MEDUGORJE IS DISOBEDIENCE AND THE "APPARITION" ENDORSES DIVISION

Since 1981, apparitions of Jesus' mother to a few witnesses at Medjugorje have been reported. The vision has given countless messages. The apparitions are controversial and not recognised by the Church. Endless trouble and distress was brought to the bishop who is responsible for the area, Zanic. He faced slander and threats and open disobedience for holding the apparitions were not genuine.
 
QUOTE FROM ZANIC WHO WAS DISOBEYED EVEN WHEN HE MERELY ASKED THAT MESSAGES NOT BE PUBLICISED
 
Against the Bible which commands obedience to legitimate authority and forbids religious confusion, the Medjugorje visionaries and their allies kept publishing the messages though the bishop reasonably asked them to refrain.
 
Following a two-day session, the Commission on the events of Medjugorje declared that the pastoral personnel and the seers in Medjugorje are requested to abstain from any public statement or declaration to the press about the contents of the visions and the alleged miraculous cures.

At our meeting, held in the Chancery Office in Mostar on October 31, 1984, I demanded that Medjugorje's occurrences "be toned down and eliminated little by little."

In the meantime, matters remain as they were, and a great disgrace is expected to befall the Church. Now, without any delay, after all this, I demand from you that you remove the "visionaries" from public display and put an end to their "visions" in the parish church. They have had "visions" in Mostar, and earlier in Sarajevo, Visoko and Dubrovnik. Let them now have them at their homes: people say that they had them at their homes during 1981. In ten days the new statue of the Gospa in front of the main altar ought to be discreetly removed late one evening and replaced by the old one. You must stop talking about apparitions and also cease publicizing messages. The devotions that grew out of the "apparitions" and their messages must be eliminated, sales of souvenirs and printed material which propagate the "apparitions" must also stop. The faithful can go to the sacrament of reconciliation and attend Mass. I do not allow the other priests, especially Fathers Jozo Zovko, Tomislav Vlasic and Ljudevit Rupcic, to celebrate Mass for the faithful or to preach.

The "visionaries" must give you whatever they wrote, especially what pertains to the so called "Biography of the Madonna." No excuse that that's a secret can justify them from not handing over that material to you. Since there was so much public talk about their Diaries and their other writings, and since all this had a great influence on the events of Medjugorje, thus all these documents and [written]) materials fall under the supervision of the Ordinary and become subject to the investigation of the phenomenon of Medjugorje.

We do hope that you will execute what we demand from you in this letter. With greetings and a prayerful wish for God's blessing.

Msgr. Pavao Zanic
Bishop of Mostar-Duvno and Apostolic Administrator of Trebinje-Mrkanj

APPENDIX - PULJIC OF SARAJEVO
 
Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, speaking at the Synod of Bishops, has complained that the reported apparitions of Medjugorje are becoming a source of division in the Church. Cardinal Puljic spoke on the general theme of how bishops should be involved in [italic]"overcoming the divisions existing in the Church and in today's world."

(CWNews.com, 10 October 2001) - He argued: "Europe can no longer be divided into Eastern and Western Europe. The world cannot remain divided between North and South."

Then, turning his attention to his own land of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the cardinal said that the unity of the Church is threatened by the disobedience of the Franciscan monks serving at Medjurgorje, who "impose their own points of view" with the aid of "pseudo-charisms."[italic] Although the local bishop has never officially rendered a verdict on the authenticity of the reported Marian apparitions at Medjugorje, the hierarchy has generally shown signs of skepticism, and cautioned against excessive enthusiasm. This stance has frequently produced conflicts with the Franciscan pastors who have energetically promoted visits and devotion to the Medjugorje site.