User:Governor Sheng/sandbox/Our Lady of Medjugorje
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 alleged 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).
Our Lady of Medjugorje | |
---|---|
Location | Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Witness |
|
Type | Marian apparition |
Approval | Pending decision by the Holy See |
Shrine | Medjugorje |
The only official position of the Catholic Church regarding the alleged apparitions is the Declaration of the Episcopal Conference of Yugoslavia from 1991, which states that on the basis of previous examinations, it is impossible to establish that they are supernatural apparitions or revelations. However, the pilgrimages were allowed. The local bishops have been negative towards the alleged apparitions, while they were promoted by some members of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina.
Between 1982 and 1986, the local diocese formed two commissions for the investigations of the alleged apparitions, with both investigations ruling that the apparitions aren't supernatural. Between 2010 and 2014, the Vatican formed its own commission, which proposed that the initial seven apparitions are supernatural, but all others since July 1981 should be further investigated. However, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith received the results of the latter commission negatively.
In 2018, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Henryk Hoser apostolic visitor to Medjugorje for pastoral purposes and allowed the official organisation of pilgrimages to Medjugorje in 2019, without recognising the authenticity of the alleged apparitions.
The opponents of the alleged apparitions point out that the messages of Our Lady are not with the accordance with the Church teaching and Catholic Mariology, and are often false, contradictory or prophecies haven't taken place as promised. On the other hand, the supporters emphasise alleged miraculous healings and pastoral fruits in form of conversions, confessions, and mass attendance.