medjugorje, thus putting Medjugorje under Vatican control. Consequently, Hoser, officially named apostolic visitor, authorized official diocesan and parish-organized pilgrimages to promote the good fruits while not authenticating everything. In 2019, Pope Francis formally authorized organized pilgrimages to Medjugorje. In November 2021, after the death of Hoser, Pope Francis appointed Italian Bishop Aldo Cavalli to continue the mission in Medjugorje. 

10 ‘secrets’

Each of the visionaries is said to have been given 10 “secrets” concerning events in the world in the near future. None can be revealed yet, except for the so-called “Third Secret.” Our Lady promised to leave a supernatural, indestructible sign on the mountain of her first appearance. It will be a sign for atheists, she supposedly said, adding:

“You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for his grace. The time is for deepening your faith and for your conversion. When the sign comes, it will be too late for many.” 

As soon as the Blessed Mother finishes her appearances, it has been reported, three warnings will be given to the world. Mirjana is to reveal them to Father Petar Ljubicic 10 days before they happen, and he will announce them. After the first, there will apparently be a time of great graces and conversions. 

Abundant fruits

The spiritual fruits are apparent. Countless numbers of the more than 40 million people who have come to Medjugorje since the beginning — whether with true spiritual intent or out of curiosity — have returned home stronger in their faith and determined to put our Blessed Mother’s directives into practice, according to accounts.

There have been many reports of conversions and returns to the faith. Healings of various kinds, from bodies to souls, have also apparently happened. Numerous vocations have been reported coming out of Medjugorje. Since 1989, when two of the Franciscan priests there organized the Medjugorje International Youth Festival, known as Mladifest, as an annual festival of Catholic youth, 50,000 young people have come annually to attend every Aug. 1–6.

In 2023, Pope Francis sent a message to those at Mladifest, saying: “I joyfully address you who are participating in the Youth Festival in Medjugorje, an occasion to celebrate and renew your faith. I hope you will live these days as a spiritual pilgrimage that will lead you to encounter the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist, in adoration, in confession, in biblical catechesis, in silent prayer and the rosary, and also through testimonies.”

Many of those going to Medjugorje have taken to heart what Our Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace, is reported to have said: “I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God.”

The Vatican held a conference Thursday on the “spiritual experience” of Medjugorje, endorsing “a prudent devotion to Mary at the popular pilgrimage site,” though it withheld any declaration on whether the alleged visions are of supernatural origin.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.