PERTH, WA: January 10, 1991
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Medjugorje jo NO PROOF MARIA APPARITIONS HAVE OCCURRED, SAY BISHOPS ROME (CNS):— Yugoslavian bishops said after several years of study there is no proof that Marian apparitions have occurred at Medjugorje. At the same time, the bishops encouraged better pastoral and liturgical services for the pilgrims who travel to the popular site in western Yugoslavia. They said this would help visitors avoid practices that are "not in agreement with the spirit of the Church". Their statement was drawn up at a meeting of Yugoslavian bishops in November and passed on to the Vatican for review. It was not made public by the bishops or the Vatican. The contents were confirmed to Catholic News Service by church sources in Yugoslavia. The souitxb said the statement was approved in a nearly unanimous vote, with 19 bishops in favour and one abstaining. A Vatican doctrinal official said the statement sounded a clear note of caution to Catholics, but added that it was not a "definitive" pronouncement on the subject. Such a pronouncement, if it is made, will probably take years, another Vatican official said. In the statement drawn up November 27-28, the bishops recalled that the alleged apparitions, which began in 1981, have been the focus of studies at the diocesan and national level for several years. "On the basis of research conducted so far, one cannot affirm that supernatural apparitions or revelation are involved," the statement said.
Quote 'On the basis of research conducted so far, one cannot affirm that supernatural apparitions or revelation are involved.'
Quote 'It's almost impassible to stop the pilgimages, but we need to take care of these people.'
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there and need closer pastoral guidance. "It's almost impossible to stop the pilgrimages, but we need to take care of these people," he said. Bishop Pavao Zanic of Mostar-Duvno, the diocese that includes Medjugorje, has been one of the strongest critics of events there. He said long ago he did not believe the apparitions were authentic, and he denounced the way local Franciscan priests guided the young "visionaries" and promoted Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage. Bishop Zanic has said he is especially upset by the way in which the authority of Mary's "messages" has been asserted against his own episcopal authority. A Vatican doctrinal official, who asked not to
be identified said the bishops' cautionary statement against defining the apparitions as supernatural should be accepted by the faithful around the world. "The meaning is clear. The bishops have reached this conclusion at this point in time, based on the research performed," he said. But he added that the statement was not meant to be a definitive judgement on Medjugorje. The bishops and the Vatican will no doubt continue to look at new evidence connected with the events, he said. The alleged apparitions at Medjugorje are said to be continuing today. This has presented problems for Vatican and other officials charged with investigating the claims
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The continual flow of pilgrims to Medjugorje from various parts of the world, however, requires "the attention and care of the bishops," it said. The statement suggested that the bishops' conference work with the local bishop to set up pastoral and liturgical programs for the pilgrims, who make the trip "motivated by faith". In this way, it said, "phenomena and contents that are not in agreement with the spirit of the Church" can be avoided. A Yugoslavian bishop, who asked not to be named, said the statement reflected the view that, whatever the Church's final judgement on Medjugorje, it is recognized that visitors will continue to arrive
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and made it likely that a final judgement will take years. A leading Manologist and one of the chief supporters of the alleged apparitions, Father Rene Laurentin, said the bishops' statement did not rule out an eventual supernatural judgement on Medjugorje. The statement does not specifically "exclude" a supernatural cause of the events there, but merely says such a judgement cannot be positively given, Father Laurentin said in a commentary published by the Italian
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newspaper Avvenire January 3. "The question therefore remains open," he said. In fact, he said, it would have been impossible for the bishops to declare the apparitions supernatural. because part of the reported message revealed by Mary remains secret and because the visions are still continuing. The Vatican and the Yugoslavian bishops' conference have discouraged church-organised pilgrimages to Mediugorje, a small village in the province of Bosnia-
Herzegovina. Thousands of Catholics have continued to flock to the site, however, and many supporters describe it as a place of spiritual conversion. Well before the alleged apparitions began, the Medjugorje Franciscans were embroiled in a dispute over parish control with the bishop, the Vatican and officials of their own order. Bishop Zanic has said this is at the root of the alleged apparitions, but the Franciscans say the jurisdictional dispute is irrelevant.