Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 02:23, 2 November 2020

Our Lady of Medjugorje
Statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje
Location	Many locations, including: Bosnia and Herzegovina: Medjugorje Mostar Sarajevo other places Croatia: Zagreb Varaždin other places United States Boston, Massachusetts Birmingham, Alabama Sterrett, Alabama Italy Milan Monza other places Switzerland
Date	24 June 1981 – ongoing
Witness	Ivan Dragićević Ivanka Ivanković Jakov Colo Marija Pavlović Mirjana Dragićević Vicka Ivanković
Type	Marian apparition
Approval	Pending decision by the Holy See
Shrine	Medjugorje

Our Lady of Medjugorje (Croatian: Međugorska Gospa), also called Queen of Peace (Croatian: Kraljica mira) and Mother of the Redeemer (Croatian: Majka Otkupiteljica), is the title given to the "visions" of the Blessed Virgin Mary which allegedly appeared in 1981 to six Herzegovinian teenagers in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (at the time in SFR Yugoslavia). The local Diocese as well as the Catholic Church have not recognised the apparitions as either supernatural or authentic. Two former bishops of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno, Pavao Žanić and Ratko Perić, have stated that they believe that the apparitions are a hoax.

There have also been continued reports of seeing the apparition and receiving messages from it during the years since. The seers often refer to the apparition as the "Gospa", which is a Croatian archaism for lady. On May 13, 2017, a papal response came when Pope Francis declared that the original visions reported by the teenagers are worth studying in more depth, while the subsequent continued visions over the years are, in his view, of dubious value. He went on to say that there are people who go there, convert, find God and their lives change. He said that this is a spiritual and pastoral fact that cannot be denied. As a pastoral initiative, after considering the considerable number of people who go to Medjugorje and the abundant fruits of grace that have sprung from it, the ban on officially organized pilgrimages was lifted by the Vatican in May 2019. However this was not to be interpreted as an authentication of known events, which still require examination by the Church. This was made official with the celebration of a youth festival among pilgrims and Catholic clergy in Medjugorie for five days in August 2019.

History

v t e Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Province of Sarajevo	Archdiocese of Vrhbosna Diocese of Banja Luka Diocese of Mostar-Duvno Diocese of Trebinje-Mrkan
Other	Military Ordinariate of Bosnia and Herzegovina Greek Catholic Eparchy of Križevci
Former dioceses	Diocese of Duvno Diocese of Makarska Diocese of Sarsenterum Diocese of Bosnia Apostolic Administration of Bosnia-Hercegovina
Cathedrals	Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo Cathedral of Saint Bonaventure, Banja Luka Cathedral of Mary, Mother of the Church, Mostar Cathedral of the Birth of Mary, Trebinje
Relations	Bosnia and Herzegovina–Holy See relations Apostolic Nunciature to Bosnia and Herzegovina
See also	Our Lady of Medjugorje Church of St John in Podmilačje Ivan Merz Blessed Martyrs of Drina Josip Stadler Petar Barbarić
Catholicism portal Bosnia and Herzegovina portal

On June 24, 1981, young Mirjana Dragićević and Ivanka Ivanković reported seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary in a village in what is now in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The following day another vision was reported by Mirjana and Ivanka and this time four other young people reported seeing it as well: Marija Pavlović, Jakov Colo, Vicka Ivanković, and Ivan Dragićević.

The teenagers claim that they saw an apparition on Podbrdo Hill; the alleged apparition was a young woman with an infant in her arms. Surprised and scared, they did not approach. The next day at the same time four of the youths returned, and were later joined by the other two.

At the time of the first alleged apparition Vicka Ivanković was sixteen years old. She claims to have prayed and talked with Our Lady and to have been given nine "secrets". Her "prayer mission", given by the Blessed Virgin Mary, is to pray for the sick. Vicka says that her daily apparitions have not yet stopped. Vicka claims to have received a biography of Mary's life, contained in two handwritten notebooks, which Vicka has said will be published when the Blessed Virgin Mary tells her to do so.

Regarding her alleged visions, Vicka Ivanković once stated:

Before, I prayed from pure habit. Now I've turned completely to prayer. I commit my life completely to God. I feel sorry for those who do not believe in God, because Our Lady wants no one to be lost. We can help each other find the right way to God. It's up to the people to obey the messages and be converted. Great things are happening here – Our Lady is among us. She wishes to attract everyone to Her Son. That's the reason She has been coming so long and so often. Here everyone feels the nearness and the love of God. As role model and example, Gospa (Mary) began, in January 1983, to tell me Her life story, which took over two years.

A 2009 paper by Daniel Maria Klimek, T.O.R., details the intricate connection between the Medjugorje apparitions and the writings of the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta.

In March 2020, Dragićević stated that the apparitions on the second of each month have come to an end.

Days before Dragićević's announcement, the Associated Press reported that the number of visitors was already in sharp decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, Reuters reported that the travel restrictions had caused a marked decrease in pilgrimages, down from over 100,000 per year, along with a loss in revenue for local businesses.

Chronicle of Apparitions and Vicka's diaries

Fr. Tomislav Vlašić became a spiritual guide of the seers and was conducting the Chronicle of Apparitions (Kronika ukazanja). The Chronicle covers the period from 11 August 1981 to 15 October 1983. The chronicle is written to give the impression of immediacy, using terms such as “same scene as yesterday” or “tonight” and “tonight”. However, Nikola Bulat, member of the commission that examined the apparitions, concluded that the Chronicle wasn't written daily as it seems. Under the number dates, events that occurred later were recorded. The intro of the Chronicle was written only on 25 February 1982, so Bulat concludes that it is possible that Vlašić started writing the Chronicle only then, eight months after the apparitions or during the October 1981 at its best.

The commission also received Vicka's three out of four diaries. The first diary was written by Vicka's sister Ana and it encompasses the period from 24 June 1981 to 6 September 1981. Some of the problematic aspects the commission found with the diary is that Vicka never saw it nor wrote it, and it contained the information Vicka claimed to have never told to her sister.

The second diary was largely copied from Vlašić's Chronicle, and it encompasses the period from 12 October 1981 to 14 December 1981. The 18 October 1981 was written twice, with different content. It contains two handwritings, non of which is Vicka's. Vicka told the commission that this diary was also written by her sister.

Vicka's third diary is the only one written by Vicka. It includes the period between 6 February 1982 to 25 March 1982. It isn't reliable as the dates in it do not correspond to the days of the week, while only the first eight days are correctly written. For example, on the day of Ash Wednesday, it says it was Good Friday. It also contains songs and quotes unrelated to the apparitions. It has poor grammar and content.

The question of the Vicka's fourth diary remains unresolved. Vicka claimed in a letter to Bishop Pavao that she has been writing it since the beginning of the apparition, and the second time she claimed that she never had it. Similarly, Fr. Vlašić claimed that the fourth diary exists, and then later sweared on the Cross that he never held it in his hands.

Description of Mary

Franciscan Fr. Janko Bubalo questioned the seers and asked them to describe Virgin Mary's appearance. They claim that Our Lady appears to be 18 to 20 years old, slender and around 165 centimetres (5 ft 5 in) tall. Her face is long and oval. She has black hair. Her eyes are blue with delicate eyelashes and thin black eyebrows. She has a little nose and rosy cheeks. She has reddish thin lips and her smile is more like some indescribable gentleness. It's visible as if somehow under her skin.

Her simple dress is bluish-grey and falls freely all the way down to the little whitish cloud on which she is standing. Her veil is pure white and covers her head and shoulders. It also reaches down to the little cloud. She has a crown of twelve golden stars on her head.

Finally he asked, "Is Our Lady really beautiful, as you have said?" Their answer was, "Well, really we haven't told you anything about that. Her beauty cannot be described. It is not our kind of beauty. It is something ethereal, something heavenly, something that we'll only see in Paradise and then only to a certain degree." Seer Mirjana, in her autobiography, says that when they asked Gospa, "How is it possible that you are so beautiful?" Our Lady gently smiled. "I am beautiful because I love," she said. "If you want to be beautiful, then love."

Locations of future visions

Here is a list of some of the places:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina:
  • Mostar
  • Sarajevo
  • other places
• Croatia:
  • Zagreb
  • Varaždin
  • other places
• United States
  • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Birmingham, Alabama
  • Sterrett, Alabama
• Italy
  • Milan
  • Monza
  • other places
• Switzerland

Biographies of the alleged seers

Ivan Dragičević

Ivan Dragičević was born in Mostar on May 25, 1965. He was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. After graduating from elementary school, he enrolled at a secondary school in Čitluk, but failed to pass the first class. In August 1981 he applied to the seminary of the Herzegovinian Franciscan Province, where he was already known for the alleged apparitions. He was sent to a seminary in Visoko. In the seminary, he also claimed to have daily apparitions. Again he failed to pass the first class and was sent to the gymnasium in Dubrovnik, where it was thought he would pass the class more easily. Thus, in autumn 1982, he was transferred from the Franciscan seminary to the humanist gymnasium in Dubrovnik. He was unsuccessful there as well and left the school altogether in January 1983.

While in the Franciscan seminary, he claimed that Gospa came to an image of Jesus and said: "Angel, this is your Father", which was never taught by any Christian denomination. He also claimed, like Vicka Dragičević, that Gospa told him her biography from December 1982 to May 1983.

Dragičević married Laureen Murphy, a former Miss Massachusetts, in 1994. They have three children and live in Boston. His wife owns a tourist agency for pilgrims to Medjugorje. Dragičević owns a hotel in Medjugorje and a mansion worth a million of the United States dollars.

Ivanka Ivanković

Ivanka Ivanković was born in Bijakovići on June 21, 1966. At the time of the alleged apparitions, she was 14. She, like Ivan Dragičević and Vicka Dragičević, claims that Gospa told her biography between January and May 1983. She claims to have had regular apparitions until May 7, 1985, and that since then the apparitions occur only once a year. She was, she claims, given the tenth secret by Gospa.

She is married to Rajko Elez with whom she has three children. They live in Međugorje.

Jakov Čolo

Jakov Čolo was born in Bijakovići on March 6, 1971. He was 10 at the time of the alleged apparitions. He claimed to have had daily apparitions from June 25, 1981, to September 12, 1998. As of then, he claims that he has one apparition a year on Christmas Day. He claims that Gospa told him the tenth secret. He married Anna-Lisa Barozzi, an Italian, in 1993. They have three children and live in Međugorje.

Marija Pavlović

Marija Pavlović was born on April 1, 1965, in Bijakovići near Međugorje. She was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She finished secondary school in Mostar. She became a seer since the second day of the alleged apparitions on June 25, 1981.

She was once asked why she didn't become a nun, to which she replied: "Through all those years I thought I'm gonna be a nun. I started visiting a monastery; my desire to go there was very strong. But the abbess told me: "Marija, if you tend to join, you can, but if Bishop decides that you cannot talk about Međugorje, you must listen to him." In that moment, I started to think that my calling is perhaps that I witness to what I saw and felt, and that I will seek my sainthood outside the monastery." She also claims to have daily apparitions and that she keeps nine secrets from Gospa. She claims that Gospa sends her monthly messages for the world. These messages were at first made public by fra Tomislav Vlašić, then after him by fra Slavko Barbarić.

Later, in February 1988, she joined fra Tomislav Vlašić, a New Age promoter, and his group of 15 young men and women in the community "Queen of Peace, where totally yours – Through Mary to Jesus" in Parma, Italy. Together they participated in spiritual exercises for five months. She left the group in July 1988. Vlašić was an ex-friar since 1987 who with his German assistant Agnes Heupel founded a mystic community. Heupel also claimed to receive messages from Gospa. Vlašić claimed that through Pavlović's testimony the community was a work of Gospa herself, and that Pavloviće had delivered him an answer in March 1987 to his question to Gospa about the community, which, among other things, stated: "This is God's plan" and that "Gospa leads the group through father Tomislav and Agnes, through which she sends her messages for the community". In July 1988, Pavlović denied any messages from Gospa regarding the community.

She married an Italian, Paolo Lunetti, in Milan in 1993. They live in a six-story mansion in Monza, but spent most of the time in Milan.

Mirjana Dragičević

Mirjana Dragičević was born on 18 March 1965, in Sarajevo. She was 15 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She lived in Sarajevo for a long time, where she has also finished her education. She claims to have had regular apparitions between 24 June 1981, and 25 December 1982. She claims that she became depressed and prayed for the apparition to see her again. According to her claims, Gospa left her "a gift" that she could see her on her birthday. As Međugorje became more and more popular, Dragičević later said that as of 2 August 1987, the apparition would appear every 2nd day of every month. As of 2 January 1997, Dragičević knew the exact hour of the apparition (10 to 11 AM).

She claims that the apparition told her ten secrets, which are intended "for humanity in general, for the world, then for Međugorje, Yugoslavia, and some other areas". Dragičević also said that every seer has a special mission. She was ordained for those "who do not know the love of God", Vicka Ivanković and Jakov Čolo for the sick, Ivan Dragičević for the young and the priests, Marija Pavlović for the souls in Purgatory, and Ivanka Ivanković for families.

Dragičević is married to Marko Soldo since 1989 and they have two children. They live in Međugorje, where they own a hotel. They also own a mansion at the Croatian island of Hvar in Sućuraj, which they rent for 25,000 Croatian kunas (equivalent to 3,300 Euros or 3,850 United States dollars) a week. One of her daughters, Veronika, studied at the University of Mostar, and is remembered by her colleagues for arriving at classes in a luxury Range Rover.

Dragičević wrote several books, including an autobiography titled Moje srce će pobijediti (My heart will win).

Vicka Ivanković

Vicka Ivanković is the oldest of the alleged seers, born on September 3, 1964, in Bijakovići, a village near Međugorje. She was 16 at the time of the alleged apparitions. She claims to have had daily apparitions, and on occasions two, three, four or five times a day. According to her claims, the apparition told her her biography from January 1983 to April 1985. One of the major controversies of the Međugorje phenomenon was her diary about the apparitions, which went public with or without her consent. She claimed that the copying of her diaries occurred without her knowledge or consent. She married Marijo Mijatović in 2002.

Ivanković lives in a mansion in Krehin Gradac near Medjugorje.

Official position of the Church

The Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia, at their spring meeting at Zadar on April 10, 1991, declared that at this time the Medjugorje's apparitions cannot be affirmed as a supernatural, ruling that: "On the basis of the investigations, so far it cannot be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations." This leaves it open as they continue to investigate. In the actual declaration it is noted that thousands of pilgrims come to Medujorje and are in need of pastoral care. Their declaration finished with: "For this purpose, the bishops will issue especially suitable liturgical-pastoral directives. Likewise, through their Commission they will continue to keep up with and investigate the entire event in Medjugorje."

Typically, as for all claims of private revelation, the Catholic Church follows a standard criterion for evaluating apparitions. There are two possible judgments: constat de supernaturalitate ("It is confirmed to be of supernatural origin") and non constat... ("It is not confirmed..."). The Catholic Church has made successive comments on the status of the Medjugorje apparitions. Each has declared non constat; that is, it cannot confirm the supernatural nature of the apparitions. The Vatican commission set up to study Medjugorje concluded on 18 January 2014. On 7 May 2015, Pope Francis announced the results would come soon. On 11 June 2015, the Vatican's chief spokesman communicated that no decision was expected until the Fall of 2015.

Pope

Even though the supporters of the apparitions claimed that Pope John Paul II and Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith were sympathetic towards the apparitions, Ratzinger refuted these claims in July 1998, stating: "I can only say that the statements about Medjugorje attributed to the Holy Father and me are mere fabrications! (frei erfunden)".

In an interview in May 2017, Pope Francis commented on the findings of the commission headed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini saying that the report said of the initial apparitions that they "need to continue being studied" and expressed doubts in the later apparitions. He also expressed his own suspicion towards the apparitions saying he prefers "the Madonna as Mother, our Mother, and not a woman who’s the head of an office".

The Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser was given a "special mission of the Holy See" to "acquire more in-depth knowledge of the pastoral situation in Medjugorje" and “above all, the needs of the faithful who come to pilgrimage” to “suggest any pastoral initiatives for the future.” The Archbishop reported to the Pope in the summer of 2017.

Authorization of Pilgrimage

Organized pilgrimages to Medjugorje were discouraged by the local Bishops at Zadar during 1991, and this decision was confirmed by Cardinal Bertone at the Vatican in 1996.

However, on May 12, 2019, the Vatican officially authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje. The first Vatican-sanctioned pilgrimage took place for five days in August 2019. During the pilgrimage, approximately 60,000 young Catholics from 97 different countries took part in the celebration of a youth festival. Fourteen archbishops and bishops and about 700 Catholic priests joined the festival as well.

Investigations

Bishop Pavao Žanić's commissions: 1982–1986

Bishop Pavao Žanić established the first two commissions for the investigation of the apparitions. The first commission was active from 1982 to 1984, and had four members. The investigation was expanded with the establishment of the second commission that had fifteen members and examined the events from 1984 to 1986. The second commission included nine professors from various theological faculties and two psychiatrists. The second commission examined Fr. Tomislav Vlašić's Chrinicles and Vicka's diaries. The Chronicles and diaries were found incredible, with records kept irregularly, entered subsequently, and some parts of Vicka's diaries were forged.

The negative conclusions of the commissions were delivered to Rome, from which it was expected to agree with the conclusions and to give a negative judgment of the apparitions, however, the Rome requested another investigation to be made by the Conference of Bishops of Yugoslavia. The Conclusion of the Conference of Bishops, published in Zadar on 10 April 1991 was the apparitions "non constat de supernaturalitate", that is that on the basis of previous examinations, it is impossible to establish that these are supernatural apparitions or revelations. However, the Conference left the possibility of the pilgrimage.

The Ruini Commission: 2010–2014

Pope Benedict XVI established a new commission headed by Cardinal Camillo Ruini with other fourteen members on 17 March 2010. The commission was active until 17 January 2014. Other prominent members of the commission included Cardinals Jozef Tomko, Vinko Puljić, Josip Bozanić, Julián Herranz and Angelo Amato, psychologists, theologians, mariologists and canonists. The task of the commission was to "collect and examine all the material", and publish a "detailed report" based on its findings.

The Ruini Commission made a distinction between the first appearances from 24 June 1981 until 3 July 1981, with 13 votes in favor of those apparitions being of "supernatural" origin, one vote against, and an expert with a suspensive vote. Regarding the rest of the apparitions, from July 1981 onwards, the Commission found them to be influenced by heavy interference caused by the conflict between the Franciscans and the diocese over the redistribution of parishes. The Commission deemed later visions to be "pre-announced and programmed", and they continued despite the seers stating they would end.

Regarding the pastoral fruits of Medjugorje, the Commission voted in two phases. In the first phase, they disregarded the behavior of the seers and voted six in favor of the positive outcome (including three experts), seven stating they are mixed (including three experts) with most being positive, and other three experts stating the fruits are a mix of positive and negative. In the second phase, taking into consideration the behavior of the seers, twelve members (including four experts) stated they cannot express their opinion, and other two members voted against the supernatural origin of the phenomenon.

The report was received with negative opinions in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, expressing doubts regarding the apparitions. Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who headed the Congregation at the time, said in April 2017 regarding Medjugorje, that "pastoral questions" cannot be separated "from questions of the authenticity of apparitions".

Skepticism

Critics such as Catholic author E. Michael Jones, consider the apparitions to be a hoax, and have stated that the reports of mysterious lights on the hill could easily be explained by illusions produced by atmospheric conditions, or fires that were lit by local youths.

Raymond Eve, a professor of sociology, in the Skeptical Inquirer has written:

I acknowledge that the teenagers' initial encounters with the Virgin may well have been caused by personal factors. For example, Ivanka, who was the first to perceive a visitation, had just lost her natural mother. The perception of apparitional experiences spread rapidly among her intimate peer group. ...The region's tension and anxiety likely exacerbated this contagion process and the need to believe among the youthful protagonists.

Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell has noted that there are a number of reasons for doubting the authenticity of the apparitions such as contradictions in the stories. For example, on the first sighting, the teenagers claimed they had visited Podbrdo Hill to smoke. They later retracted this, claiming they had gone to the hill to pick flowers. According to Nickell there is also a problem of the "embarrassingly illiterate" nature of the messages.

See also

• Faustina Kowalska
• Marian apparition
• Mariology of the Catholic Church
• Visions of Jesus and Mary

Footnotes

1. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 49.
2. ^ Kutleša 2001, pp. 33–34.
3. ^ Garrison (a) 2012.
4. ^ Garrison (b) 2012.
5. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 31.
6. "Local Bishop: Medjugorje Apparitions Are Not Credible". www.total-croatia-news.com.
7. "Local bishop: 'The Madonna has not appeared in Medjugorje'". www.catholicnewsagency.com.
8. "The Truth About Medjugorje—Donal Foley Part I". January 29, 2018.
9. "Questionable Games Surrounding the Great Sign" Ratko Perić, Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, Diocesan website. Accessed 2011-05-16.
10. Harris, Elise (2017-05-13). "Pope Francis: I am suspicious of ongoing Medjugorje apparitions". Catholic News Agency (CNA). Retrieved 2018-03-18.
11. "Pope Francis' opinion on the Medjugorje apparitions". Rome Reports. 2017-05-13. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
12. ^ "Pope authorizes pilgrimages to Medjugorje - Vatican News". www.vaticannews.va. 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
13. ^ Vatican confirms Medjugorje approval by joining youth festival Jonathan Luxmoore Aug 7, 2019 cruxnow.com accessed 6 July 2020
14. ^ Weible, Wayne (1989). Medjugorje The Message. Paraclete Press. ISBN 1-55725-009-X.
15. Soldo, Mirjana (2016). My Heart Will Triumph. CatholicShop Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9978906-0-0.
16. "Medjugorje website". Medjugorje.org. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
17. ""The Gospels According to Christ? Combining the Study of the Historical Jesus with Modern Mysticism", Daniel Klimek". Glossolalia.sites.yale.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-11. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
18. "Medjugorje 'visionary' says monthly apparitions have come to an end | Angelus News". 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
19. "Virus deters Catholic pilgrims from Medjugorje". AP Archive. March 15, 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
20. Sito-Sucic, Daria (2020-06-25). "Coronavirus keeps pilgrims away from Bosnian shrine". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
21. Bulat 2006, p. 20.
22. Bulat 2006, p. 23.
23. Bulat 2006, pp. 24–25: "A similar record was made on January 20: 'Five children had a vision of the Mother of God this evening as well.' The visionaries also asked the question: 'What will Fr. Ivica Vego and Fr. Ivan Prusina do now that they have been expelled?' These are two disobedient chaplains who were suspended, ie they were forbidden to perform priestly duties and were dismissed from the Order of the OFM. Our Lady replied: 'They are not guilty. The bishop was hasty in his decision. Let them stay.' This fact interests us here only because the two mentioned chaplains were dismissed from the Order only on 29 January 1982. The act of dismissal from the OFM Order of the two mentioned chaplains was recorded in the Chronicle 9 days before they were dismissed. This clearly tells us that the wording: 'Five children and this evening ...', ie 20 January is not correct, because it did not happen that evening nor could it have been written that evening when the chaplains were fired 9 days later."
24. Bulat 2006, p. 26.
25. Bulat 2006, pp. 34–35.
26. Bulat 2006, p. 35: "It is interesting what Vicka said in a conversation with Fr. Janko Bubalo when he asked her about the "sign":Janko: - In a notebook (which they call yours) it says that Our Lady had a smile on 26 October 1981, she said she was somehow surprised that you didn't ask her for a sign anymore, but that she will surely leave it to you, that you are not afraid of anything...Vicka: - That's good. But I don't think it was her first promise that she would really leave a sign to us.Janko: - This is true because, in a small notebook, which was recorded by your sister Ana (it is the manuscript of the First Diary), it was recorded three times that Our Lady told you at the end of August that she would leave her sign 'soon', and here, it dragged on...Vicka: - I don't know that. I never read that notebook, and I never told Ana that. Someone else must have said thatJanko: - I think Jakov and Ivanka told her that..."
27. Bulat 2006, pp. 40–48.
28. Bulat 2006, pp. 48–50.
29. Bulat 2006, pp. 61–62: "In the first place comes the recognition of Vicka herself. In the diaries we spoken of above (First, Second and Third) there is not a single excerpt brought by Fr. Grafenauer to Msgr. Žanić. When Bishop Žanić reproduced Fr. Grafenauer's excerpts and distributed them to some bishops, he received a letter from the seer Vicka Ivanković, dated 7 May 1983, in which she wrote:'These days, I learned that they are multiplying excerpts from my diary, which I write exclusively for myself from the very beginning of the apparition of Bl. Virgin Mary on Crnica in the parish of Medjugorje. ] I hereby inform my Father Bishop that the public is aware that anything that spreads and multiplies in any way as the text of my diary is a severe indiscretion and violation of my basic rights to a private diary.' That such a diary existed, Vicka confirmed in an interview with three members of the Commission (Dogan, Samac and the undersigned) on 11 October 1984 in Mostar. Then I showed Vicka a copy of her letter to the bishop dated 7 May 1983, read it aloud, and finally asked her,"It says here that you have been writing a diary since the beginning of the apparition."Vicka: "I am!"Bulat: "And that Diary exists?Vicka: "It exists!" (Let's not forget that this is a Diary containing "Our Lady's messages" to the chaplains) (...) Bulat: "Do you really own that Diary as a whole?" Vicka: "Yes!" Dogan: "Did Father Vlašić see that Diary?"Vicka: "Which one? He saw everything. The same Diary, he saw everything, only he did not see the biography (Our Lady's biography). I give all the diaries to everyone. Whoever wants can look at them. But I don't have any hidden Diary!"
30. Bulat 2006, p. 64-65: Msgr. Žanić, convinced that the excerpts brought to him by Fr. Grafenauer from Vicka's Diary, asked Fr. Tomislav Vlašić on 9 February 1983 why they hid the Diary from the bishop and why they did not publish the messages that "Our Lady" said about the chaplains.Vlašić replied: "Well, you publish it!" "He did not say that the excerpts brought by Fr. Grafenauer were not from the Diary or that the Diary did not exist," Bishop Žanić notes.However, when the bishop, after several unsuccessful written requests, went to Medjugorje in person on 16 November 1983 to request the Chronicle and the diary, Father Vlašić claimed that the diary did not exist "and that he could swear on the cross that he had never had it in his hands". On 14 December 1983, Fr. Tomislav Vlašić spoke again with the bishop in Mostar about the "hidden" diary: on that occasion, he swore on the cross that he did not have in his hand the diary spoken of by the bishop."
31. Kutleša 2001, p. 33.
32. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 34.
33. ^ Rašeta & Mahmutović 2019.
34. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 36.
35. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 37.
36. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 28.
37. Kutleša 2001, p. 30–31.
38. Kutleša 2001, p. 29.
39. Niles 2017. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNiles2017 (help)
40. Kutleša 2001, p. 28–29.
41. Kutleša 2001, p. 29–30.
42. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 23.
43. Kutleša 2001, p. 25.
44. Kutleša 2001, p. 26.
45. Jutarnji list (a) 2019.
46. ^ Kutleša 2001, p. 21.
47. Davies, Michael (1994). "Chapter 10. A New Bishop Of Mostar". Medjugorje, a Warning. Remnant Publishing Company. Retrieved 6 September 2020. The entire book is re-published online with permission of the author, M. Davis, and is available for reading at: http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/medjugorje.htm {{cite book}}: External link in |quote= (help)
48. "Norms regarding the manner of proceedings in the discernment of presumed apparitions or revelations". Vatican.va. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
49. "Biskupije Mostar-Duvno i Trebinje-Mrkan | Dioeceses Mandetriensis-Delminiensis et Tribuniensis-Marcanensis". Cbismo.com (in Croatian). Retrieved 2017-01-08.
50. "Commission to submit study on Medjugorje". News.va. 2014-01-18. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
51. Sotelo, Nicole (2015-06-06). "Francis: Decision on Medjugorje visions to come soon | National Catholic Reporter". Ncronline.org. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
52. Edward Pentin (2015-06-26). "Vatican Remains Mum on Medjugorje: No Decision Has Been Made". Ncregister.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
53. Kutleša 2001, p. 283.
54. Nacional.
55. Harris.
56. Medjugorje; the findings of the Ruini report 17 May 2017, www.lastampa.it, accessed 21 July 2020
57. Kutleša 2001, pp. 44–47.
58. Zovkić 1993, p. 77.
59. Kutleša 2001, pp. 43–44.
60. ^ Tornielli.
61. eKai.
62. ^ Nickell, Joe. (1993). Looking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures. Prometheus Books. pp. 190-194. ISBN 1-57392-680-9
63. Coffin, Patrick (September 23, 2019). "147: The Medjugorje Deception—Dr. E. Michael Jones".
64. "Politicizing the Virgin Mary: The Instance of the Madonna of Medjugorje". Csicop.org. Retrieved 2015-08-02.

References

Books

• Bulat, Nikola (2006). Istina će vas osloboditi [The Truth will set you free] (in Croatian). Mostar: Biskupski ordinarijat Mostar. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Kutleša, Dražen (2001). Ogledalo pravde [Mirror of Justice] (in Croatian). Mostar: Biskupski ordinarijat Mostar. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Perica, Vjekoslav (2002). Balkan Idols: Religion and Nationalism in Yugoslav States. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Žanić, Pavao (1990). La verita su Medjugorje [The truth about Medjugorje] (in Italian). Mostar: Diocese of Mostar-Duvno. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

Journals

• Zovkić, Mato (1993). "Problematični elementi u fenomenu Međugorja" [The problematic elements in the Medjugorje phenomenon]. Bogoslovska smotra (in Croatian). 63 (1–2): 76–87.

News articles

• "Autentyczność objawień w Medziugorie". eKai (in Polish). 11 April 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
• Garrison, Greg (3 July 2012). "Visionary from Medjugorje says Virgin Mary is aware of economic crisis". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Garrison, Greg (17 July 2012). "Could an Alabama shrine become the next Catholic pilgrimage site?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Harris, Elise (13 May 2017). "Pope Francis: I am suspicious of ongoing Medjugorje apparitions". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
• "OVO JE VILA VIDJELICE IZ MEĐUGORJA PRED KOJOM JE BETONIRANA PLAŽA, A ZA KOJU ONA KAŽE 'KAKVA KUĆA, KOJA PLAŽA?' Sedam dana luksuza naplaćuje 25.000 kn". Jutarnji list. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• "PROGONSTVO FRA ZOVKA: Zašto je Papa prognao fra Zovka iz Međugorja" [Exile of Fr. Zovko: Why Pope exiled Fr. Zovko from Medjugorje]. Nacional (in Croatian). 18 October 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
• Rašeta, Boris; Mahmutović, Denis (5 August 2019). "Vidjelice iz Međugorja imaju milijune - hoteli, vile, auti..." Express. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
• Tornielli, Andrea (17 May 2017). "Medjugorje; the findings of the Ruini report". La Stampa. Retrieved 17 August 2020.

Web-sites

• Majdandžić-Gladić, Snježana (2017). "O međugorskim zelotima ili Gospom protiv Gospe" [On the zealots of Medjugorje or with Gospa against Gospa]. Vjera i djela (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 August 2020.

External links

• Shrine of Our Lady of Medjugorje – Official Website (in English)

v t e Our Lady of Medjugorje
Apparitions	Our Lady of Medjugorje Catholic Church response to the Medjugorje apparitions
Local bishops	Pavao Žanić Ratko Perić Petar Palić
Prominent supporters	Jozo Zovko Slavko Barbarić Tomislav Vlašić René Laurentin Frane Franić Pavol Hnilica
Connected topics	Herzegovina Affair Romanis Pontificibus Catholic charismatic renewal Medjugorje International Youth Festival Radio Station "Mir" Međugorje
Catholicism portal

• Catholic pilgrimage sites
• Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Čitluk, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Marian apparitions