The Medjugorje inquiry commission has concluded its work
Posted on 01/20/2014 5:40:28 AM PST by NYer
The Medjugorje inquiry commission has concluded its work
The dossier on the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje has been passed on to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The verdict could be positive albeit partial but no concrete decision has yet been reached
Giacomo Galeazzi - ANDREA TORNIELLI
vatican city
A verdict on the Medjugorje apparitions is not far off. The Mejugorje inquiry commission which was set up in March 2010 and is chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini has concluded its work. Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed that the commission held its last meeting on Friday and the results of the inquiry will now be examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by the Prefect Gerhard Müller.
All the material gathered, the interviews with the seers and many other witnesses, the stories told by the various people involved, expert reports and theological reflections on the messages, has been summarised in one final report and passed on to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for a careful evaluation. The report will be studied alongside other documentation which the Congregation has gathered over the course of the years.
Vatican Insider has learnt that the Commission has focused mainly on the first phase of apparitions. There is apparently no proof of any tricks, hoaxes or abuse of popular credulity. However, it is proving difficult for the Church to form a definitive verdict on the supernatural nature of a phenomenon that is ongoing.
Of the six seers who reported apparitions in June 1981, when they were still children or in their teens, three claim that they still see daily apparitions of the “Queen of Peace” at the same time every afternoon, wherever they happen to be at the time. These seers are: Vicka (who lives in Medjugorje), Marija (who lives in Monza) and Ivan (who lives in the US but returns to his homeland often). A fourth seer, Mirjana, sees an apparition on the second day of each month.
The large volume of messages going round poses a problem for the Commission. As does the forecasting of supernatural signs and secrets which the seers have refused to share, even with Church authorities.
Some of the Commission’s members have highlighted the need for a change of pace in the provision of pastoral care to millions of faithful who come to Medjugorje from all over the world. 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.
But this alone does not a decision on the part of the Church with regard to the supernatural nature of the apparitions. In fact, over the past few months, Prefect Müller has cautioned bishops in the US to keep a close eye on meetings held by Medjugorje seers. These are often public meetings with lots of apparitions on the agenda. During last 14 November’s mass in St. Martha’s House, the Pope very eloquently said that Mary is a Mother "not a postmaster of the post office sending out messages every day." These words were addressed to those who continuously communicate messages and prophesies about the future.
The Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, who also serves Medjugorje, is notoriously sceptical about the phenomenon, as was his predecessor. Then there is the age-long problem of the relations between the diocesan clergy and the Franciscan friars of Herzegovina at the time of the apparitions. A couple of solutions proposed in the recent past, have been to restore the old diocese of Trebinje so as to remove Medjugorje from the territory of the Mostar diocese or to create a Marian shrine that would be managed by a rector from another diocese.
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?”
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