The Virgin of Naju
Asia · South Korea
What happened
In Naju, South Korea, a laywoman named Julia Kim claims to have received apparitions of the Virgin Mary since the 1980s, as well as alleged Eucharistic phenomena and messages calling for conversion, reparation, and fidelity to the Eucharist. Many of the details—the exact number of apparitions or the precise content of the messages—come from devotional websites rather than official documents; aside from the general facts, there is no confirmation of these events by the Church.
The message
What is preached are calls to conversion, reparation, and devotion to the Eucharist. In their most general content, these calls coincide with what the Church always invites us to live: prayer, penance, and love for the sacraments.
The sanctuary or place today
Prayer groups linked to Naju have sprung up in various countries, and many devotees report receiving graces. However, almost all of these testimonies are found on websites affiliated with Julia Kim herself, without independent confirmation or official recognition. No miracle has been officially recognized by the diocese, which has advised against pilgrimages to the site.
The Church's position
The competent authority is the Archdiocese of Gwangju, to which Naju belongs. Several episcopal documents have advised against pilgrimages, declared that the alleged apparitions and Eucharistic phenomena are not recognized as supernatural, and pointed to acts of disobedience to the directives of ecclesiastical authority. There is no record of approval of supernaturality; however, there is clear opposition from the local authority and warnings to the faithful not to consider these phenomena as authentic apparitions. The details of specific formulas and dates should be summarized with caution, because these diocesan documents are not complete in the sources consulted. It is also worth remembering that, according to the Norms of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of May 2024, the Church issues prudential judgments and, as a general rule, no longer declares supernaturality. Naju has not been approved.
Prudence and discernment
A strained relationship with the local bishop and instances of disobedience are, in themselves, a negative criterion, according to Church tradition, for discerning apparitions. The emphasis on extraordinary phenomena demands a particularly rigorous examination, and in the absence of Church confirmation, the faithful must refrain from accepting them as fact. The Catholic attitude of faith requires obedience to diocesan authority as long as it maintains its negative judgment. The essentials—prayer, the sacraments, and the Rosary—are always good and do not depend on the Church's pronouncement on extraordinary events.
Link with the Rosary
Authentic Marian devotion finds a sure path in the Rosary, one always recommended by the Church. Praying it leads, with Mary, to contemplate Christ, without needing to adhere to unrecognized phenomena.