Pope Francis grants 'no objection' certificate to contested visions of Queen of Peace
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In a 10,000-word statement riddled with caveats, clarifications and contradictions released at a press conference on Thursday, the Vatican's doctrine watchdog greenlighted the "alleged apparitions" at Medjugorje, while insisting that its approval "does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic."
The "Nihil obstat" (no objection) "does not imply a declaration of the supernatural character of the phenomenon in question," the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) emphasized in its declaration, failing to settle the ongoing controversy on the hotly-contested alleged visions in Bosnia, which have been occurring over four decades.
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the prefect of the DDF who spoke at length at the press conference, repeatedly insisted that neither Pope Francis nor the magisterium have a "magic wand" to settle the question of the alleged apparitions once and for all.
"Recalling that the faithful are not obliged to believe in it – the Nihil obstat indicates that the faithful can receive a positive encouragement for their Christian life through this spiritual proposal, and it authorizes public acts of devotion," Fernández announced in his note approved by Pope Francis.
"Consequently, when referring to 'messages' from Our Lady, one should always bear in mind that they are 'alleged messages,'" the declaration cautioned, explaining that the decision was made in the light of the new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena published on May 17, 2024.
The DDF head acknowledged that the events at Medjugorje had produced positive fruit, including "abundant conversions, a frequent return to the sacraments, many vocations to priestly, religious, and married life, a deepening of the life of faith, a more intense practice of prayer, many reconciliations between spouses, and the renewal of marriage and family life."
Fernández, however, warned that some of the messages attributed to Our Lady "also show a certain problematic aspect" and "might create some confusion" when repeatedly talking about "my plan of salvation” since "Mary does not have her own plan [of salvation] for the world and the Church."
"As a result, these messages can only be interpreted in this sense: that Our Lady fully assumes God's plans to the point of expressing them as her own," he clarified.
Similarly, the expression "mediatrix" occurring in some of the messages, could "erroneously lead one to attribute to Mary a place that belongs uniquely and exclusively to the Son of God made man" and "contradict what Sacred Scripture affirms when it says that there is only one 'Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all' (1 Tim. 2:5-6)," he noted.
Fernández concluded, explaining that his declaration "only highlights that the Holy Spirit is acting fruitfully for the good of the faithful 'in the midst' of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje."
The approval also "does not imply a judgment about the moral life of the alleged visionaries" since "the charismatic gifts (gratiae gratis datae) that may be connected to that experience do not necessarily require those involved to have moral perfection," he observed.
Reacting strongly to the declaration, popular English writer and commentator Dcn. Nick Donnelly slammed the Vatican for "undermining the objectivity of Marian apparitions on the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette."
"This is the 'new' approach to so called Marian apparitions – reduce them to the level of subjective, personal spirituality to nullify their influence on the life of the Church," Donnelly wrote on the social media platform X.
"Fernández's design is to relegate all Marian apparitions to the fringes of personal spirituality, so the heavenly messages of La Salette, Fatima, Akita about the crisis in the Church can be dismissed," he lamented. "It's no coincidence that Fernandez has announced this 'approval' on the 19th September, the Feast of Our Lady of La Salette."
Meanwhile, online medium Catholic Sat noted that the press conference had taken "a very strange turn" with Fernández "defending the Vatican's decision to approve devotion to Medjugorje, by listing a number of heretical statements made by Saints and Doctors of the Church."
"This muddled message may be the biggest mistake the institutional Church has made in its entire history. The seers are charlatans that even the Vatican says pilgrims should avoid them," the media network, which normally does not take an editorial position on controversial matters, commented.
"This concoction where the Vatican approved devotion to Medjugorje, without in any way approving the supernatural origin of the messages, but approving the messages to be read by the faithful, but the events are not in any way approved, and seers are to be avoided by the faithful, is an extremely dangerous precedent," the outlet warned.
The alleged Medjugorje apparitions began in June 1981 in two phases: the "originals," which took place from June 24 to July 3 that year, when Mary is believed to have appeared daily to six young people aged between 10 and 17; and subsequent apparitions that some of the original seers claimed to have had, at times daily, since 1989.
There are also controversies over an account in the Medjugorje literature where Mary allegedly tells the visionaries that a Muslim woman named Pasha is the holiest person in the village.
A message also claims that Mary told the seers: "The Muslims and the Orthodox, for the same reason as Catholics, are equal before my Son and me. You are all my children. Certainly, all religions are not equal, but all men are equal before God, as St. Paul says."
Pope Francis himself has expressed some doubts, commenting in November 2013 on the Virgin's particularly chatty nature at Medjugorje, where believers say she bestows several messages a day.
"The Virgin," Francis said, "is not a chief of the post office who would send messages every day."
Editor's note: Use scriptural passages to enhance your prayer of the rosary. Stay close to the Blessed Virgin Mary and meditate on the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral.