The Deacon's Bench
Right now, it’s hearsay and there’s nothing official from Rome. But here’s what’s being reported, from Catholic Culture:
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has reached a negative conclusion regarding the authenticity of the reported Marian apparitions at Medjugorje, according to Italian media reports.
The CDF reportedly held a feria quarta meeting on June 24, at which the prelates discussed the findings of a special papal commission that had investigated the Medjugorje phenomenon. According to several Italian journalists—notably Vatican-watch Gianluca Barile—the CDF agreed with that commission’s finding that there is no evidence of supernatural activity at Medjugorje.
The CDF’s conclusions will now be presented to Pope Francis, who will make the final judgment on the subject. If the reports are accurate, and the Pope confirms a negative verdict regarding the Medjugorje phenomenon, that decision will have a heavy impact on thousands of Catholics who have developed a special devotion to the site.
The CDF, according to the Italian media reports, has essentially supported the judgment rendered in 1991 by the bishops of what was then Yugoslavia. The CDF will reportedly recommend that pastors should not sponsor or support events that presume the reality of the visions claimed by the Medjugorje “seers.”
Until we know more, and hear something definitive, keep all those who hold a great devotion to this site in your prayers.
UPDATE: Additional details, from Catholic News Agency:
On Thursday, the Vatican watcher Gianluca Barile wrote that “for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, in fact, the ‘apparitions’ do not have any supernatural character; therefore it is forbidden to the faithful to participate in the ‘ecstasy’ of the six ‘seers’, and the latter are prohibited from divulging the texts of the messages they supposedly receive from the Madonna.”
According to Barile, the negative judgement regarding the apparitions is based on inconsistent theological messages; the visionaries’ economic interests in the site; and their disobedience to the local bishop.
However, the Vatican has not confirmed the reports – which have also appeared in Il Giornale – that this month’s meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith discussed Medjugorje.
According to the reports, the congregation did acknowledge Medjugorje as a place of prayer and devotion that can be visited by pilgrims for prayer, though without contacting the supposed visionaries or partcipating in their ‘apparitions’.
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