The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has told Catholics in the US not to take part in events in which the “seers” of Medjugorje promise apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
The dramatic move comes prior to the release of the CDF’s final report on Medjugorje.
US Papal Nuncio, on behalf of the prefect of CDF Archbishop Müller, issued instructions that no cleric or lay person may participate in any meetings, conferences, or public celebrations in which the authenticity of the apparitions are taken for granted.
The move has come as a shock to many in the Medjugorje support community as there was an operating assumption that until final confirmation of inauthenticity, participation as if it were true was allowed by the faithful.
For years, the group of people who have reported visions of the Blessed Mother at Medjugorje have made public appearances in churches, announcing in advance that “apparitions” will take place.
In his letter to the US Bishops, the apostolic nuncio in Washington, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano reminded the bishops, that the CDF is currently investigating the reported apparitions at Medjugorje and that until the Vatican renders a final judgment the CDF is asking for acceptance of a statement issued in 1991 by the bishops of what was then Yugoslavia, who said: “On the basis of the research that has been done, it is not possible to state that there were apparitions or supernatural revelations.”
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