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From June 7th article (in part)
While flying back to Rome from his visit to Sarajevo on June 6, 2015, Pope Francis was asked about the status of the Vatican’s investigation into the alleged Medjugorje apparitions. Francis replied, "We are about to make decisions and then they will be communicated," he added that he recently received a long study by a Vatican Commission and that the case was now before the Holy See's doctrinal department, aka “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith or (CDF) for short."

After Pope Francis's comment on June 6, rumors and speculation started popping up on the internet, . The articles and comments posted online claim the findings of the Medjugorje apparitions are negative and not supernatural in nature.

As Catholic's, we should first of all know that we should not put any stock into rumors and speculation! As Catholic's, we should always live by faith alone, in all things. Secondly, when rumors like these overwhelm the media network, we should realize it is all about "sensationalism." People just love sensationalism because it thrills them. However, sensationalism creates concerns, panic, and promotes harmful miscommunication as does these online misguided articles. As Catholic's we just should not get caught up in this stuff. As Catholic's we can't go running around spreading plagues of rumors and gossip, when we ourselves do not know or have the true facts.

Short background

The normal process of investigating apparition has always been the duty of the local Bishop of the region where claimed apparitions are said to be taking place. The Bishop will form a Commission to investigate and the Bishop will release a verdict when the research of the Commission is completed. The usual verdict is either, the apparition is supernatural in nature or the apparition is not supernatural in nature. For the first time in the history of apparitions, the Commission by the local Bishop (Pavlo Zanic-now deceased) failed. It was discovered the first Medjugorje Commission was tainted with unbelievers to yield a negative result against the apparitions. This discovery was made by the U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia, David Anderson, now deceased.

Per order of the U.S. State Department, Anderson was told to investigate these claims of apparition in Yugoslavia. The request to investigate came on behalf of President Roland Reagan, who had interest in the events taking place in the tiny hamlet of Medjugorje. With the first Commission found tainted, a second Commission was conducted by the local Congregation of Bishops. The second Commission also failed. A third Commission was directed under the influence of both the local Bishop's Congregation with added Vatican involvement. The third Commission also failed. This lead to an announcement by the Church that the Medjugorje apparitions would not be investigated again till the claimed happenings were over. However, some years later it was announced a forth Commission would be established.

These are the facts and process by which the Church will investigate the Medjugorje apparitions

1. The 4th Medjugorje Commission formed March 2010 completed it investigation of the apparitions and turned the results of that finding over to the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith aka (CDF) in January 2014.

2. The CDF examines the findings of the Medjugorje Commission. Pope Francis himself said on June 6, 2015, he recently received the "Long Study" from Vatican Commission (Medjugorje Commission) and that the case was now before the Holy See doctrinal department, (The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.)

3. Although Pope Francis stated, "We are about to make decisions..." Pope Francis did not say a final decision is coming today or tomorrow. All he said is a "Long Study" is before the CDF. This tells us that the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith is in process of evaluating the findings of the completed 4th Medjugorje Commission. Here we also should note that although Francis stated, "We are about to make a decision,..." such matters are taken very seriously and not quickly resolve.  Claims of apparitions take a great deal of time to determine. In ordinary time, when a person say's "Soon" it does not confirm we can expect results any time now. The Medjugorje apparitions as of June of 2015, are ongoing for 34 years. We should not expect 34 years of apparitions to be decided upon today or tomorrow, when the Pope himself just recently received the "Long Study" of the Medjugorje Commission. To date, Pope Francis did not say he has also received or reviewed finding from the CDF. Until Francis has reviewed the Medjugorje Commission report (he has "recently" received) and analyzes the report of the Congregation of Faith (which he has not received) a public announcement is not possible. Again this process could take weeks, months or even a year.

4. Because the process by the powers that be remains incomplete, all the rumors and speculations on the internet are no more than misguided sensationalism, designed to thrill. Again, currently online rumors and speculation are claiming the final decision of the Church (about the Medjugorje apparitions) are negative. How can findings be negative when the CDF is still in the process of evaluating the documents from the Medjugorje Commission? How can finding be negative when Francis just received the Medjugorje Commission report but has not yet received a report of the Congregation of Faith? Without a full investigation of these reports, a public announcement of Medjugorje apparitions are not possible.

5. Rather to wait for a public announcement of the facts, people choose to make up rumors and speculation and spread gossip. Gossip does not serve the best interest but instead create a multitude of harm. Example of results of the rumors and gossip; in that past few days alone I have received emails from some of our Medjugorje "Purgatory Oblation Warrior Prayer Group" members, telling me to remove their names from the prayer group because, they read online that the Church does not believe in Medjugorje and the apparitions there are fake. There are now less earthly souls praying for those in purgatory, who so desperately need our prayers.

6. SUMMERY; The process at the Vatican in the case of Medjugorje is step by step. First the Commission is formed. When the investigation of the Commission was completed the results were handed over to the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith."  At the CDF the findings of the Commission will again be reexamined. When the CDF decides what it feels should be done, a recommendation will be given to Pope Francis. Meanwhile, Pope Francis has received the "Long Study" which he himself says was "Recently" given him. Certainly Pope Francis has every intention of reviewing all these findings. All these steps have not yet been completed. After all these years of investigation, the Church certainly is not going to leak information so people can spread gossip. Ending, the information found online about the negative findings of the Medjugorje apparitions are just gossip circulating around and around, creating sensationalism, rumor and speculation. We would all do well to stay away from it.

Want to read more? See article by founder of Medjugorje USA on what Pope Francis said, with information on the Medjugorje Commissions and why, if a negative decision was made by the Church on the Medjugorje apparitions, what would be one of the likely reasons.

RETURN TO MEDJUGORJE USA'S HOMEPAGE>>>>   http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/