In 2017, Pope Francis called for further study of the apparitions, and in 2019, he lifted the ban on official pilgrimages to the site, allowing faithful to celebrate a youth festival there.
The new Vatican document takes inspiration from the commission’s findings, and from Benedict’s belief that the supernatural events at Medjugorje and the lively following that resulted should be considered separately. The document cautions not to take the alleged Marian messages individually but to consider them as a whole.
The alleged seers “perceive a message and make an effort to remember it and express it as best they can, and it might happen that they don’t find the most appropriate words to do so,” the document read. The Vatican especially warned not to pay too much attention to the messages from Mary that are too specific regarding “dates, places, practical aspects, and makes ordinary decisions that should be discerned within the community.”
The Vatican also addressed questions regarding the integrity of the alleged seers, who were criticized for not becoming priests or nuns and in one case for smoking cigarettes. “The nihil obstat doesn’t resolve or conclude everything for the future,” the document stated. “It’s a decision that is open to developments in time and space.”
This article originally appeared here.
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