Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

Medjugorje, between the fruits and the prudence of the Church

Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (1981)

On June 24, 1981, in a virtually unknown village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, six young people from the parish of Medjugorje claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary on Mount Podbrdo. Since then, that remote place has become one of the world's major pilgrimage sites, popularly known as the Queen of Peace. The story is moving in its impact, but more than any other, it demands to be told with rigor and in accordance with the Church's teachings.

This is the essential point regarding the ecclesial status, and it is important to be very clear about it. On April 10, 1991, in the Zadar Declaration, the bishops affirmed that, based on the investigations carried out up to that point, “it is not possible to affirm” that these were supernatural apparitions. In 2019, the Holy See permitted organized pilgrimages, without this implying recognition of the apparitions. And on September 19, 2024, the Vatican published the note “The Queen of Peace,” which focused on the spiritual fruits of the site—sacramental life, conversions, prayer—and not on an endorsement of the alleged apparitions.

Let us distinguish, then, between what is documented and what is not. It is documented that six young people claimed to have visionary experiences since 1981 and that the Church has acknowledged the existence of abundant spiritual fruits. However, it is not documented—on the contrary, it has been denied or left in suspense—that the Church has declared the apparitions authentic and supernatural. The most accurate position today is that the Holy See values the pastoral fruits and permits pilgrimages, but this in no way equates to recognition of the apparitions or approval of any particular messages.

The verifiable and truly remarkable anecdote is that transformation: an ignored village that went on to receive multitudes, and pastoral fruits—confessions, prayer, conversions—that the Vatican reports themselves underline as a relevant fact, precisely because they can be valued independently of the judgment on the supernatural.

Regarding the Rosary, Medjugorje is strongly associated with its daily recitation, both in local pastoral care and among pilgrims, and Vatican documentation on the fruits of the Rosary highlights this life of prayer. However, strictly speaking, the connection with the Rosary is devotional and pastoral, not a dogmatic endorsement of particular messages or promises. It should be presented as such: as a prayer practice whose fruits the Church values, within a situation that remains under discernment.