Pope’s Right Hand Man Handles Gay Marriage and the Divorced and Remarried – Is Medjugorje Up Next?

By Stephen Ryan

Is Medjugorje up next for the Vatican?

Yesterday,  Pope Francis again made world wide headlines by revealing an important  document  known as an “apostolic exhortation”.

Two years in the making, the apostolic exhortation, in this case, had much to do with hot button cultural issues like gay marriage and the divorced and remarried.

The duties of explaining to the world the carefully nuanced wording of the complex document was handled by Cardinal Schonborn.

Before the election of Pope Francis, Cardinal Schonborn was considered a leading contender to follow the retiring Pope Benedict XVI.

Clearly Cardinal Schonborn is one of the most  respected members of the Roman Curia and so with this in mind it is interesting to consider the influential Cardinal’s past views on Medjugorje.

Medjugorje is very important to millions of Catholic’s around the world  and the Vatican knows this.

Is an announcement on the Vatican’s  inquiry into the events known as “Medjugorje” up next for Cardinal Schonborn?  Many who follow Medjugorje are convinced a ruling on Medjugorje will be made this year.

What follows is an article on Cardinal Schnborn’s experience with Medjugorje.

Are there really any words to describe what Cardinal Schonborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, has  been doing in Europe over the past few years?

To fully understand Cardinal Schonborn’s incomparable pursuit regarding his belief in the true presence of the Blessed Mother here on earth,  it first must be understood that Cardinal Schonborn is a giant figure in the Catholic Church.

He was at the top of the list of contenders to be the next Pope according to most reputable Catholic pundits. Cardinal Schonborn is a former student and close friend of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.  He serves as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  Earlier this year he was appointed as the first member of the newly created Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The young Cardinal is also the  Editorial Director of the Catholic Catechism – the official rule book of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Schonborn’s gravitas and impeccable catholic credentials speak for themselves, and so within this context, we find it extraordinary that he has been proclaiming, from the rooftops, or more accurately, from inside the great St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria,  that the Blessed Mother is now appearing on earth in an unprecedented fashion to six “Visionaries” and he is urging the Catholic faithful to pay close attention.

The Austrian Archbishop, by his actions over the past few years, unequivocally lends support to claims that the Blessed Virgin Mary is revealing Herself to the world and that her presence on earth is for the clear purpose of demonstrating that God truly exists.  Cardinal Schonborrn also insists  that the Blessed Mother is bringing important messages of peace for a world that has little peace. Her messages of peace are accompanied by an urgent and incessant plea for all of humanity to reconcile with God.

Last November, in an extraordinary event in Vienna, Austria, Cardinal Schonborn celebrated Mass with a woman who claims to see and speak to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her name is Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti. Marija is one of six visionaries who say they see the Virgin Mary and these six people are at that center of a mysterious phenomenon known the world over as “Medjugorje”.

Marija was in Austria at the invitation of Cardinal Schonborn not only to attend Mass,  but to have her  apparition inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral with the Cardinal there to witness the experience as well. Marija’s  apparition lasted about eight minutes and afterwords Cardinal Schonborn celebrated Mass mentioning Medjugorje in his homily.

The entire apparition and Mass were shown locally on TV and broadcast throughout the world over the internet. To see the Editorial Director of the Catholic Catechism and close friend of the Pope on live television sitting patiently and reverentially in the grand setting of St. Stephen’s Cathedral as the visionary falls into ecstasy and visits the Blessed Mother who arrives quite literally from the afterlife is something special to behold. Watch it here:

But many are asking why would Cardinal Schonborn provide such a high profile platform to a supernatural phenomenon when the Catholic Church has yet to give its official approval?   Why the invitation? After all, the Vatican, after years of study is set to determine the authenticity of Medjugorje.

By his actions, is it possible Cardinal Schonboen is front-running the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje. Does Cardinal Schonborn, a key member of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, sense a special urgency? What are his motivations? Does he sense time is running out? Is it possible he understands the consequences for the world if the messages of the Virgin Mary are not heard and are not heeded.