A few days ago, the following information from the Pope, in reference to the Medjugorje visionaries, was published:
The Vatican is close to making a ruling on the alleged apparitions of the Madonna in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje, one of the most controversial cases in the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis said on Saturday.
Six children first reported visions of the Virgin Mary in the once obscure town in 1981. It has since become a major pilgrimage site, giving many a new sense of spirituality and locals a steady source of much-needed revenue.
Many others, however, believe the alleged apparitions are a hoax.
While flying back to Rome from his visit to Sarajevo, the pope was asked about the status of a Vatican investigation into the alleged apparitions, which have divided the Catholic Church.
"We are about to make decisions and then they will be communicated," he said, adding that he recently received a long study by a Vatican commission and that the case was now before the Holy See's doctrinal department, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
In recent years, the town has experienced a building boom of hotels and shops catering to pilgrims.
Some of the alleged visionaries, now adults, say they still experience apparitions every day and that the Madonna has told them secrets.
The Church has so far been cautious, saying dioceses should not organize official pilgrimages to the town. But many parish groups are among the more than a million visitors a year to the site. - Pope says ruling on Medjugorje 'apparitions' near
Today, a follow-up was published:
Pope Francis has given a hint about his take on the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the Medjugorje shrine in southern Bosnia, days after announcing that the Vatican was close to making a decision on their authenticity.
Francis made the comments Tuesday during his morning homily, three days after making a daylong trip to Sarajevo. En route home, Francis said the Vatican would soon decide on whether to formally recognize the phenomenon.
In his homily, Francis dismissed those "who always need novelty in their Christian identity" and say: "But where are the visionaries who tell us today about 'The letter that the Madonna will send tomorrow at 4 p.m.?'"
The Medjugorje apparition has been disputed since 1981, when six youths said they regularly saw visions of the Virgin. - As Medjugorje Decision Nears, Pope Dismisses Visionaries
A Vatican committee was set up in 2010 to investigate the claims of six young people who said Mary had appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. This is not an official miracle, so the locals have an interest in how the Vatican addresses the supposed phenomenon. It'll be interesting to see how the Church handles the controversy going forward.
NOTE: The shrine even has it's own new agency
Queen of the Cosmos: Interviews with the Visionaries of Medjugorje
The Medjugorje Messages 1981-2013
The Messages of Medjugorje: The Complete Text, 1981-2014
Releasing the Spirit of Prophecy: The Supernatural Power of Testimony
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