"Who could make these things up? Who could invent this thing? Man? No, this is not a human act." The above quote comes from a very distinguished visitor to Medjugorje during the days just before and after Christmas, 2009. This quote and others by the same individual have caused shock to all who are involved and interested in the phenomena of the 28-plus years of daily apparitions by the Blessed Virgin Mary in the little mountain village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Maria von Schönborn of Vienna, is the author of these comments. They were made during his lengthy visit to the village during the Christmas celebration. They have brought unbridled joy to supporters and believers, and angry consternation to opponents and skeptics.
More importantly, Cardinal Schönborn’s informal comments given to visionary Marija and others as well as prepared statements delivered during his homilies as he served as celebrant of the Christmas Eve Mass and New Year’s Day Mass, gives total clarification to the stance of the Church concerning the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions. That stance is based on a ruling by a committee of Yugoslavian bishops in 1991, which declared the apparitions to be non constat de supernaturalitatae, meaning that thus far, the supernaturality of the events has not been confirmed. No one knows what the final decision will be. But instead of being a rejection, said the eminent cardinal, this leaves open the possibility that it is indeed a supernatural event. Going beyond possibility, there is little doubt after these statements that Cardinal Schönborn personally believes that the Mother of God is indeed appearing in Medjugorje.
The cardinal also reiterated the Vatican’s ruling that said pilgrims and priests are allowed to go as long as such a pilgrimage is not an official parish event. This flew directly in the face of those who have long argued that the local bishop -- who vehemently disapproves and does not believe in the apparitions -- has sole authority, and that pilgrimages are prohibited.
And of course, Mostar Bishop Ratko Peric reacted. He stated he was "surprised" by the visit and then issued this statement: "As the diocesan bishop, with this statement I want to inform the faithful that the visit of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn does not imply any recognition of the authenticity of the 'apparitions' related to Medjugorje. I regret that the Cardinal, with his visit, appearance, and statements, brings something new to the present suffering of the local Church which does not contribute to peace and unity so necessary."
Although no longer in charge of discernment as far as the authenticity of the apparitions are concerned (an unprecedented move made by the Vatican more than 20 years ago, taking authority away from the local Mostar bishop, Pavao Zanic, due to bias in his reported investigation and consequent written report on the authenticity of the apparitions) the bishop retains authority over sacramental practices in Medjugorje and should be respected in this role. While we do respect his office, we regret that he has used that power of late to restrict the activities of pilgrims and seers.
The long and the short of it all is this: while Cardinal Schönborn’s visit to Medjugorje does not give it formal acceptance—an act that can only come from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican—it does give an enormous boost to those of us who are firm believers. We can go so far as to say it gives informal acceptance by the very act of such a powerful cardinal coming there to see for himself. Likewise, it delivers a telling blow to the skeptics of the apparitions, especially Bishop Peric.The Cardinal’s presence there is about as close a vote of confidence that we can receive at this time. It is, in my opinion, a pure gift of grace from the Blessed Virgin, giving all that we need to continue not only our belief but our efforts to live the messages she is giving us.
The statements and comments are especially powerful in that Cardinal Schönborn is known as a close friend and colleague of Pope Benedict XVI. He is a prominent voice in a wide variety of contemporary discussions within the Church, and (though he himself avoids this characterization) he is considered by many as 'papabile,' that is, as a prelate with a significant chance of someday being elected Pope, according to a web site that follows his movements. As good friend Michael Brown, prominent author and founder of the web site Spiritdaily.com said in a recent story, “It seems unlikely that a close friend of the pontiff would travel to Medjugorje without tacit approval from the Vatican.” Was it perhaps even the "statement" or "guideline" many of us have been expecting?
Here are some other quotes of Cardinal Schönborn made during his Medjugorje visit and during this past year:
"when I see the fruits of Medjugorje back at home I can only say that the tree is surely good."
“Medjugorje (is) a "superpower" of God's mercy.”
"Supreme authority in the Church is the Holy See, the Holy Father and his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that is the highest authority in all of the issues of faith and morality." (Dismissing the notion that the local bishop has ultimate say over Medjugorje)
"I am fascinated with the coherence of Medjugorje with other Marian shrines, apparition sides. I always say that there is a grammar of Mary’s apparitions. That style has something special with Our Lady. Mary wants to be close to us."
“When you look at a place like Medjugorje, you can see a superpower of mercy. Many merciful deeds were born here or they were supported here.'"
"We cannot deny that pilgrims have been coming over here for the past twenty years, as we can not deny what they experience in Medjugorje and how close they felt to the Blessed Mother. This is my first visit, but since I’ve been a Bishop from 1991, I have simply noticed the fruits of Medjugorje."
Besides the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Schönborn has "curial membership" in the congregations for the Oriental Churches and Catholic Education. He is a member of the pontifical Council on Culture, the commission on the Cultural Heritage of the Church, as well as the Special Council for Europe of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The cardinal is also Ordinary for the faithful of the Byzantine Rite in Austria.
We conclude with a closing statement from Cardinal Schönborn: "I would advise for patience. The Mother of God is so patient with us that for nearly 29 years here, in a very direct way, she is showing her closeness and care for the parish of Medjugorje and numerous pilgrims. We can peacefully wait and have patience! Twenty nine years is a long period of time for us, but not such a long period to our God!"
May the peace, grace and love of Jesus be with all of us in this New Year of hope.
Austrian Cardinal Christoph Maria von Schönborn of Vienna, is the author of these comments. They were made during his lengthy visit to the village during the Christmas celebration. They have brought unbridled joy to supporters and believers, and angry consternation to opponents and skeptics.
More importantly, Cardinal Schönborn’s informal comments given to visionary Marija and others as well as prepared statements delivered during his homilies as he served as celebrant of the Christmas Eve Mass and New Year’s Day Mass, gives total clarification to the stance of the Church concerning the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions. That stance is based on a ruling by a committee of Yugoslavian bishops in 1991, which declared the apparitions to be non constat de supernaturalitatae, meaning that thus far, the supernaturality of the events has not been confirmed. No one knows what the final decision will be. But instead of being a rejection, said the eminent cardinal, this leaves open the possibility that it is indeed a supernatural event. Going beyond possibility, there is little doubt after these statements that Cardinal Schönborn personally believes that the Mother of God is indeed appearing in Medjugorje.
The cardinal also reiterated the Vatican’s ruling that said pilgrims and priests are allowed to go as long as such a pilgrimage is not an official parish event. This flew directly in the face of those who have long argued that the local bishop -- who vehemently disapproves and does not believe in the apparitions -- has sole authority, and that pilgrimages are prohibited.
And of course, Mostar Bishop Ratko Peric reacted. He stated he was "surprised" by the visit and then issued this statement: "As the diocesan bishop, with this statement I want to inform the faithful that the visit of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn does not imply any recognition of the authenticity of the 'apparitions' related to Medjugorje. I regret that the Cardinal, with his visit, appearance, and statements, brings something new to the present suffering of the local Church which does not contribute to peace and unity so necessary."
Although no longer in charge of discernment as far as the authenticity of the apparitions are concerned (an unprecedented move made by the Vatican more than 20 years ago, taking authority away from the local Mostar bishop, Pavao Zanic, due to bias in his reported investigation and consequent written report on the authenticity of the apparitions) the bishop retains authority over sacramental practices in Medjugorje and should be respected in this role. While we do respect his office, we regret that he has used that power of late to restrict the activities of pilgrims and seers.
The long and the short of it all is this: while Cardinal Schönborn’s visit to Medjugorje does not give it formal acceptance—an act that can only come from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican—it does give an enormous boost to those of us who are firm believers. We can go so far as to say it gives informal acceptance by the very act of such a powerful cardinal coming there to see for himself. Likewise, it delivers a telling blow to the skeptics of the apparitions, especially Bishop Peric.The Cardinal’s presence there is about as close a vote of confidence that we can receive at this time. It is, in my opinion, a pure gift of grace from the Blessed Virgin, giving all that we need to continue not only our belief but our efforts to live the messages she is giving us.
The statements and comments are especially powerful in that Cardinal Schönborn is known as a close friend and colleague of Pope Benedict XVI. He is a prominent voice in a wide variety of contemporary discussions within the Church, and (though he himself avoids this characterization) he is considered by many as 'papabile,' that is, as a prelate with a significant chance of someday being elected Pope, according to a web site that follows his movements. As good friend Michael Brown, prominent author and founder of the web site Spiritdaily.com said in a recent story, “It seems unlikely that a close friend of the pontiff would travel to Medjugorje without tacit approval from the Vatican.” Was it perhaps even the "statement" or "guideline" many of us have been expecting?
Here are some other quotes of Cardinal Schönborn made during his Medjugorje visit and during this past year:
"when I see the fruits of Medjugorje back at home I can only say that the tree is surely good."
“Medjugorje (is) a "superpower" of God's mercy.”
"Supreme authority in the Church is the Holy See, the Holy Father and his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that is the highest authority in all of the issues of faith and morality." (Dismissing the notion that the local bishop has ultimate say over Medjugorje)
"I am fascinated with the coherence of Medjugorje with other Marian shrines, apparition sides. I always say that there is a grammar of Mary’s apparitions. That style has something special with Our Lady. Mary wants to be close to us."
“When you look at a place like Medjugorje, you can see a superpower of mercy. Many merciful deeds were born here or they were supported here.'"
"We cannot deny that pilgrims have been coming over here for the past twenty years, as we can not deny what they experience in Medjugorje and how close they felt to the Blessed Mother. This is my first visit, but since I’ve been a Bishop from 1991, I have simply noticed the fruits of Medjugorje."
Besides the Doctrine of the Faith Cardinal Schönborn has "curial membership" in the congregations for the Oriental Churches and Catholic Education. He is a member of the pontifical Council on Culture, the commission on the Cultural Heritage of the Church, as well as the Special Council for Europe of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. The cardinal is also Ordinary for the faithful of the Byzantine Rite in Austria.
We conclude with a closing statement from Cardinal Schönborn: "I would advise for patience. The Mother of God is so patient with us that for nearly 29 years here, in a very direct way, she is showing her closeness and care for the parish of Medjugorje and numerous pilgrims. We can peacefully wait and have patience! Twenty nine years is a long period of time for us, but not such a long period to our God!"
May the peace, grace and love of Jesus be with all of us in this New Year of hope.
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