I think some of the prejudice against the apparitions stems more from an historical perspective rather than the veracity of the seers. Many people point to the role the local Franciscans may have played in support of the Nazi puppet regime during WW II. This I believe clouds whether the apparitions are real or not. And of course, diocesans and religious orders have always had their pissing contests.
Here is a blog which follows up to date and in depth info on the Commission.
I think it's in fact impossible to do so.
Call me skeptical.
I think the important thing here is that a lot of people show up there looking for something and, especially if they are misguided, they need proper spiritual support and instruction while they are there.
So, for me, the important message was that they are going to be addressing the needs of those pilgrims.
If you look at it like a mission field, the possibilities are rich. Here are all these people who are about to go home and discover that Mary does not actually talk to them every day. So, before they go home, give them real instruction and put them on the road to spiritual progress at home in their parish.
The Commission and Cardinal Ruini himself thanks to visits by people close to him have noticed that people really are converting to the faith or returning to the sacraments – what the Church refers to as spiritual fruits – in a significant way.
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That is wonderful.
Had to read that sentence twice, though, as the commas seem to have fallen out during the trip across the Atlantic.)
The devil is too clever to be found out by a bunch of stupid humans that easily.
My understanding of the process is that apparitions approved by the Church - like Lourdes and Fatima - have gone through an in-depth investigative procedure with specific criteria.
While many positive stories of conversion have come from Medjugorje, that alone is not nearly enough for approval.
...A 90 decibel sound—the “equivalent to the noise of a combustion engine at high speed”—was fed into the right ear of Ivan Dragicevic, one of the visionaries, during ecstasy without a single reaction of surprise from the visionary. “At the end of the ecstasy Ivan confirmed that he heard nothing.” This was a fascinating contrast to his pre-ecstasy reaction, wherein the injection of a 70 decibel sound visibly startled the young visionary. In addition to concluding that there is a clear disconnection of auditory pathways during the ecstasy, making the visionaries as impervious to exterior noise as they are to strong blasts of light, in “the same way [it was concluded] the visionaries do not feel pinching, prodding or other interventions” thus being impervious to pain as well. Dr. Rouquerol’s results additionally showed that the “auditory potential test, which studies the nervous influx from the periphery (the cochlea, part of the inner ear) to the core of the cerebral artery, indicates that the various pathways to the brain are normal. The regular and rounded shape of the graph eliminates auditory hallucination of an epileptic type.” Thus another alternative explanation for the apparitions was eliminated....
http://ministryvalues.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=310&Itemid=338
There was a lady in our parish who went to Medjugorje when the apparition industry that grew up around it was fairly new. She was an emotionally fragile person to begin with. She came back with photographs of angels in the trees there. I looked at them, but I was not able to detect anything angelic among the branches.
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My opinion is the “seers” have a pretty good gig going.
From EXORCISING MEDJ
Millionaire "seer"Contrary to the view of badly misled Medj advocate Fr Amorth, the "visionaries" have indeed grown rich alongside these brutal vested interests. "None of the seers were ever enriched thanks to the apparitions," insists Fr Amorth. "Whoever can provide documentary proof to the contrary, let him do it; otherwise, shut up."
The Italian website L' Impertinent abAteo picked up this gauntlet thrown down by Fr Amorth. After research based on "clear and incontrovertible" documentation, it produced a report detailing the small fortune "seer" Ivan Dragicevic has made (in cahoots with travel agencies) from his "visions."
"Pilgrimage to Medjugorje with accommodations at the home of Ivan Dragicevic!" advertises "206 Tours," setting out the specific dates from May to September 2012 when Ivan is in residence (the 'off season', October-April, he now spends in America). The pilgrimage package includes: "Conversations with Ivan in the chapel of our house; Breakfast and dinner served by Ivan and Family; Ivan will lead the group on Apparition Hill to pray and meditate; There will be many opportunities to talk with Ivan during your stay." In addition, the "Dragicevic family will do their best to make as much as possible your stay pleasant and comfortable."
Careful scrutiny of this tourist operation revealed that a separate entity, "Prayer Experience" (run by Ivan and his wife), sells the selected tour package through the agency "206 Tours." Consequently, on the basis of a stated maximum of 28 pilgrims per pilgrimage, multiplied by the number of available dates (10), L' Impertinent abAteo, calculated a Dragicevic profit of $171,360 — "Not to mention the offerings that pilgrims and visitors will leave the beloved 'seer'."
This first part of the investigation more than suffices to refute
Fr Amorth's false contention. Part two, on Ivan's real estate wheeling and dealing, is the coup de grace. Anyone with some idle time to kill can view the full report at L' Impertinent abAteo. Here is the final reckoning, based on public records of the State of Massachusetts:Â Â Â Â
In just 5 years the "seer" Ivan Dragicevic has bought properties worth a total of 1,566,000 U.S. dollars, equivalent to 1,470,953 euros. ... The average American, in 5 years would have earned $198,508 gross, 195,336 euros gross .... almost 10 times lower than the amount spent by the "visionary".
The other "seers" and their relatives also possess properties (pensions) in Medjugorje, and also advertise "travel packages."
With the greatest respect to the otherwise admirable Fr Amorth, when it comes to Medjugorje, perhaps he should take his own advice and just zip it. Why defend the indefensible? The truth will always out, as complicit Vatican functionaries have repeatedly discovered in recent times.Â
When the Church looks at these appearances, one of the most important questions asked is, “Is this leading people closer to JESUS, or not?”