"But even if we or an angel from heaven announce to you a different gospel from the one we have announced to you, let him be anathema!" (Galatians 1:9)
In recent decades there has been an increase in alleged apparitions of Our Lady. These claims of supernatural events attracted the interest of many Catholics and were the source of numerous pilgrimages. Due to the deceptive means of evil so influential today, there is an urgent need for believers to beware of all these claims and use the clear guidelines given to us by the Church to discern whether events such as Garabandal, Conyers, Bayside, etc., whether of God or not. These guidelines are twofold: the alignment of the apparitions with the doctrine of the Church and the approval of the Church. If either of these two principles is denied, we make a serious mistake in believing in the apparition, since it is a very clear sign that it is false and, therefore, of the devil.
It is the purpose of this article to show that, based on these two guidelines, it is true that the most popular of the recently declared Marian apparitions, those in Medjugorje, are false in all respects and are rejected by the Church.
Medjugorje: Alerted by the Hierarchy
It is the duty of the local bishop of the diocese where the alleged supernatural events are occurring to investigate and confirm or deny the legitimacy of the claims made. The bishop of the diocese to which Medjugorje belongs, Msgr. Zanic of Mostar renounced this duty by establishing a diocesan commission to investigate the events since 1981 in an impartial manner.YearsFollowing the exhaustive and intensive investigations that the Church always undertakes to reach a firm decision on these issues, the bishop issued a statement in 1986 presenting the results of the investigation. In the statement, Bishop Zanikproclaims that these apparitions are not of the Blessed Virgin Maryis heforbiddenpilgrimages, which were introduced from the beginning without the ecclesiastical permission of the parish priest of Mostar.
In a resulting interview by Fr. Delegates ofFree Belgium, mons. He asked Zanic: "Are you fundamentally against apparitions?" The bishop replied: “On the contrary! Virgo. I was also in Banneux, in Beauraign (Belgium) and in Syracuse (Italy), three places where Marian apparitions took place.had been declared authentic."
“But you are not convinced of that in Medjugorje?” Authentic and supernatural. Certainly I am a sinner and unworthy to be a bishop, but I think it would be the worst of all the sins in my life to pass this lie off as the truth,knowing that it is a lie.” Despite these words of the bishop, which believers must accept as God's decision, people continued to flock to Medjugorje and the priest did not give up organizing pilgrimages as ordered.
Another commission was created at the national level, made up of 20 bishops, to decide on the "apparitions". This committee also spent several years patiently studying the matter and finally issued a statement in November 1990 that reached this conclusion.There is no evidence that Marian apparitions took place in Medjugorje. This declaration was adopted almost unanimously, with 19 bishops in favor and one abstention. A Vatican teaching official said the bishops' statement refused to define the apparitions as supernatural.it must be accepted by believers all over the world.(See the CWNews report below for updated statements from the church hierarchy.)
Despite these statements by the most competent ecclesiastical authorities, many refuse to pay attention to the Church's decision and insist on going to Medjugorje. He wonders what authority would suffice to convince these travelers of the truth of the Church's clear and emphatic statement. It is also disturbing to consider that if the "apparitions" are not from God, where are they from?
Medjugorje: condemned by tradition
In her autobiography, Saint Teresa writes: "I only hold revelation to be true if it does not contradict Holy Scripture and the laws of the Church, which we are obliged to observe." The soul endowed with extraordinary graces "feels capable of confusing all demons to defend the least of the truths taught by the Church!" If a revelation "differs so little from Scripture, I should see in it a snare of the devil... This single mark so clearly reveals the wiles of the evil spirit that, if all the world would assure me that it is the spirit of God, I would still not I would believe it."
Let us compare the teachings of the Church and the Scriptures with the "Revelations" of Medjugorje:
What the Church says1 "There is only one universal Church of believersoutside of which no one can be saved." 0Pope Innocent III2 "We declare, we say, we define and we declare that subjection to the Roman Pope is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature." 0Pope Boniface VIII3 "The most holy Roman Catholic Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that no one existing outside of the Catholic Church...can have eternal life." 0Pope Eugene IV4 "Erathey can be oneas you, Father, in me and I in you, may they also be one in us; so that (as a result) the world believes that You sent me. 0Juan 17:21 “The effort to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.one body and one mindjust as you were called in the only hope of your vocation. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. 0Ephesians 4:3-5 | What Medjugorje says "God rules all religions as a king controls his subjects through his priests and ministers." 0Svetozar Krljevic OFM.5 “The Virgin continues to emphasize that there is only one God and that humans have forced an unnatural separation. You can't really believe that you are a true Christian unless you also respect other religions." 0"Vidente" Ivanka Ivankovic6 "The Virgin said that religions are separate on earth, but her son accepts people of all religions." 0"Vidente" Ivanka Ivankovic6 Question: "Does the Blessed Virgin call all people to be Catholic?" "No. Our Lady says that all religions are important to her and her son." 0Vidente de Vicka Ivankovic7 "The Blessed Mother said: 'Tell everyone that it is you who are divided on earth. Muslims and Orthodox are equal before my son and I for the same reason as Catholics.' |
We have the option to see the differences between the teachings of the Church and the testimonies of the children in Medjugorje. We can conclude that the Church and the Holy Scriptures are wrong with their infallible teachings, or that the apparitions in Medjugorje are wrong, since there can be no compromise: neither God can inspire nor direct falsehood, nor can anything be true and false at the same time. time. Same time
Medjugorje: false apparition
From the above evidence it is clear that the apparitions in Medjugorje are unequivocally false using the guidance that the Church gives us to discern the true supernatural messages.
Some supporters of Medjugorje claim that the apparitions bore "good fruits" in conversions, an increase in sacramental confessions, the recitation of the Rosary, Marian devotion, and many other very Catholic manifestations. We must remember that the devil is willing to bear these repercussions as long as he can maintain his black cloak over Catholic teaching, which itself is necessary to bring such fruits to fruition, and will surely lead souls to Hell so the rejection of a individual doctrine. it is enough to put one in a state of mortal sin. Reflect on what Saint Teresa, the great Doctor of the Church, said about the characteristics of a beloved soul and true revelation.
Since the events in Medjugorje cannot come from God, they must come from His great enemy. We have a duty to inform others so that they are not distracted and focused on the major crises of our time. Please take the time to educate others about the Church's position on false apparitions in Medjugorje.8
Cardinal Ottavianni (roman observer, February 14, 1951):
Therefore, let us not call ourselves enemies of the supernatural when we now propose that believers be warned about unverified testimony about certain alleged supernatural events... which can jeopardize and discredit recognition of a true miracle. The Lord himself warned us about false prophets who will do great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect (Mt 24,24). For this reason, the Church has the right and the duty to judge the veracity and nature of the facts and the revelations... And it is the duty of all the good sons of the Church to submit to that judgment.
Foot. Peter Joseph, Chancellor of the Maronite Diocese of Australia – PhD in Dogmatics at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome:
"It is forbidden not only to be a sinner, but also to spread private revelations that have been negatively judged by the local bishop, the bishops' conference or the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."
“Everyone is free to express their opinion, but all must submit to the judgment of the Church with practical obedience. What I mean is: you are still free to disagree (the bishop is not infallible in this matter), but you owe him practical obedience, that is, you cannot oppose the decree, you can make a revelation, which the bishop has found negative. , or he goes on to say publicly that he believes they are genuine. Remember that a church commission can make a negative judgment for reasons beyond your control B. Publicly reveal that you may have discovered things against the character of the seer, but you will not say so publicly even if you justify the decision and help people accept it .
If an alleged message is found to be doctrinally spurious, you are not at liberty to defend such messages, for then you are defending error."
Message from CWNews.com
Medjugorje apparition claims to be divisive, bishop warns
July 4, 2006 (CWNews.com) -- The Catholic bishop, to whose diocese the city of Medjugorje belongs, warned that "something like a schism" was brewing in the parish church where the apparitions of the Virgin Mary. took place is.
In a homily delivered at the Feast of Corpus Christi in Medjugorje, Bishop Ratko Perić of Mostar-Duvno, Bosnia-Herzegovina, said that both he and his predecessor had expressed serious doubts about the reported apparitions. He added that both Pope John Paul II (biography) and Pope Benedict XVI. (biography) supported the judgments of local bishops.
In his homily, Bishop Perić stated that "although he acknowledges the right of the Holy Father to make a final decision" on the validity of the reported apparitions, he doubts their validity. He recalled that when he discussed the Medjugorje reports with Vatican officials, including then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, they shared his disbelief.
"They don't seem authentic," the bishop commented, "when you know in advance that these so-called 'apparitions' will happen." Bishop Perić cited the calendar provided by the visionaries of Medjugorje and listed the times and places where, in his opinion, the next visits of Our Lady will take place. Thousands of messages from Mary are now being claimed, with the bishop noting that "the deluge of so-called apparitions, messages, mysteries and signs does not strengthen the faith, but rather convinces us even more that in all this nothing is authentic or established than true." .."
The first reported apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje occurred just over 25 years ago. In the 1980s, thousands of Catholics flocked to the small town, many of whom reported profound spiritual experiences. These pilgrimages were eventually halted by the violent bloodshed that swept the region in the 1990s and growing public skepticism about the hierarchy.
Bishop Perić reminded his people of the restrictions he placed on activities in Medjugorje. The parish church is not formally a "sanctuary," he said, and should not be described as such. Pilgrimages to the church are not recommended. Priests "are not authorized to express their private opinions contrary to the official position of the Church on the so-called 'apparitions' and 'messages', in the celebrations of the sacraments or in other collective acts of piety, or in the media. of the Catholic Church". Church."
The bishops asked the "seers" of Medjugorje "to show ecclesiastical obedience and stop these demonstrations and public messages in this community."
Some of the Franciscan priests assigned to the Medjugorje parish had been expelled from their order because they refused to accept ecclesiastical authority. “Not only did they operate illegally in these parishes, but they also administered the sacraments in a profane manner while others are invalid,” he said. As Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, he feels it is his duty to warn the faithful "who confess their sins to these priests and participate in sacrilegious liturgies." Taken from Catholic World News, July 2006 (http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=45105).
(Sermón al obispo Ratko Perić: http://www.cbismo.hr/DHTMLFiles/Opsirnije.asp?P=25)
Footnotes
- Few examples are given of the Church's teaching on the doctrine of exclusive salvation. For a more in-depth discussion of the topic, see one or more of the following pages:
- The only true Churchhttp://olrl.org/apologetics/one_church.shtml
- There is no salvation outside the Churchhttp://olrl.org/doctrine/eens2.shtml
- Do I respect other religions?http://olrl.org/doctrine/respect.shtml
- Fourth Lateran Council, AD 1215,of the throne. (When the Pope speaksof the throne, is guided by the Holy Spirit and therefore infallible. Any doctrine so proclaimed must be considered saved.)
- The bulla saint1302 n. Cr.,of the throne.
- The bullShort dem Herr1441 n. Cr.,of the throne.
- The apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje, Franciscan Herald Press, 1984.
- The apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje, Franciscan Herald Press, 1984.
- Janice T. Connell,Visions of children, apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje, calle. Martins Press, August 1992.
- More detailed information about Medjugorje can be found atMedjugorje after 21 years - The final storythe visithttp://home.earthlink.net/~agless/Medjugorje.htm.
www.olrl.org/prophecy/
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