By issuing a decree of nihil obstat (literally "nothing stands in the way"), the Holy See "authorises prudent adherence" to the messages of Medjugorje but has not formally recognised the reality of the visions.

The ruling, issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), encourages devotion while urging caution regarding the messages from alleged visionaries.

In 1981, six children from Medjugorje claimed to have received messages from the Virgin Mary. These visions sparked a global phenomenon, with millions of pilgrims visiting the site.

Although the Vatican now permits public devotion, it maintains a neutral stance on the supernatural nature of the events.

The Vatican's decision highlights the spiritual fruits of Medjugorje such as conversions, renewed faith and an increased return to the sacraments.

Faithful are free to believe or not

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the DDF, noted that the pilgrimages have brought many positive changes. These include more profound spiritual commitment and numerous vocations to religious life.

However he emphasised that these benefits come from the pilgrims' experiences rather than direct interaction with the alleged visionaries.

"The upcoming messages will need to be analysed and, for now, they should not be considered true" Fernández said at a press conference.

Cardinal Fernandez added that the messages, when published, must be accompanied by a note from the DDF specifying that the faithful are free to believe or not.

Profoundly Catholic

While the Vatican appreciates the spiritual value of Medjugorje, it also cautions the faithful against certain messages. It said that positive experiences "occur mainly in the context of pilgrimages to the places of the original events, rather than during encounters with the 'visionaries' to witness the presumed apparitions".

Some of these messages, particularly those involving strict instructions on practical matters, are deemed "misleading" and not of divine origin. The DDF warned that certain phrases, such as "my plan" and "my project", attributed to Mary in the visions could create confusion over Christ's central role in salvation.

Despite the precautions and reservations, the DDF declared that the essential experiences of the past 40 years at Medjugorje were "profoundly Catholic".

"We see that God is doing good things" Cardinal Fernandez added.

Sources

New York Post

La Croix International

CathNews New Zealand

They can broadly agree on what factors were involved but ascribing relative importance to a myriad of long-term and more immediate causal factors has kept academics, veterans, and politicians writing and talking for an entire century.

Long-term causes may actually have had a stronger bearing on the systemic causes of the conflict but attention must first focus on the sequence of events that led from Sarajevo to the outbreak of continental war.

Since a coup in 1903, Serbian nationalists had been working towards the creation of a greater Serbia.

The Balkans had been embroiled in two separate wars between 1912 and 1913 and, ever since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, the region had been in a near-permanent state of instability and tension.

Bosnia Herzegovina had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908 and Franz Ferdinand was in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 to inspect Austro-Hungarian troops in the region.

Gavrilo Princip had been part of a team of operatives plotting assassination on 28 June 1914.

Even historians still cannot agree on how the First World War began, writes Conor Mulvagh of the School of History and Archives at University College Dublin.

They can broadly agree on what factors were involved but ascribing relative importance to a myriad of long-term and more immediate causal factors has kept academics, veterans, and politicians writing and talking for an entire century.

Long-term causes may actually have had a stronger bearing on the systemic causes of the conflict but attention must first focus on the sequence of events that led from Sarajevo to the outbreak of continental war.

Since a coup in 1903, Serbian nationalists had been working towards the creation of a greater Serbia.

The Balkans had been embroiled in two separate wars between 1912 and 1913 and, ever since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, the region had been in a near-permanent state of instability and tension.

Bosnia Herzegovina had been annexed by Austria-Hungary in 1908 and Franz Ferdinand was in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 to inspect Austro-Hungarian troops in the region.

Gavrilo Princip had been part of a team of operatives plotting assassination on 28 June 1914. Continue reading

Sources

• RTE News
• Image: Greg Manderson
• See also: A Global Guide to the First World War, an interactive documentary from The Guardian.