The note on Medjugorje drawn up by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith received Francis’ approval on August 28, and the document was released to the public on September 19.
Newsroom (26/09/2024 16:05, Gaudium Press) To summarize the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s statement on Medjugorje very briefly: the abundant “positive fruits” that derive from Medjugorje, such as numerous conversions, return to the Sacraments and religious vocations, are recognized, and a Nihil obstat has been granted which “does not imply a declaration of the supernatural character of the phenomenon in question (cf. Norms, art. 22, § 2). It should be noted that the faithful are not obliged to believe, the nihil obstat indicates that they can receive a positive stimulus for their Christian life through this spiritual proposal and authorizes public worship”.
The Dicastery recognizes, however, that although many messages are positive and in line with the teaching of the Gospel, some contain theologically inaccurate or confusing expressions. It also does not rule out the possibility that “certain messages – in the opinion of some – may present contradictions or be related to the desires or interests of the supposed seers or other people”.
The Dicastery also advises that pilgrims should visit Medjugorje to deepen their faith, and not with the primary intention of meeting the “supposed seers”.
Msgr. Hoser and Cardinal Ruini
However, the recent document seems not to have taken into account the statements made in 2017 to the newspaper L’Avvenire by the then Apostolic Visitor and Archbishop Emeritus of Warsaw, Monsignor Henry Hoser, about the division of the Medjugorje messages into two parts.
In this interview with the Italian media, Archbishop Hoser commented on the leaked report of the Theological Commission chaired by Cardinal Ruini on the apparitions, which expressed “a positive opinion on the first seven apparitions (those between June 24 and July 25, 1981)”.
This division of the Medjugorje apparitions into two parts – the first seven and the subsequent ones – seems to reflect a solution similar to that adopted for the apparitions in Kibeho, Rwanda, mentioned by Monsignor Hoser in the same interview.
The Kibeho apparitions were approved by Bishop Augustin Misago, bishop of the diocese of Gikongoro, on June 29, 2001, in conjunction with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, being one of the few to receive ecclesiastical approval. However, only the apparitions in which Our Lady presented herself as “Mother of the Word” were approved, excluding those in which Jesus would have manifested himself.
Only the first two years of the supernatural events, from 1981 to 1983, were considered, discarding the period afterward. Msgr. Hoser, who had been a Pallottine missionary in Rwanda since 1975 and remained there until the 1990s, was well acquainted with this chronological distinction. Moreover, in 1994, he served for a brief period as Apostolic Visitor in the country during the nuncio’s absence.
Compiled by Dominic Joseph
