VATICAN CITY (RNS) — After 40 years of studies, commissions and contradictions, the Vatican finally approved the spiritual devotion of the faithful at the Marian site at Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in a document issued on Thursday (Sept. 19).“The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the assent of Pope Francis, grants approval for devotion linked to Medjugorje, recognizing the abundant spiritual fruits received at the Sanctuary of the Queen of Peace without making a declaration on the alleged supernatural character of Marian apparitions,” the document read.
On June 24, 1981, a young girl called Ivanka Ivanković claimed to have a vision of the Madonna at the foot of a hill near the parish of St. James in Medjugorje. On that same day, six children reported having seen Mary holding an infant. The visions stirred a deep astonishment among believers from all over the world and began a long series of pronouncements regarding the credibility of the event.
The young people claimed to receive messages from Mary and, in time, the messages became more frequent. Pope Francis warned the faithful not to be fooled by false claims of apparitions and voiced skepticism about “the mailwoman Mary” during a news conference returning from his visit to the Marian …
