Virgin Mary Apparitions
July 12:
Marija announces goodbye to public witnessing
Visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti announces the end of her talks and public apparitions, explaining that the Church has asked her not to participate in public meetings. “I cannot pray with you but I will pray for you” she tells in short message to 600 disappointed Italian faithful.
June 29:
Cardinal: Medjugorje is being undermined
It is “unacceptable” when the Pope’s recent statsment on seers is being interpreted as his final ruling on Medjugorje, says Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo who thinks certain media misinterpret Pope Francis in order to undermine the good relations between the Pope and Medjugorje pilgrims.
June 29:
Seers are joyful before Pope’s decision
Both Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti and the other visionaries await Pope Francis’ coming decision on Medjugorje with great joy, Marija tells. Assuring that the seers are ready to be corrected by the Pope if necessary, she is convinced that no one can destroy Medjugorje because it is a work of God.
June 26:
Vatican denies decision has been made
Denying recent Italian media reports, Vatican press official tells that no decision on Medjugorje has been taken. CDF did not meet on June 24 as reported, and has not yet discussed Medjugorje, the spokesman informs. Vatican officials call the recent speculation “unfounded”.
June 26:
Expert: No papal decision this Summer
Recent days’ claims of the Church’s doctrinal office recommending major changes in Medjugorje to Pope Francis are baseless, says Vatican senior reporter Andrea Tornielli. CDF’s 25 members have not even read the conclusions of the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje, he informs.
June 25:
Writer: CDF considers Medjugorje false
The Medjugorje visionaries should not disseminate messages given during their apparitions, the doctrinal office of the Church thinks, according to a Vatican watcher. For CDF has found inconsistencies in the messages and overall believes the apparitions are false, Gianluca Barile reports.
June 25:
Ivan had quit Argentina for the Pope
Medjugorje visionary Ivan Dragicevic says he would not have gone to Argentina in March 2013 if he had known that local Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, soon after Pope Francis, would not allow him to have public apparitions in churches. Ivan assures of his obedience to the Pope.
June 25:
Media: Rome will isolate the visionaries
No more public apparitions and no more contact between Medjugorje seers and the pilgrims are among the recommendations of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, an Italian newspaper learns. CDF agreed to a text on Medjugorje on June 24, Il Giornale reports.
June 20:
Pope kept Medjugorje seer out of Church
Days before his election, Pope Francis stopped Medjugorje visionary Ivan Dragicevic from having a public apparition in a church in Bueonos Aires, Argentina, the Pope tells in interview book by his former private secretary. Pope Francis does not like foreseeable apparitions at fixed hours, he says.
June 17:
Sr. Emmanuel: Media misinterpret the Pope
For a number of reasons, Pope Francis’ recent words on chasing visionaries cannot be about Medjugorje, says the French nun Sr. Emmanuel Maillard who has lived in Medjugorje for 25 years. Only false media interepretations brought Medjugorje into focus, she maintains.
June 17:
Fr. Livio: The Pope’s admonition is welcome
Media mistreatment is the problem to the Pope’s recent remarks on chasing visionaries, not Medjugorje and the apparitions, says Radio Maria director Fr. Livio Fanzaga. The Pope criticized a kind of Christianity Light, and Medjugorje’s real faithful have nothing to fear, he remarks.
Darko PavicicJune 15:
Writer: Rome will rule in Medjugorje shrine
Rome is expected to give Medjugorje shrine status – and install a governor there who will be responsible to the Holy See, columnist predicts in Croatian newspaper. Cancelled arrangements precede that the visionaries’ public space will be narrowed, Darko Pavicic further expects.
June 14:
Mirjana: No apparitions here at 4 pm
Visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo notes that Pope Francis’ recent comments on seers did not mention Medjugorje, and that he talked about a different apparition hour. Mirjana does not believe that the Pope would pronounce his position on Medjugorje via such comments, she says.
June 14:
Cardinal Ruini: Leaks are only free indiscretions
Nothing can be concluded from leaks of alleged conclusions of the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje, says commission leader Cardinal Camillo Ruini. He calls them free indiscretions and confirms that the doctrinal office of the Church has not yet discussed the case of Medjugorje.
June 14:
Officials doubt Pope’s decision will be soon
Vatican spokesman downplays expectations that Pope Francis will decide on Medjugorje soon, doubts it will be before the summer break, and thinks it would be safest to expect in a few months. Inside source does not understand how the Pope could announce an imminent decision.
June 12:
Ivan: Pope’s words seem a little strange
Pope Francis’ words on seers in a recent homily seem a little strange to visionary Ivan Dragicevic, he tells a Croatian newspaper. Ivan points out that the Pope did not necessarily refer to Medjugorje, and assures that the visionaries do all they can to do what Pope Francis recommends.
June 11:
Media: Rome will bring order to Medjugorje
The Vatican is not satisfied with everything that happens with and around the Medjugorje seers, and finds them too theologically weak for speaking unassisted to crowds. The seers will be more tied to Church structures as Rome imposes its order in Medjugorje, a Croatian newspaper learns.
June 11:
Expert: Pope prepares people for decision
Pope Francis’ warning against seeking constant spiritual newness by basing life on seers has indeed to do with Medjugorje, and serves to prepare everyone for his coming decision, says a member of the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje. He expects Francis to clear the field.
June 10:
Pope’s remarks on seers cause confusion
Without mentioning Medjugorje, a general remark by Pope Francis on seers is being interpreted to precede a negative verdict on the place. Vatican spokesman says the Pope’s words “probably” referred to Medjugorje, but also downplays their significance. Caution, says expert.
June 10:
Writer: The Pope will protect Medjugorje
Pope Francis will not leave Medjugorje alone, says the Italian writer Paolo Brosio who was recently summoned by the Pope. Brosio criticizes the Church’s doctrinal office for stopping Medjugorje meetings while doing nothing about the positive reports from the Medjugorje commission.
June 7:
Pope: We decide on Medjugorje soon
A decision on Medjugorje will be taken and published soon, Pope Francis tells reporters on the papal plane to Rome after his visit to Sarajevo. The Pope says the Vatican Commission on Medjugorje did a good job and reveals that the conclusions of the Commission have long been with him.
May 30:
Rome cancels another prayer meeting
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic was scheduled to talk and have a public apparition on June 20 in Sestola, Italy, but the event has been cancelled after Rome reinforced a letter that prohibits arrangements that take the authenticity of the apparitions in Medjugorje for granted.
May 30:
Spokesman unaware of when Pope will rule
The Pope’s spokesman informs that he has “no idea” of when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will finish their work on the reports from the Vatican’s investigative commission on Medjugorje. After 16 months, the Congregation has not yet begun to discuss them.
May 30:
Vatican downgrades Medjugorje report
16 months after a Cardinal-led investigative commission handed over reports and conclusions to the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the material has never been discussed there, Catholic News Agency learns from inside source who says the unusual nature of the apparitions causes caution.
May 18:
Local bishop lashes out at apparitions
In the presence of visionary Ivan Dragicevic, local Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar uses confirmation homily in Medjugorje to criticize the visionaries and the claims of apparitions. “Our faith is not rooted on private hallucinations that occur three times daily” the Bishop says in homily.
May 16:
Possessed ordered Vicka to stop praying
During a recent meeting with pilgrims, a woman with a man’s voice shouted at visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic, telling her to “Stop praying” and “Shut up”. The French nun Sr. Emmanuel Maillard, a Medjugorje resident since 1989, calls the occurence “meaningful and significant”.
May 14:
Boy’s cancer cure ascribed to Medjugorje
Stephen Reilly from Eyrecourt, Ireland, celebrated his eleventh birthday in fine shape last week – two years after his family was told that he had lost his battle with cancer. In between were signs during a Medjugorje visit which his parents view as paramount to Stephen’s progressive healing.
May 11:
Vatican letter keeps Ivan from Padova
For the second time in 2015, an arrangement with visionary Ivan Dragicevic has been cancelled by the local Ordinary. Ivan was scheduled on May 22 near Padova, Italy, whose Archbishop explains that he is complying to the directives issued by the Vatican’s doctrinal office.
May 10:
Vicka cancels visit to Brazil
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic’s visit to Brazil on May 24-26 has been cancelled, organizers inform. Earlier this year, visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti cancelled in four Latin American countries but it is uncertain if restriction letter from the Vatican is again behind the cancellations.
May 5:
Jakov takes on new testifying course
Visionary Jakov Colo offered meditations on the Rosary and prayed the Joyful Mysteries, but took no time to tell the story of the apparitions when he met with pilgrims on May 4. “A new approach to having pilgrims understand that prayer comes first in Medjugorje” an attendee says.
April 28:
Open letter opposes CDF’s misquotations
In open letter to the head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, author Wayne Weible urges the letter currently restricting Medjugorje events called back due to its misquotations of an official Church document. Weible calls people to pray for the erroneous letter to soon be withdrawn.
April 23:
Italian saw Mary during apparition
Monica Corni had no expectations when she came to Medjugorje. Yet, when she attended visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo’s apparition, she ended up seeing Saint Padre Pio and then-Blessed Pope John Paul II in the clouds – and the Virgin Mary who smiled at her from a blue sky.
April 18:
Analysis of weeping statue delayed
Samples of what seemed to be tears from a Medjugorje statue in Piane Crati, Italy, have been sent to independent chemical laboratories but no results have come back yet. Local faithful are dissatisfied with the statue’s replacement in the church where it cannot be viewed at the moment.
April 16:
Movies send 13 to Medjugorje for free
Director Sean Bloomfield will make two movies in Medjugorje this summer – and send 13 people there for free instead of five. Among the first participants are two with serious illness, two atheists married to Catholics, and a single father of nine who was unable to go until now.
April 15:
Writer: Pope blessed St. James Church
When Pope Francis blessed Italian author Paolo Brosio’s hospital project in Medjugorje, he also blessed the local St. James Church, the writer reveals from his private audience. The Pope blessed a brick depicting the Virgin Mary above the church, painted seven years before the apparitions.
April 10:
Pope summons leading Medjugorje writer
Pope Francis recognized the Medjugorje conversion of journalist Paolo Brosio as “definitively the work of the Madonna” when he received him in audience on April 9, Brosio tells. “The impression is that there is a large opening and a great willingness” says Italy’s foremost Medjugorje apostle.
April 8:
Medjugorje critics refuse to visit for free
Film director Sean Bloomfield invited several prominent Medjugorje critics to join his current contest and try to win a week-long visit for free, but none of them replied. Even before the winners have been chosen, Bloomfield sees fruits like more people getting to know about Medjugorje.
April 1:
Vicka opens Medjugorje shrine in Brazil
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic will be present when the first South American shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Medjugorje opens in May. Vicka will spend three days in Sao Paolo aside of attending the inauguration of the shrine located about 150 miles away from the Brazilian metropol.
marija-pavlovicApril 1:
Marija: Embrace the Cross, do not dodge it
When we see that the cross is heavy, we try to dodge it. But Mary repeats that we should embrace the Cross and live through it” visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti comments on the Virgin Mary’s message of March 25. Sensing mankind’s importance to Mary was the highlight of her apparition.
March 29:
Ivan appears in Italian church in May
Visionary Ivan Dragicevic is scheduled to talk on May 22 in Church of Saint Bartholomew in Mestrino, Italy. The arrangement comes after Ivan’s appearance in St. Charles, MO, was cancelled at the Vatican’s request – and after previous attempts at cancelling Medjugorje events in Italy.
March 23:
Arrangement ban is based on misquotation
When the Vatican’s doctrinal office took away permission to participate in Medjugorje events, it did so by misquoting a statement from the Yugoslav bishops. The error is critical and damaging, and has caused people to believe Medjugorje is at best questionable, says author Wayne Weible.
March 20:
Cardinal opens to papal decision in June
The Pope made no mention of Medjugorje or of a possible prohibition of the place when the bishops of Bosnia and Hercegovina saw him during their recent week-long visit to Rome. Feel free to expect he will say something when he comes to Sarajevo in June, says Cardinal Vinko Puljic.
March 18:
Crowd greets Mirjana on 50th birthday
Several thousand attended visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo’s apparition on the day she turned 50. Afterwards, Mirjana repeated that the Virgin Mary appearing to her every year on March 18 is not due to her birthday, but because this day is prominent when her prophetic secrets play out.
March 18:
Ivan counters ban in private home
At Rome’s request, visionary Ivan Dragicevic’s public apparition today in St. Charles, MO, was cancelled. Yet, on March 17 Ivan consoled about 75 people by having his apparition in a private home in the city. Without charging for admission and by invitation only, the event is repeated today.
March 17:
Ivan guarantees obedience to Rome
I have always been obedient to the authority of the Church, and I will continue to remain in total obedience, visionary Ivan Dragicevic tells in written statement after his scheduled public apparition on March 18 in St. Charles, MO, was cancelled at the request of the Vatican’s doctrinal office.
March 16:
Actress got new life instead of healing
Though the Italian actress Paola Toeschi Battaglia is not entirely cured from her brain tumor, her visit to Medjugorje gave her a spiritual healing. She is thankful for her disease as it paved the way for her conversion which has taken away all her fear. Now she starts testifying in public.
March 15:
Vicka: Lack of prayer hinders Mary’s plan
The Virgin Mary’s plan is far from being realized because the necessary prayers do not come, visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic tells upon receiving message from Mary during short visit to Foggia, Italy. “Pray that you realize my plan that is still far from being realized” Vicka was told.
March 13:
Rome stopped Ivan’s American comeback
After an arrangement with visionary Ivan Dragicevic was scheduled to take place on March 18, the Vatican’s doctrinal office reminded the Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO, of previously imposed restrictions on Medjugorje events. The Archdiocese overplays the restriction in notice to the public.
March 12:
Vicka sees Mary on Saint Pio’s home ground
Visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic visited San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, where Saint Padre Pio received pilgrims, on March 10. Vicka’s apparition did not take place in the shrine, but privately. The Virgin Mary called the attendees to pray the Glorious Mysteries daily during the rest of Lent.
March 6:
Ivan’s American comeback is cancelled
Visionary Ivan Dragicevic’s first public apparition in the United States since 2013 was scheduled for March 18 in St. Charles, MO, but the event has been cancelled. Organizers providing no info as to the reason why, it is unknown if Vatican doctrinal office has imposed restrictions on Ivan again.
pope-johnpaul-e1425569392410-300x186March 5:
Pope read Medjugorje newsletter daily
Pope John Paul II’s private secretary showed an Australian priest a copy of the newsletter Echo of Medjugorje on the Pope’s dressing table, and told him the Pope read a paragraph every day before Mass. Minutes before, the Pope had told the priest that he believes Mary appears in Medjugorje.
March 3:
Damage to statue on Apparition Hill
The little finger on the left hand is missing on the statue of the Virgin Mary on top of Apparition Hill. Dirt found on the statue indicates it may have been climbed. Vandalism or exaggerated piety are viewed as possible motives as local authorities hope to identify the perpetrator via video.
February 27:
Marija: The world is polluting us
In the world and on tv, there is only fun, only me and no place for God. This mentality is polluting us, visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti comments on the Virgin Mary’s recent message. She views the message as a call to live Lent authentically, and include the tongue in fasting.
February 26:
Fr. Jozo’s blessing raises controversy
Can a President of a secular state have her office blessed by a priest? The question divides Croatians after Fr. Jozo Zovko’s recent blessing at the presidential palace. While some priests defend the President’s decision, others are dissatisfied with her choice of a Franciscan from Hercegovina.
February 24:
Film director offers Medjugorje visits for free
Tell us why you would like to go to Medjugorje for the first time, and we will choose up to five winners of a 2-3 weeks tour with all expenses paid, film director Sean Bloomfield offers. He plans to gather atheists, skeptics and believers and expects his cameras to capture life-changing events.
February 20:
Owners rush to have buildings legalized
Threatened by mass closure, owners of illegal buildings in the Medjugorje area have been busy this year to obtain a permit. 679 requests have been filed in 2015, compared to 211 in all of 2014. But most applications are not complete and danger of closure persists for many owners, says mayor.
February 19:
Fr. Jozo blesses new Croatian President’s office
On her first working day, Croatia’s newly elected President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic called Fr. Jozo Zovko and asked him to come by and bless her office. Medjugorje’s 1981 parish priest agreed and visited today. “I wanted this house to be blessed” says the President who has been to Medjugorje.
February 18:
Bishop: Monuments do not keep the Pope away
It is baseless when Bosnia and Hercegovina’s former ambassador to the Holy See suggests that tall Catholic monuments in Mostar keep the Pope from visiting the ethnically divided city, says local Bishop Ratko Peric who denies that any Vatican official ever brought up the topic with him.
February 17:
Vicka’s daughter saw Mary above John Paul II
A visit to Rome two months before the death of Pope John Paul II resulted in an unexpected grace to visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic and her family: In St. Peter’s Square, Vicka’s daughter saw the Virgin Mary above the Pope’s head while Vicka’s husband captured the rare sight on video.
namex medjugorjeFebruary 16:
Armed robbery against supermarket
At 7.25 pm on February 13, two armed robbers escaped with about 5,500 convertible Marks from a supermarket near Medjugorje’s bus station. Not believed to be locals, the robbers lost some of the money and also left their weapons and masks as they fled from police across the fields.
roadFebruary 14:
Opinions differ over path becoming road
“Change is inevitable”. “Peace will disappear”. “No, the peace will remain”. “Medjugorje loses a reason why Mary chose it”. Reactions to the path across the fields turning into asphalt road are markedly different among long-time observers including Wayne Weible and Michael H. Brown.
February 13:
Path across the fields becomes asphalt road
Work has begun to turn the walking path across the fields between Apparition Hill and central Medjugorje into an asphalt road with sidewalks. The purpose is lightening the traffic on the road below the hill. While pilgrims lament the loss of the path, most locals favor the decision.
February 12:
Crying statue’s removal causes protests
The removal of the tear-shedding Medjugorje statue into the local parish church has divided Piane Crati, Italy, into those who want it back on its pedestal, and those who want it analyzed. Local bishop was consulted before the removal of the statue which can still be accessed by the public.
February 11:
Ex-ambassador: Croats keep the Pope away
Why will Pope Francis become the second Pope to visit Bosnia and Hercegovina without visiting the Medjugorje area? Because the local Catholics themselves made a visit very unlikely by erecting monuments in Mostar, the country’s former ambassador to the Holy See drily replies.
February 10:
Military unit examines crying statue
Not only the local diocese, but also Italy’s national military police will examine the crying Medjugorje statue from Piane Crati. Due to rainy weather, second round of lacrimations was not initially believed, yet local parish priest took action when tears appeared on a clear February 7.
February 10:
Ivan resumes public apparitions in USA
For the first time in the United States for more than a year, a public apparition to visionary Ivan Dragicevic has been announced for March 18 in Saint Charles, MO. Arranger challenges Vatican restriction note by stating that an apparition of the Virgin Mary is going to take place.
February 8:
Bosnian Bishop expects recognition
“We leave for the Pope to decide when Medjugorje is recognized” says the President of the Bosnian Bishops’ Conference. He advises to keep the eyes open to the good fruits, and stop or set apart any bad ones. “Thank God you hear little of the negative fruits” says Bishop Franjo Komarica.
February 7:
Medjugorje statue cries anew in Italy
On February 7, a statue of the Virgin Mary brought from Medjugorje shed tears again in Piane Crati, Italy. The lacrimation comes a good six months after the statue cried on four consecutive days. Alerted by the parish priest, the local police has removed the statue inside the church.
February 7:
Mirjana: Tolerance may not cause apostasy
Removing crucifixes and abolishing the celebration of holy days to avoid offending non-Christian immigrants should not take place, says visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo. She advocates for hearts and doors to be opened, but without compromising Catholic faith, identity and truth.
February 4:
Rome hints that no statement may come
The Pope’s official spokesman says he does not know if a statement about Medjugorje will be issued. The reports from the Vatican Commission still reside with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith who will take care of the case in their own time, Fr. Federico Lombardi informs.
February 1:
Italian cured from disabling ear disease
69 year old former banker suffered from Meniere’s Syndrome, and doctors had told him that he would become invalid. Hearing Medjugorje locutionist Jelena Vasilj-Valente became the first decisive change, going to Medjugorje the second. Now he has lived four years without symptoms.
January 29:
Marija: Forgive and love to overcome hatred
In her first message after the Paris attack, the Virgin Mary paraphrased her message given two weeks after September 11. Both messages warn that Satan wants war and hatred, and Medjugorje visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti acknowledges that the situation today is similar to then.
January 28:
Seer saw Mary as 20 meters tall figure
Along with a group of about 60 pilgrims, visionary Marija Pavlovic has seen the Virgin Mary as a more than 20 meters tall figure close to The Blue Cross in Medjugorje. “If you get signs, keep them for yourself and say: this is a sign for me because I have to grow in faith” Marija recommends.
January 24:
Medjugorje fuels top model’s conversion
As a former Miss Universe runner-up, Taliana Vargas had much of what life has to offer. But she had no lasting peace before she met a priest devoted the Medjugorje message, in a church named after Medjugorje. Now the Colombian actress and model lives the message and sees her faith grow.
January 21:
Photo emerges of Mirjana and John Paul II
More than 27 years after their meeting in Rome, a previously unknown photo of Pope John Paul II and Medjugorje visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo has been found. When the Pope found out that Mirjana was in Rome, he had her summoned for a private conversation.
January 19:
Vicka: Patience is vital to hearing God
Lack of patience and wanting an answer right away prevent people from hearing God’s voice, says visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic who calls this mentality “playing with God”. She recommends to surrender and allow God to act, and assures that He will answer when the time is just right.
January 15:
Medjugorje tied to another cancer cure
When Branka Bingula was told that her cancer had metastasized, she reacted by returning to her Catholic faith. She went to a Croatian priest with the charism of healing, and she went on Medjugorje pilgrimages. Today she attributes her healing to the Virgin Mary’s intercession.
January 13:
Property owners are facing mass closure
70 percent of the newer hotels, pansions, shops and restaurants in Medjugorje were built without permission. Local municipality has imposed February 13 deadline for owners to apply for legalization. Threatened by mass closure, the spokesman of Medjugorje appeals for more time.
January 10:
Boy cured from cancer after apparition
The prognosis was six months when an aggressive cancer was found with a 12 year old boy. Knowing that treatment was pointless, a hospital doctor advised his parents to take the boy to Medjugorje. He attended an apparition and returned home with a cure that has shown to be lasting.
January 8:
Writer plans big hospital in Medjugorje
Unlike most other major pilgrimage sites, Medjugorje has no hospital. Now the Italian writer and Medjugorje convert Paolo Brosio has set out to change this. He wants to make emergency rooms and health care available not only to the pilgrims, but also to poor local residents.
January 6:
Marija: Humanity changes, Mary will win
One cannot remain indifferent to the Virgin Mary’s presence, and humanity’s change paves the way for Mary’s victory, says visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti. She sees a tide of people who changed their life as a strong contrast to those who want to change the world as they like.
January 5:
Breast cancer left after Medjugorje visit
Doctors were certain when Aide Monsell was diagnosed with breast cancer few months before she was to visit Medjugorje. Back home in Dublin, Ireland, she underwent an operation, but also saw the astonished faces of her doctors who found no cancer when they performed the surgery.
January 2:
2,000 attend Jakov’s charity concert
Visionary Jakov Colo spent the first day of 2015 in charge of a charity concert that gathered more than 2,000 people and produced 3,000 care packages. Internal fun among seers when Jakov introduced fellow visionary Ivan Dragicevic by stating that he can neither sing nor dance.