Crackdown On Medjugorje

[servus Mariae]

Check this out when you get a second!!!


[b]Pope finally launches crackdown on world's largest illicit Catholic shrine and suspends 'dubious' priest [/b]

By Simon Caldwell
Last updated at 10:03 PM on 03rd September 2008

Crackdown: Pope Benedict XVI has authorised 'severe cautionary and disciplinary measures' against Father Tomislav Vlasic

The Pope has begun a crackdown on the world’s largest illicit Catholic shrine – by suspending the priest at the centre of claims that the Virgin Mary has appeared more than 40,000 times.

Benedict XVI has authorised ‘severe cautionary and disciplinary measures’ against Father Tomislav Vlasic, the former ‘spiritual director’ to six children who said Our Lady was appearing to them at Medjugorje in Bosnia.

The Franciscan priest has been suspended after he refused to cooperate into claims of scandalous sexual immorality ‘aggravated by mystical motivations’.

He has also been accused of ‘the diffusion of dubious doctrine, manipulation of consciences, suspected mysticism and disobedience towards legitimately issued orders’, and is suspected of heresy and schism.

Father Vlasic was a central figure in promoting the apparitions that allegedly began in 1981 and continue to this day.

In 1984 he boasted to Pope John Paul II that he was the one ‘who through divine providence guides the seers of Medjugorje’ and the visionaries even said that the Virgin had told them he was a living saint.

But the Bosnian cleric later took a back seat when it emerged that he had fathered a child with a nun called Sister Rufina, and that he refused to leave his order to marry her but instead begged her not to expose him.

Father Vlasic then moved to Parma, Italy, where he set up a mixed male and female religious community, called Queen of Peace, which was dedicated to the Medjugorje apparitions.

Medjugorje has grown to become the most visited unauthorised Catholic shrine in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims a year, including many from the UK and Ireland.

Manipulated? pilgrims pray in Medjugorje, Bosnia

But the local bishops are convinced the claims are bogus and in 2006 complained directly to Pope Benedict.

This led to a Vatican investigation which turned the spotlight on the role of Father Vlasic.

The priest has now been suspended by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith after he refused to cooperate with the inquiry into his conduct, instead ‘justifying himself by citing his zealous activity’ in initiating religious communities and building churches the Medjugorje area.

The decree confirming his suspension was signed with the Pope’s approval by Cardinal William Levada, head of CDF, and Father Jose Carballo, the Minister General of the Franciscan Minor Order.

It confines Father Vlasic to a Francisan monastery in Italy and bans him from contact with the Queen of Peace community, or with his lawyers without permission from his superior.

He is banned from making public appearances, preaching and hearing confessions and he will be required to make a solemn profession of the Catholic faith.

The Vatican has warned Father Vlasic that he will be excommunicated if he violates any of the prohibitions.

The action was taken earlier this year but was made public this week by the Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, at the request of the Vatican, to make local people to be aware of the priest’s status.

Father Vlasic is the second spiritual adviser to the seers to be suspended from his ministry. The other, Father Jozo Zovko, was suspended by Bishop Peric in 2004.

Strong belief: About 20,000 pilgrims at Medjugorje in 2001 celebrating the twentieth anniversary of when six children said they had seen the virgin there.

It represents a massive blow to millions of Medjugorje followers worldwide who were hoping that the Vatican investigation would legitimise the shrine.

Earlier this year, Italian Bishop Andrea Gemma denounced the Medjugorje claims as the ‘work of the Demon’ and predicted that ‘soon the Vatican will intervene with something explosive to unmask once and for all who is behind this deceit’.

The phenomenon began on 25 June 1981 when six children – Mirjana Dragićević, Marija Pavlović, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Ivanka Ivanković and Jakov Colo – told a priest they had seen the Virgin on a hillside near their town.

Three Church commissions failed to find evidence to support their claims and the bishops of the former Yugoslavia finally declared that ‘it cannot be affirmed that these matters concern supernatural apparitions or revelations’.

In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to the site, but this has been widely ignored.

Instead the seers have grown wealthy as a result of their claims – and so has their town, which has boomed as a result of the ‘Madonna gold rush’.

Some today own smart executive houses with immaculate gardens, double garages and security gates, and one has a tennis court.

They also own expensive cars and have married – one of them, Ivan Dragicevic, to an American former beauty queen.

Edited September 5, 2008 by servus Mariae

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I'm not a follower of the whole Medjugorje thing, but I think it's jumping the gun to call it "illicit." Let's be certain not to place ourselves ahead of the Catholic bishops by judging something illicit even before they do.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1647998' date='Sep 5 2008, 11:27 AM']I'm not a follower of the whole Medjugorje thing, but I think it's jumping the gun to call it "illicit." Let's be certain not to place ourselves ahead of the Catholic bishops by judging something illicit even before they do.[/quote]
Agreed. I have seen many people return to the Church after going to Medjugore.
Does the devil now work for our side?

[realtalk.thm]

HUUUUUUUU

[StColette]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1647998' date='Sep 5 2008, 10:27 AM']I'm not a follower of the whole Medjugorje thing, but I think it's jumping the gun to call it "illicit." Let's be certain not to place ourselves ahead of the Catholic bishops by judging something illicit even before they do.[/quote]

Exactly!

and just to add Fr. Vlasic is not in the "center" of what is going on at Medj.

Kevin posted an article about said priest [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=84373"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=84373[/url]

[quote]Benedict XVI has authorised ‘severe cautionary and disciplinary measures’ against Father Tomislav Vlasic, the former ‘spiritual director’ to six children who said Our Lady was appearing to them at Medjugorje in Bosnia.[/quote]

This is a horrible spin. Fr. Vlasic only acted as the spiritual director of the children because Fr. Jozo was placed in jail by the Communists. Fr. Vlasic was only there for a short period of time, there was no other priest in Medj. so who would these children turn to?

[dominicansoul]

I think we need to be cautious and not speak ill of the apparitions in Medjugorje. The punishment of this priest does not reflect at all on what has happened and what is happening there. He's not the one claiming to have seen the Virgin.

[HisChildForever]

[quote name='servus Mariae' post='1647976' date='Sep 5 2008, 09:44 AM']and the visionaries even said that the Virgin had told them he was a living saint.[/quote]

He doesn't sound like one so far.

[quote]In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to the site, but this has been widely ignored.[/quote]

Why was this ignored?

[quote]Instead the seers have grown wealthy as a result of their claims – and so has their town, which has boomed as a result of the ‘Madonna gold rush’.

Some today own smart executive houses with immaculate gardens, double garages and security gates, and one has a tennis court.

They also own expensive cars and have married – one of them, Ivan Dragicevic, to an American former beauty queen.[/quote]

This whole section makes me very wary. I would think that after seeing the Virgin Mary [i]over 40,000 times[/i] (is this typical of apparitions? It seems like...a lot) would make a person humble. Why not take all that money and give it to charity or some other worthy cause?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote]In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to the site, but this has been widely ignored.[/quote]

To be honest, I want to see a source.

[StColette]

[quote]They also own expensive cars and have married –[b] one of them, Ivan Dragicevic, to an American former beauty queen[/b].[/quote]

The fact that he married a former beauty queen has no influence on anything. Heck, Palin is a former beauty queen. And since when does being married equal something bad or not humble.

[StColette]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1648053' date='Sep 5 2008, 11:50 AM']To be honest, I want to see a source.[/quote]

I don't know of any. And I'm pretty positive Dr. Miravalle would have mentioned this. He might be a leading Mariologist and Medjugorje advocate but he's definitely orthodox and obedient to the Holy See.

[SaintOlaf]

[quote]Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls, stated: “You cannot say people cannot go there until it has been proved false. This has not been said, so anyone can go if they want – nothing has changed, nothing new has been said. The problem is if you systematically organise pilgrimages, organise them with the bishop and the Church, you are giving canonical sanction to the facts of Medjugorje. This is different from people going in a group who bring a priest with them to go to confession.”[/quote]

Dr Joaquin Navarro-Valls was the Director of the Holy See’s press office in 1996 when this statement was issued.

from: [url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/issues/medjvat.htm"]http://www.ewtn.com/library/issues/medjvat.htm[/url]

[StColette]

Okay found the answer about then Cardinal Ratzinger's attitude toward pilgrimages there.

[quote]n 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, then prefect of the doctrinal congregation and now Pope Benedict XVI, banned official, diocesan or parish-sponsored pilgrimages to the shrine. However, individual Catholics are still free to visit and have a priest with them.[/quote]

So this writer saying:

[quote]In 1985 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger – now Pope Benedict – banned pilgrimages to the site, but this has been widely ignored.[/quote]

is giving a false statement of what the now Holy Father said about pilgrimages to Medjugorje. While Medjugorje is still under investigation the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith does not want any "official" pilgrimages because this could be taken as to mean "Vatican Approval".

[url="http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804522.htm"]http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0804522.htm[/url]

[Maggyie]

[quote name='StColette' post='1648062' date='Sep 5 2008, 12:54 PM']The fact that he married a former beauty queen has no influence on anything. Heck, Palin is a former beauty queen. And since when does being married equal something bad or not humble.[/quote]


There is nothing wrong with marrying a former beauty queen, or being married. The problem is that if you are seeing the Madonna every single day of your life it's not likely you are going to be interested in living a "fast" life, owning expensive cars and tennis courts and so on and so forth. The reporter probably included the bit about the former beauty queen to suggest that that particular seer is using the Madonna to get women. A crass suggestion given that he did in fact marry her.

But in any case their behavior is not usual and does not find any adequate comparison in the history of apparitions. For instance Sr. Lucia never seemed to want to acquire a "smart executive house." When visionaries are getting rich off their messages it is a sign something is wrong. Can you say Benny Hinn.

I think this article is from London's Daily Mail? Which is a paper that is famous for it's rather, ahem, opinionated and not neccesarily accurate reporting. The headline itself editorializes more than it reports. You can guess how the people running the paper (or I should say at least the copy editor's desk) feels about Medjugorje. Just the inclusion of the word "finally" in the headline and you can practically hear the exasperated sighs from the journos.

[Justin86]

I'm pretty suspicious of Medjugorje myself, but this article didn't say anything about the apparitions themselves being suppressed, just one of their priests. As for Benedict supposedly banning visitors to the site back when he was a Cardinal I find that rather suspicious. First, it seems rather premature considering the Vatican had yet to conduct an investigation into the matter, and secondly he's been Pope for what, five years now? Considering the rokus this has caused I tend to think the Holy Father would have made a bigger issue out of it before now.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='StColette' post='1648072' date='Sep 5 2008, 10:00 AM']I don't know of any. And I'm pretty positive Dr. Miravalle would have mentioned this. He might be a leading Mariologist and Medjugorje advocate but he's definitely orthodox and obedient to the Holy See.[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
and i want to add that those of us that do not believe Medjugorje to be 'real' (not the word i want but my brain is befuddled right now) are not in any way less orthodox or less obedient to the Holy See.