Medjugorje bishop regrets visit by Austrian cardinal [updated]

January 04, 2010

The bishop of the local Mostar-Duvno diocese has issued a statement expressing concern about statements issued by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn during a visit to Medjugorje last week and emphasizing that the cardinal’s visit “does not imply any recognition of the authenticity of the ‘apparitions’ related to Medjugorje.”

Bishop Ratko Peric has released an English-language translation of his statement, noting that he has expressed his concerns directly to Cardinal Schönborn in a private letter. In response to the cardinal's observation that Medjugorje has a flourishing sacramental life, the local bishop notes that the same active sacramental life is visible throughout the diocese. Bishop Peric rejects the idea that the large number of confessions heard by priests at Medjugorje suggests that the apparitions are authentic. "According to this conclusion on the number of confessions, Our Lady would then be appearing in all our parishes," he says.

Bishop Peric-- who has repeatedly warned against the dangers of “the Medjugorje phenomenon” and strongly discouraged confidence in the alleged apparitions—complained that the visit by Cardinal Schönborn had caused new pastoral problems for his diocese. Citing a list of conflicts and irregularities arising from the activities of the alleged seers and their supporters, Bishop Peric voiced “regret” that the Austrian cardinal’s appearance had lent new credibility to their claims.

In an interview released by the press office of his Vienna archdiocese, Cardinal Schönborn pointed out that he had never directly addressed the authenticity of the reported apparitions, leaving that question open during his “private” visit to Medjugorje. He said that he would await the judgment of the universal Church, and meanwhile respected the prudence of the demands for caution released by the bishops of the region.

Cardinal Schönborn said that in his public remarks he had stressed the need to weave the “Medjugorje phenomenon” into the normal life of the local Church. He said that the spiritual vigor he saw in the town was not due to any single event, but rather to the regular use of the sacraments and intense prayer.

However, the Austrian cardinal did repeat his observation that “good fruits” have been produced by the Medjugorje phenomenon; he cited in particular a home for recovering drug addicts. Cardinal Schönborn also noted that the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Medjugorje conform to the pattern of other apparitions approved by the Church, such as those of Lourdes and Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin made her appearance in an impoverished country, to simple young people, and delivered a straightforward message encouraging prayer and devotion to the Gospel.

 

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Further information:

• Statement regarding the visit of Card. Schönborn to Medjugorje (Mostar-Duvno diocese-English translation)
• Österreich: „Medjugorje in normale Pastoral integrieren“ (Vatican Radio)
• Full text of cardinal's homily at Medjugorje