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Vatican City, May 17, 2017

During his brief Pontiff as Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger requested the 4^th Medjugorje Commission to investigate the claims of the Medjugorje apparition. Previously, 3 other investigation failed and it was hopeful the 4^th investigation called “The Independent Investigation,” would succeed where the others failed.

After many years of failed investigations about Medjugorje, finally on May 17, Medjugorje USA can announce some findings of the 4^th Commission are being released to the public. Before discussing the more recent released reports conducted under the direction of Cardinal Ruini,  it’s best to start at the beginning.

History of the Medjugorje Commissions in Yugoslavia

First Commission

Medjugorje is part of the Mostar Diocese. The First Commission was under the direction of the Bishop of Mostar, Pavao Zanic, (now deceased.) U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia David Anderson, (now deceased) was asked to conduct an investigation of the Medjugorje apparition. This request came from the U.S. State Department, by way of former president Ronald Reagan.

Anderson discovered the first Medjugorje Commission was tainted with unbelievers, to bring forth a negative result. The findings of the Commission were negative. Anderson sent classified document to the U.S. State Department called “AirGrams.” Anderson also sent the same documents to Vatican, Rome. The results of Anderson’s findings lead the Church to reject the reports of the First Commission, in favor of forming a Second Commission.

Second Commission

This Commission was taking out of the hands of the Bishop of Mostar and given to the Yugoslavian Conference of Bishop. The Commission was preceding well. Medjugorje USA was in touch with one member of the Commission who told me, members of the Commission had mixed feelings. The member I was in touch with favored the apparitions. During the investigation of the Second Commission, civil unrest in Yugoslavia was on the rise. The U.S. State Department issued warnings about travel to Yugoslavia in 1990. The unrest would escalate into ethic cleansing and genocide, by the government social republic of Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia was a member of an agreement signed by many nations called, “The Helsinki Agreement.” This agreement gave freedom of religious right in all countries who signed the documents. Yugoslavia would break these agreements seeking annihilation of ethnic groups within its socialistic country. The horror of this ethic cleansing would ultimately lead to tribunal war crimes and the collapse of the Yugoslavia government. During this time, the region of the former Yugoslavia called, Bosnia and Herzegovina would be among the first provinces to declare independence from Yugoslavia.

The short version is, the Catholic Church had no official written and signed agreement for religious rights with these newly formed independent countries and this lead (in part) to the collapse of the Second Medjugorje Commission.

Third Commission

It was announced after the Second Commission that the Church would not again investigate the apparitions till after they had ended. Three weeks after my book “Medjugorje Investigated” was released in Medjugorje, just in time for the 25^th anniversary of the Medjugorje apparitions, the Church announced it would establish the Third Commission. There is no proof my book was responsible for the Church changing its mind about forming another Commission.

Sadly the Third Commission was once again placed in the hands of the Yugoslavia Conference of Bishops. Members of the Second and Third Commission were also members of the First Commission which was documented as tainted by U.S. Ambassador David Anderson. I did myself write the Vatican stating many members of the Third Commission were in fact part of the Second and also the First which was tainted with unbelievers before the First Commission was even established. I can’t say for sure what forces were at work but the Third Commission was dismissed without finding.

Forth Commission

Known as, “The Independent Commission,” for the first time this investigation was made up of experts in their fields from countries outside of the Bosnia and Herzegovina region, not part of the Yugoslavian Conference of Bishops. There were 2 Commission members which I could confirm were part of the previous Commissions. The Commission completed their findings. The findings were presented to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. Pope Francis received the findings on January 17^th, 2014.

On February 11, 2014 it was announced Pope Francis would send an envoy to Medjugorje to review the needs of millions of pilgrims who travel to Medjugorje every year. The envoy is Polish bishop Henryk Hoser.

One April 5, 2017 Hoser conducted a media conference in Medjugorje. During the interview the bishop had many good things to say about the events taking place in Medjugorje as result of the Virgin Mary.

Current bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric was a long time friend of previous bishop of Mostar, Pavao Zanic who hated the Medjugorje apparitions. Bishop Peric has followed in the same footsteps as did Zanic in his hate for the Medugorje apparitions. Peric has been outspoken against Medjugorje for years, even from the altar of the Medjugorje parish itself and also in a book he has written.

Finding out the Pope would send a personal envoy to Medjugorje which would oversee the needs of the Medjugorje Pilgrims, Peric released a statement to the media on February 16, 2017, just 5 days after the announcement Pope Francis would send an envoy to Medjugorje. Ratko Peric bishop of Mostar who is responsible for the care of the Medjugorje Parish and parishioners stated, "The Medjugorje apparition are not real." 

Parts of 4^th Medjugorje Commission Reports Released to the Public

Vatican City May 17, 2017,

We have received information telling us 13 members of the 4^th Medjugorje Commission voted in favor of recognizing the first 7 apparition as supernatural in nature. There is one vote against and one suspensive ballot where final answers will be given later. The other members of the Commission voted against the one Commission member offering a suspensive ballot.

The Commission notes a difference between the beginning manifestations and the claims that continue to this day. As result of the division in their findings, the Commission offers two different objective views.

The first view tells us the apparitions between June 24 and July 3, are believable. The second view notes the unrest and division between the Franciscans of the parish and Bishop Zanic (see more at *#1 at end of this article.) The Commission also states there is debate over the pre-announcement for apparitions to each Medjugorje seer on an individual basis, continued repetitive messages and apocalyptic events that just have not happened.

The second view is broken down into two parts. First they take into account the spiritual fruits of Medjugorje, leaving behind the behavior of the seers. On this point, 3 members and 3 experts have positive opinion. 4 members and 3 experts say they have mixed feelings with a majority of positive effects. The remaining 3 expert’s claims there are mixed positive and negative effects. On the matter of the behavior of the seers, 8 members and 4 experts believe no opinion can be expressed at this time. 2 other members voted against the claims of supernatural nature apparitions.

We are told there is some debate if the seers were physical normal and caught by surprised by the apparitions and or if possible influence by Franciscans in the parish played a part. The report also notes the children showed resistance in telling what happened when the police arrested them and received death threats. The report also rejects possible demonic origin.

The Commission endorsed the end of the ban on organized pilgrimages.

13 out of 14 members also voted in favor of the constitution of “An authority dependent on the Holy See” in Medjugorje. They also sided to transform Saint James Parish into a pontifical sanctuary. (see more at *#2 at end of this article)

Investigations of the apparitions will continue as Pope Francis told the media on May 13, 2017 while on a plane heading back to Rome, having visited Fatima for the 100 anniversary of the Portugal apparitions. Meanwhile, Bishop Hoser will remain in Medjugorje for the summer at the request of Pope Francis and from this we can assume Bishop Hoser will offer his findings to Pope Francis.

* #1. "Division between Franciscans Parish in Medjugorje and Mostar Bishop Zanic

There was considerable argument and division between the local Medjugorje Franciscans who ran the parish of St. James in Medjugorje and the Bishop of that jurisdiction, Bishop Zanic. U.S. State Department documents show that during the investigation of the Medjugorje apparitions, the first Medjugorje Commission refused all documentation collected by the local parish of Medjugorje about the claimed apparitions. It is also fact that out of all members of the first Medjugorje Commission, only one member visited Medjugorje to take a look see for himself. This Commission member was a Franciscan. After visiting Medjugorje, this priest has a change of heart and believed in the apparitions, where before he did not believe. Bishop Zanic quickly dismissed this Franciscan from the Commission, when the Franciscan announced his change of heart.

The first Medjugorje Commission refused investigative reports compiled by the local parish priests in Medjugorje about the apparitions. This caused the local parish priests to cry "foul" and voice their indignation publicly toward the Bishop. Bishop Zanic used the parish priests’ indignation to his advantage, claiming publicly the apparitions must be false if the local priests are hostile and disobedient to his rule. However, it was never publicly released that the actions of the Medjugorje parish priests was the result of the Bishop’s continual campaign to destroy the apparitions without proper investigation. The truth that remains hidden is, Bishop Zanic did not follow proper Church procedure in his investigation of the Medjugorje apparitions. As a result of the Commissions improper investigation under the authority of Bishop Zanic, the first Commission declared the Medjugorje apparitions were not supernatural. With classified documents sent to the Vatican by U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia David Anderson, about the tainted Medjugorje Commission, the Vatican threw out the findings of the first Commission in favor of forming a second.

There are other reasons the Franciscans took offense to Bishop Zanic. Medjugorje was one of the more wealthy parishes in the diocese. There was an ongoing plan (even before the appointment of Zanic as Bishop) to remove the wealthy parishes away from Franciscans and give those parishes to diocesan priests also known as secular priests. These secular priests were more so attached to the hip of the Bishop whereas the Franciscans have a number of missions they support around the world. If the Bishop placed all the rich parishes in the hands of the secular priests, richer Franciscan parishes could no longer support their many missions around the world. Placing richer parishes in the hands of secular priests would generate more income for the local Diocese of Mostar but would likely devastated the Franciscans ministries.

* #2. What is a Pontifical Sanctuary?

The word "Pontifical" has a strictly religious meaning in the sense of anything related to the Pope since the Pope is also know as the Pontiff, or supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. Sanctuary is a place of refuge and protection. Sanctuary is also the most sacred part of a religious building. A Pontifical Sanctuary therefore would mean Saint James Church is no longer under the refuge and protection of the Mostar diocese and bishop but is now placed under the direct supervision of Pope Francis.

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email:info@medjugorjeusa.org