Update: just to take note of who’s taking note:
* * *
This is the image of Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church), which you can see high above Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Will she be abandoned by Medjugoje followers should the Holy Father declare that the Medjugorje “apparitions” are not consistent with the faith?
Since the first of the year has come and gone, and we can therefore assume that the Holy Father has the completed study on Medjugorje on his desk, various comments have been coming in to HSH, and, I must say, an increase in traffic from Medjugorje sites and from the region around Medjugorje.
A post I wrote last Summer caused quite a stir, bringing sometimes horrific, hateful condemnations of myself, personally, from a few of the pro-Medjugorje crowd, but that’s to be expected, right?
All I said was that if a decision is to be made about Medjugoje while the “apparitions” continue, that decision will have to be in the negative, which is only common sense. So, the “apparitions” continue. What do you think the decision will be?
One recent comment which I wold like to highlight comes in from Mark Waterinckx:
Hello, I only discover this excellent site now.
- I have been a fanatical defender of Medjugorje since 1984
- I’ve been there 24x
- and gave a 100 conferences in favor of Med. with slides.
- I wrote many articles in many Med. bulletins in many languages…
Only in 1997 I heard of the blatant disobedience of ‘seers’ and franciscans and started a personal inquiry and later went to see bishop Peric in Mostar to apologize for my stupidities and to inform him about the many manipulations and scandals around Medjugorje.
I now have 200 arguments against the authenticity of the ‘apparitions’ and coöperate with authors who publish the sad truth about the Medjugorje-scandal, like
- Mgr. Peric
- Marco Corvaglia
- Louis Bélanger
- Michael Jones
- Diane Korzeniewski
- Rick Salbato
- Joachim Bouflet
- Rudo Franken
- Donal Foley
- Yves Chiron
- Manfred Hauke, etc.
The result is that the ‘friendship’ of my Medjugorje ‘friends’ turned into hatred and insults (good fruits?)
mark waterinckx retired professor chemistry belgium
Update: While clicking on incoming links to HSH, I’ve noticed a trend among pro-Meds. They insist that all of this is going to take more time and that the decision may never be known, although surely it will be leaked (and you can guess what the spin on that will be already, right?) and that Pope Benedict may never see the report or know what the Congregation for the Faith discussed.
Hah ha ha ha ha! O.K. I laugh in a sad sort of way. I mean, honestly! The CDF must report on all such things to the Holy Father according to their internal mode of operation. Whether he will comment personally is something else altogether. But he will know what the CDF has to say about the report. For goodness sake! People are really getting nervous. Another sign that pro-Meds also know that if a decision is made while the apparitions continue, it will have to be negative. If it is the CDF which pronounces this judgment - and that will probably be the case – will the pro-Meds say that this is merely a non-official kind of official statement, since the Holy Father didn’t pronounce it himself? Just askin’. And that is a question worth asking.
Update: As always, the great Diane over at Te Deum Laudamus, has a great article: HERE.
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
Hi Mark, glad you found HSH. This is a great blog!
Fr. George, I have communicated with Mark for many years now and know he is very trustworthy. ;0) Here is just one of the pages I have on my website with “facts”, that you might find interesting
Who Is Mark Waterinckx? (and) The Roman Catholic Church’s Teaching on Apparitions
http://www.semperficatholic.com/page46.html
Denise: I saw that page of yours. Yikes! Semper Fi!
“bringing sometimes horrific, hateful condemnations of myself, personally, from a few of the pro-Medjugorje crowd, but that’s to be expected, right?”
I don’t know if it’s to be expected, but the horrific, hateful condemnations of those who display this kind of blind adherence, inordinate attachment and rabid defense of medj. and other movements and people within our Church have quickly become quite a calling card for me regarding discernment of the good and true versus what might be false and idolatrous. Those displaying this kind of fanaticism seem much less about real faith and the Magisterium of our Church and much more about division and idolatry.
As the nervous tension grows, regardless of the outcome, I look forward to see and am excited to offer my obedience and support to His Excellency Bishop Peric and his continued pastoral guidance!
Dismas: Exactly right about obedience to the bishop. Just say, hypothetically, that the Holy Father (even via the CDF) approved of the “apparitions”. Would that mean that supporters would be vindicated? Absolutely not. Their disobedience all these years is a downfall for them personally even if the “apparitions” are said to be real (so that pretty much all the publishing was a lie). True obedience follows the local and supreme magisterium of the Church. If we are not faithful in that which is small, “private revelation”, who will give us that which the Lord wants us to have in the very revelation of Himself?
DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL (2.2:3)…
“…the devil causes many to believe in vain visions and false prophecies; and strives to make them presume that God and the saints are speaking with them; and they often trust their own fancy. And the devil is also accustomed, in this state, to fill them with presumption and pride, so that they become attracted by vanity and arrogance, and allow themselves to be seen engaging in outward acts which appear holy, such as raptures and other manifestations. Thus they become bold with God, and lose holy fear, which is the key and the custodian of all the virtues; and in some of these souls so many are the falsehoods and deceits which tend to multiply, and so inveterate do they grow, that it is very doubtful if such souls will return to the pure road of virtue and true spirituality.”
Dear Father; I like w hat Brother Rolf said about being filled w/pride and presumption. I have – unfortunately – seen it for myself when I was there and met Ivan. It actually changed my belief in the apparitions! even though I saw the sun spinning in the sky!!!!!!
My good friend totally believes in the apparations, in fact several friends go there every year (I went in 2008) to help the homeless and war-torn refugees w/food, clothing, medical needs etc. I think they are very disappointed in me that I went and came back very skeptical. When I revealed about Ivan the things I saw I was told, well what do you expect, people send him money all the time, what’s he supposed to do?. Okay, I know when to stop. It is not for me to change his mind.
I no longer read the email sent to me monthly on the apparations of our Blessed Mary. I delete them. I also have read lots of things that prove to me what Mark W. believes to be true is true.! I have seen the facts, that believers say have been made up and spread by vengeful priests and Bishops. I think no matter what the Pope says in the end, will only mean something to us who have doubts, the fanatic believers will go on believing. ah what a shame!!! They need our prayers.
Thank you Father Byers for keeping this in the forefront. May God bless you and Laudie!! the super dog.
Father,
With regards to the insults, 1 Peter 4:14. Medjugorjites will often say those of us who are skeptical or critical are offending “Our Lady.” In reality, our study of this phenomenon has led us to want to defend the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church has not declared the lady of Medjugorje to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, so those who do so, are going ahead of the Church.
With regards to some of this latest news traveling out there, see my post – in particular what I have at the bottom concerning the “Visions on Demand Traveling to the Holy Land.”
http://te-deum.blogspot.com/2013/01/cardinal-ruini-speaks-about-medjugorje.html
Oh, and a word about my friend Mark. God knows of his contributions, and of his suffering. God bless him.
Teach the Faith, celebrate the Liturgy, and evangelize popular piety in order to extinguish the Medjugorje doctrinal errors, liturgical abuses, and false devotions and false ways of spreading true devotions.
WHEN can the decision be expected? Soon I hope! November has come and gone, but I pray our beloved Papa will expound.