VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican has issued a judgement of “Nihil Obstat” about the alleged visions of Medjugorje, whilst highlighting “problematic” aspects of the phenomena and also not making a decision on if the events necessarily have a “direct supernatural origin.”

In a Note issued by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández this morning, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith pronounced a groundbreaking Vatican decision on the much contested alleged visions of Medjugorje, which have been continuing for over 40 years.

The “Nihil Obstat” decision about the alleged visions is the highest form of approval the Holy See will give to any alleged supernatural event, thanks to the peculiar new norms issued by Fernández this spring which no longer include a pronouncement on whether an event is supernatural in origin.

READ: Vatican issues new norms on alleged visions, refusing to rule on supernatural origin of events

Fernández stipulated that his Note – approved by Pope Francis on August 28 – did “not imply a judgment about the moral life of the alleged visionaries,” nor did it imply a decision that the alleged visions “have a direct supernatural origin.”

Fernández noted this distinction in his judgement:

Evaluating the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive, does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic. Instead, it only highlights that the Holy Spirit is acting fruitfully for the good of the faithful “in the midst” of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje.

As a result of this, the Vatican stipulated that “when referring to ‘messages’ from Our Lady, one should always bear in mind that they are ‘alleged messages.’”

While the cardinal made reference to positive fruits in his analysis of some of the alleged messages he also pointed to “problematic” aspects in them.

“Although we find many positive elements that help to heed the call of the Gospel when we consider the overall set of messages tied to this spiritual experience, some people believe that certain messages contain contradictions or are connected with the desires or interests of the alleged visionaries or others,” he wrote early in the text. “It cannot be ruled out that this may have happened in the case of a few messages.”

“Those messages that attribute to Our Lady the expressions ‘my plan’ or ‘my project’ also show a certain problematic aspect,” he added, further mentioning an “even more problematic” aspect when the alleged messages “refer to requests that are unlikely to be of supernatural origin, such as when Our Lady gives orders about specific dates, places, and practicalities and when she makes decisions about ordinary matters.”

“Although messages of this type are infrequent in Medjugorje, we can find some of them that are explained solely from the personal desires of the alleged visionaries,” commented Fernández.

Ultimately, the Nihil Obstat judgement – as Fernández states – pertains solely to the perceived action of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the “spiritual phenomenon” of Medjugorje.

“In the midst of this phenomenon, the Holy Spirit is carrying out many beautiful and positive things,” he wrote.

As reported by LifeSiteNews in May, the new norms for judging such events are highly confusing, given the Vatican no longer pronounces on whether an event is affirmatively supernatural. With the highest form of approval being the declaration of Nihil Obstat, the general faithful could mistakenly understand the Vatican to have fully approved an alleged apparition and likely proceed as if the event is divine. However, the Vatican has explicitly refused to weigh in on whether the event is supernatural in origin, simply stating that the action of the Holy Spirit is “for the good of the faithful.”

Today’s decision now authorizes “public acts of devotion” related to Medjugorje, though how such public acts of devotion will take place while not assuming the authenticity of the alleged visions – something the Vatican does not affirm – remains to be seen.

Alleged visions

In June 1981, six children from Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, attested that they were seeing visions of Our Lady on a nearby hill. The children – four girls and two boys – were: Ivan Dragičević, Ivanka Ivanković, Jakov Čolo, Marija Pavlović, Mirjana Dragičević, and Vicka Ivanković.

They were swiftly supported by the local Franciscans as word spread and pilgrims began to congregate at Medjugorje.

The seers referenced the alleged vision as the “Gospa,” using a Croatian word for “lady.”

The local bishop – Bishop Pavao Zanic – while initially open to the possibility of a vision, became swiftly suspicious and doubtful of the affair.

Medjugorje’s popularity grew but so also did the alleged seers’ links with the Franciscans, whose disobedience to the local bishop is a key factor – and a notable element raised by many of the numerous critics of Medjugorje since the alleged vision encouraged disobedience to the local church authorities.

A number of the messages from the “Gospa” have been the source of much controversy in that they appear to contradict elements of the Catholic faith. Responding to a question on October 1, 1981 about whether all religions are good, the “Gospa” replied:

All religions are similar before God. God rules over them just like a sovereign over his kingdom. In the world, all religions are not the same because people have not complied with the commandments of God. They reject and disparage them.

Cardinal Fernández himself highlighted the question in his press conference, noting its authenticity though explaining it away by saying that it did not mean what it appears to mean.

READ: Pope Francis doubles down, says ‘diversity of religious identities is a gift of God’

Ecclesial response

Some respected Mariologists have also argued that the alleged apparitions – nearly daily for over 40 years – do not bear resemblance to the manner of previously approved Marian apparitions.

Alongside this have been growing scandals pertaining to the alleged visionaries in terms of their lifestyle and the crucial support they received from clerics disobedient to the ecclesial hierarchy.

However, supporters of Medjugorje often point to the large numbers of pilgrims, Masses, and reported conversions at the site, attesting that such aspects are positive signs of the veracity of the alleged visions.

Professor William Thomas – a former advisor of Pope John Paul II and member of the Pontifical International Marian Academy – wrote a foreword to Donal Foley’s book Medjugorje Complete. Praising Foley’s in-depth analysis, research, and debunking of the alleged visions, Thomas stated the author “indicates that there is almost a parallel church being born in Medjugorje which is favorable to the charismatics and to those who seek to put emotion before devotion on a wave of Medjugorje emotionalism.”

The Church rulings on Medjugorje have not previously been forthcoming in approving the alleged visions, with early decisions from local bishops being doubtful of its veracity. Two local diocesan commissions in the 1980s ruled that the events were “non constat de supernaturalitate,” namely that it was unable to determine if they were of supernatural origin.

Bishop Zanic expressed his private opinion to the Vatican in 1986, arguing that the events were in fact definitively not of supernatural origin; however, he did not receive any public support from the Holy See for this stance, which was deemed a merely personal position.

The Yugoslav National Conference of Bishops later ruled in 1991 that “it can not be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations.”

While pilgrimages to Medjugorje were thus prohibited if they presumed the authenticity of the events, this ruling was eventually overturned by Pope Francis in 2019. In doing so, Francis cited the large numbers of pilgrimages being made and the “greater ease” such an arrangement would give for priests to accompany pilgrimages and properly liaise with the local hierarchy. He noted that it was not an approval of the alleged visions.

Prior to this 2019 decision by Francis, Pope Benedict XVI established a commission to assess the events. Led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini the group worked from 2010 and concluded in January 2014.

The findings of the Ruini Report were never officially published, although certain alleged details were leaked to the press. It appeared that the commission was favorable towards the first seven alleged visions – June 24 through July 3, 1981 – but was decidedly divided among its members about everything since then.

Speaking to reporters on the papal plane in May 2017, Francis added that the report was “very good” but further stated it had “doubts” about the visions after July 3, 1981. “I prefer Our Lady to be a Mother, our Mother, and not a telegraph operator who sends out a message every day at a certain time … this is not the mother of Jesus,” he added on a personal note.

Since 2017, an apostolic delegate has been in place in Medjugorje by express wish of the Pope, tasked with a “pastoral” mission, rather than a doctrinal or decision making role.