Pope says ruling on Medjugorje Virgin Mary ‘apparitions’ near

(RNS) The upcoming decision comes 34 years since a group of six young people in Medjugorje claimed the Virgin Mary had appeared to them.

A Virgin Mary statue is seen in Medjugorje, south of Sarajevo, on December 24, 2014. Millions of pilgrims from all over the world have visited the small Bosnian town after six Bosnian youngsters claimed that the Holy Mary appeared to them there in 1981. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic *Editors: This photo may only be republished with RNS-MEDJUGORJE-RULING, originally transmitted on June 8, 2015.
A Virgin Mary statue is seen in Medjugorje, south of Sarajevo, on December 24, 2014. Millions of pilgrims from all over the world have visited the small Bosnian town after six Bosnian youngsters claimed that the Holy Mary appeared to them there 33 years ago. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic *Editors: This photo may only be republished with RNS-MEDJUGORJE-RULING, originally transmitted on June 8, 2015.

A Virgin Mary statue is seen in Medjugorje, south of Sarajevo, on December 24, 2014. Millions of pilgrims from all over the world have visited the small Bosnian town after six Bosnian youngsters claimed that the Holy Mary appeared to them there in 1981. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic *Editors: This photo may only be republished with RNS-MEDJUGORJE-RULING, originally transmitted on June 8, 2015.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) The Vatican will soon decide on the validity of miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje, a Bosnian town, Pope Francis said on his return from the country’s capital.

The Vatican’s evaluation of the claims is nearing completion, Francis told journalists aboard the papal plane on Saturday (June 6), according to Vatican Radio. The pope’s comments came at the end of his day trip to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina.


The upcoming decision comes 34 years after a group of six young people in Medjugorje claimed the Virgin Mary had appeared to them. The six said they ran to their local priest and described seeing a woman in a long, flowing dress and veil who told them she was the Virgin Mary.

Since the 1981 reported apparitions, pilgrims have flocked to the southern town in droves — it now attracts more than a million visitors a year — even as the Vatican refrained from confirming the miraculous event.

The country’s bishops have stated the supposed miraculous event was nothing of the sort.

“On the basis of the research that has been done, it is not possible to state that there were apparitions or supernatural revelations,” they said in 1991.

The group continued to insist the Virgin Mary appeared to them, bringing a message of peace. One member of the group, Ivan Dragicevic, was due to speak in St. Louis earlier this year but the local archdiocese canceled the event.

Francis’ announcement follows the creation of a high-level commission in 2010 by his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, to investigate the events in Medjugorje and issue a ruling.

YS/AMB END SCAMMELL

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!