TO DEBATE OR NOT TO DEBATE

Debates with Medjugorje supporters are predisposed to failure. The chief reason for this is their inability to move from a subjective experience to an objective investigation and to subsequent reasoning. Invariably they will tell you about some conversion experience they had there - and here is the clincher - they were there and they came back somehow “changed”.

Then they tell you the apparition has been endorsed by the Pope, and “many” bishops and clergy support it. So you tell them, no, the Pope did do no such thing, in fact the apparitions have not been approved by the Church. Then out comes “the Vatican has not yet made its final decision”. But respectful people don’t ignore the current ruling in the hope that the next ruling might be more favorable to them. We ought to respect what we have been advised. As it stands, Medjugorje is an unapproved apparition and humility and obedience dictates that the local ordinary is not up surged and that we don’t spread the disorder further. It is one thing not to be aware of the controversy. But it is altogether different to ignore the directives as they stand.

Question #1
Why did they go there? If no final decision has been made it could just as well turn out to be a hoax. Why would they want to follow a potential hoax?

Question #2
What business do these people have in Medjugorje? Is there no mass, confession or Eucharist where these people live? What is there in Medjugorje except the possibility of some supernatural experience? Didn’t Jesus warn us NOT to seek signs?

Question #3:
Who said the Vatican has not yet made its final decision? No, really, who made that statement? Was it an official statement? And what made that statement official and not simply a speculation?

Question #4:
Has the Vatican or the Pope EVER contradicted ANY local bishop who ruled unfavorably on ANY alleged apparition?

• Medjugorje supporters also have a problem with the websites that promote the statements of Bishop Zanic and Bishop Peric.

• Unity Publishing provides a file by the Bishop of Mostar Medjugorje supporters "distrust" Unity Publishing - therefore they distrust and reject everything it publishes, including official pronouncements by the Bishop of Mostar Duvno.

• So now they can disregard official pronouncements by the Bishop of Mostar Duvno. If Unity Publishing placed the “Our Father” on their website – would they distrust and reject that as well?

There are several reasons why the pilgrims continue to flock to Medjugorje. The propaganda is substantial; the apparitions were initiated by charismatics; the industry attached itself to the vast resources of the CCR; and presto! Virtually overnight Medjugorje became famous and popular. Enormous moneys are made on the pilgrims, but it does not end there; Catholic stores are inundated with Medjugorje paraphernalia. The other reason of course is the pilgrims themselves. They come back insisting the “apparitions” are authentic and are fully enthralled with the “dear children” messages.

Medjugorje supporters do not know, worse yet, they do not want to know how apparition discernment works in the Catholic Church. You can bring this up umpteenth times, but you won’t get a response. It is the same concerning the bishop. Eyes glaze over when you bring it up that over twenty five years and every bishop of Mostar Duvno condemned the apparitions fraudulent.

Eventually the conversation reverts to the “peace and joy” they now have and the rosaries they pray and the fasting they do and the masses they go to. And friend, you better accept it; otherwise you have no love in your heart, you lack charity and worse. Sometimes the heavy artillery comes out and then it’s “take the beam out of your own eye” time. But always, always you will be accused of some bad experience or hurt and anger. They don’t seem to appreciate that no Catholic is bound to follow apparitions, not even those that have been formally recognized by the Church. That everything that we need we can find in the Catechism and in the Sacraments.

If they are not particularly ill mannered, they will end the debate with God loves us all or with some convoluted exhortation about love or Christ dying for our sins. But some can be rather vindictive. The more respectable forums do not allow discussion about unapproved apparitions anymore. Medjugorje of course is one of them.

Is there a point to debate with Medjugorje supporters? Certainly we should pray for them and for God to lift the curtain for them. But I am not convinced of the usefulness of Medjugorje debates.