Is it possible that many things that happen in Medjugorje can be invented?

Bishop Hnilica was considered Pope John Paul II’s right hand man and was a a secret “protector”  of Medjugorje. Bishop Hnilica traveled to Medjugorje a number of times and would report news of a events taking place there to the Pope.

Is it possible that many things that happen in Medjugorje can be invented?

Bishop Hnilica. – Some years ago, there was a Youth meeting in Marienfried, and I was invited. During the encounter, a journalist asked me: “Bishop, don’t you believe that, all that is happening in Medjugorje, comes from the devil (Satan)?

I answered: “I am a Jesuit. Saint Ignatius taught us how to discern spirits, but he also taught us that each event can have 3 different sources: human, divine or diabolic.” At the end, he agreed with me that what is happening in Medjugorje cannot be explained from a human point of view – the fact that every year normal young people – thousands of them – are attracted, they stream in order to reconcile with God.

Medjugorje has already been named “confessional of the world”, because, as a phenomenon, neither Lourdes nor Fatima managed to spur that many crowds of people to go for confession. What is happening during confession? The priest is delivering the sinner from the devil.

Then I answered to the journalist: “Off course, Satan is capable of many things, but he is not capable of one thing: Is it possible that Satan spurs people to go for confession in order to be delivered precisely from him?” The journalists laughed, understanding what I wanted to say. Therefore, the only cause remains in God. Later on, I told to the Holy Father about this conversation.

This interview was made by Marie Czernin for the German Catholic monthly magazine PUR. It was published in December 2004. (PUR – Politik und Religion, a very successful and independent magazine led by two journalists, Bernhard and Martin Muller – twin brothers aged 43).