Urs von Balthasar - Medjugorje “a theater of holiness”- ministryvalues.com

By Daniel Klimek   April 1, 2010

Dr. Hans Urs von Balthasar, the former Swiss archbishop, cardinal, and arguably the most influential Catholic theologian of the twentieth century, once observed, “The theology of Medjugorje rings true. I am convinced of its truth. Everything concerning Medjugorje is authentic from a Catholic point of view. All that happens there is so evident, so convincing!”  

Cardinal von Balthasr shared these thoughts in an interview with the Jesuit priest and author Richard Foley, himself an influential proponent of Medjugorje.

As the Catholic Church undertakes an international investigation into the apparitions of Medjugorje and its messages, von Balthasar’s views on the subject become very important, for his words on faith and theology were never taken lightly in the Catholic world. An example of this exists in what happened in 1988, when Pope John Paul II designated von Balthasar to be a cardinal. Von Balthasar, unfortunately, died a few days before the consistory was scheduled to take place. Notwithstanding his untimely death, the Church still recognized him as a cardinal. At his funeral, von Balthasar’s lifelong friend and former student, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, gave the eulogy, explaining why John Paul II made the Swiss theologian a cardinal:

“What the pope intended to express by this mark of distinction, and of honor, remains valid. No longer only private individuals but the Church itself, in its official responsibility, tells us that he [von Balthasar] is right in what he teaches of the faith.”

These powerful words, delivered on behalf of the highest authority of the Church by his successor, tell us that von Balthasar’s theology on the Catholic faith is correct. Consequently, von Balthasar’s praise of the apparitions and messages of Medjugorje as being authentic to the Catholic faith must also hold high value for the faithful.

What is noteworthy is that von Balthasar used some of his most famous theological concepts to describe Medjugorje. He wrote widely about a concept called Theo-Drama, wherein an immense drama of love is played out between God and the world. There was no other place like Medjugorje which exemplified this theater of drama. Several times, von Balthasar referred to the events happening at Medjugorje as “a theater of holiness.”

Receiving the universal approval of the Church through both Pope John Paul II and, at his funeral, the future Pope Benedict XVI, solidified von Balthasar’s already distinguished career as a theologian. Both popes regarded his theology with the highest respect and esteem. Eventually the Church expressed its gratitude for von Balthasar’s contributions to theology and faith by issuing him the Vatican’s prestigious Paul VI Prize in theology. Von Balthasar was reportedly John Paul II’s favorite theologian and, later, also became a lifetime friend of the Polish pontiff. Similarly, years before Cardinal Ratzinger became pope, he co-founded the international Catholic journal, Communio, with von Balthasar and with other big names, like the French Jesuit Henri de Lubac and the German Cardinal Walter Kasper. Now published in seventeen foreign editions, Communio has become one of the most influential journals of Catholic thought.

The current pope’s relationship with von Balthasar extended beyond Communio. When Joseph Ratzinger was a graduate student in Germany, his doctoral dissertation was directed by von Balthasar, his professor. Pope Benedict considered him a mentor and a guide as a student, and today remembers von Balthasar as a teacher and a friend. Both men shared a great intellectual and spiritual interest in the writings of the Church Fathers, especially.

Theologically von Balthasar had much in common with Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, being a champion of Christian orthodoxy. As MinistryValues has observed in a previous article, John Paul II, like von Balthasar, was also infatuated with Medjugorje. Von Balthasar, however, did not only comment on the subject in his expertise as a Catholic theologian but also in his role as archbishop. Noticing the fruits of faith in Medjugorje, he strongly defended the visionaries and the apparitions against unsubstantiated attacks.

When Bishop Paveo Zanic, who had a notorious reputation for hostility toward the visionaries and devotions of Medjugorje, issued a letter condemning the site and attacking the visionaries, Archbishop von Balthasar responded with his own letter to Zanic. He wrote:

“What a simply sad document you have dispatched throughout the world! I was deeply hurt to see the office of Bishop degraded in this fashion. Instead of having patience as You were advised by Your superiors, You thunder and hurl jupiter’s arrows, blackening renowned and innocent people, worthy of Your respect and protection. You repeatedly come up with accusations which have been proven untrue a hundred times over.”

A couple of such accusations included Bishop Zanic’s claim that the Medjugorje visionaries are guilty of fraud and hysteria. Even Archbishop Frane Franic of Split noted that such erroneous accusations ignored the findings of separate teams of Yugoslav, French, and Italian doctors who thoroughly examined the visionaries, in ecstasy, and found no evidence of fraud or hysteria whatsoever.

Balthasar’s love for the mysticism of Medjugorje, and his confidence in the truth of Our Lady’s messages reported there, were abundant. He always had a spiritual inclination toward the mystical. Among the things he was most known for, in addition to his esteemed role as theologian and Archbishop, was directing the conversion of the Swiss mystic Adrienne von Speyr into the Catholic Church. Speyr, a medical doctor, wife, and the author of over 60 books on spirituality and theology, grew up in a Reformed Protestant family before her spiritual life led her to Roman Catholicism. In the tradition of Teresa of Avila and Simone Weil, she experienced profound spiritual phenomena throughout her life, including mystical experiences of the Trinity and the saints. In 1940 she was introduced to Fr. Hans Urs von Balthasar, then a young Jesuit priest. Von Balthasar became her friend and spiritual director, to whom von Speyr dictated a total of 69 of her books while in a state of mystical prayer. Von Balthasar would pay homage to his friend and spiritual student, by publishing, among his numerous books, the biography First Glance at Adrienne von Speyr, a detailed introduction of her life, theology, and work. Interestingly, even as a young priest, von Balthasar’s sense of the mystical was important in discerning the fruits and messages of God’s supernatural graces.