PAVAO ZANIC, RATCO PERIC AND THE YUGOSLAV BISHOPS' CONFERENCEChief Medjugorje antagonist had been the late Bishop of Mostar, Pavao Zanic, and lately his successor Ratco Peric. Bishop Zanic appeared to be on a crusade all of his own and speculation is that his motives relate to a long-running battle with the Franciscans over directorship of parishes in the region. Cardinal Ratzinger discarded the conclusions of the Zanic Commission and withdrew Bishop Zanic's right to pass official judgement on Medjugorje's authenticity, a responsibility which Cardinal Ratzinger then passed to the Bishops' Conference of Yugoslavia, which was duly appointed to study the matter. In 1987 the Vatican officially proclaimed Medjugorje a "shrine of worship" and authorised the Medjugorje Franciscans to minister to the spiritual needs of the pilgrims as well as entrusting to spiritual directors accompanying pilgrims the task of serving the sacramental obligations of the faithful while away from their own home parishes. The Yugoslav Commission of Bishops openly favored Medjugorje. On April 29, 1990 the National Catholic Register quoted Pope John Paul II as having told Bishop Murilo Krieger of Santa Caterina, Brazil: "Medjugorje is a great center of spirituality." Shortly therafter, the Catholic News Service published a scathing article dramatising the report of the Yugoslavian Bishops Conference which stated that they could not confirm that the Medjugorje apparitions were of a supernatural nature (supernatural meaning "of God"). Diocesan papers across the country had headlines proclaiming: "Medjugorje Apparitions Not Supernatural", negatively influencing many Catholics and believers and helping to begin the completely unnecessary gun-jumping wedge-driving process that has resulted in the polarisation of Catholics who believe from those who do not, evident today. Yet, on December 23, 1990 Cardinal Kuharic, the highest prelate of the Yugoslav Commission, stated implicitly that "the Bishops' Conference was taking a positive stance towards the events in Medjugorje." The President of the Yugoslav Bishops Commission, Archbishop Frane Franic, in an interview in September 1991, cited Paul's words of 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-22, i.e. that, following Paul's call, "It is the duty of the Church Authority as St. Paul says not to suffocate the spirit in the Church of Love but to discern the spirits". Unfortunately, too often many bishops and priests put it aside. They should examine it for whatever is good and coming from the Holy Spirit, like Medjugorje." Read letter from Pavao Zanic outlining his
position and reasons YUGOSLAV BISHOPS' CONFERENCE DECISION In May 1987, the Yugoslav Bishops' Conference nominated Bishop Frajo Comarica, Auxiliary Bishop of Banja Luka, ex-professor of theology at Sarajevo University, and youngest bishop in the Yugoslav episcopate, as President of the Medjugorje Inquiry Commission. By mid-1988 the Commission was reported to have terminated its work with a positive judgment on the apparitions. However, not wishing to directly contradict Bishop Zanic, the group continued its proceedings at a snail's pace, hoping that the pilgrimages would diminish and disappear. After a long and exhausting "tug-of-war" within the episcopate, the Yugoslav Bishops' Conference, in the 1990 (November 27-28) extraordinary assembly in Zagreb, approved the following Declaration:
To many, this Declaration appeared ambiguous. Although the supernatural essence of the apparitions is not affirmed, there is recognition of the resulting "cult," to be "managed" by the resident Bishop. On this subject, ex-Archbishop of Split Frane Franic stated in an interview with the Italian daily {Corriere della Sera}, on January 15, 1991, that only the ferocious opposition of Bishop Zanic, who refused to budge from his own verdict, had impeded a positive decision on the Medjugorje apparitions: "The bishops do not wish to humiliate Monsignor, Zanic," Franic stated, "And when it was brought to his attention that his opposition was unfounded, he began to cry and shout, and the bishops finally stopped arguing." Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, Archbishop of Zagreb and President of the Yugoslav Bishops' Conference, in an interview with Croatian public television on December 23, 1990, said that the Yugoslav Bishops' Conference, including himself, "has a positive opinion of Medjugorje events." How can we explain Bishop Zanic's behavior? Most conclusions on the subject
seem to focus on the long-standing conflicts between the Franciscan and
secular clergy in the Mostar region. A LETTER FROM ROME ON MEDJUGORJE For the 17th Anniversary of the apparitions, the Church just gave a beautiful gift to Our Lady! The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith sent the following letter to Bishop Gilbert Aubry of Saint Denis clarifying its position on Medjugorje. He received it on June 24th. On the 25th, he spread it to the priests and communities of his diocese (circular # C003) so that they can have the latest statement from Rome and, if necessary, inform the faithful with full knowledge of the facts. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONGREGATIO Citta del Vaticano, Palazzo del S. Uffizio Excellency: In your letter of January 1, 1998, you submitted to this Dicastery several questions about the position of the Holy See and of the Bishop of Mostar in regard to the so called apparitions of Medjugorje, private pilgrimages and the pastoral care of the faithful who go there. In regard to this matter, I think it is impossible to reply to each of the questions posed by Your Excellency. The main thing I would like to point out is that the Holy See does not ordinarily take a position of its own regarding supposed supernatural phenomena as a court of first instance. As for the credibility of the "apparitions" in question, this Dicastery respects what was decided by the bishops of the former Yugoslavia in the Declaration of Zadar, April 10, 1991: "On the basis of the investigations so far, it can not be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations." Since the division of Yugoslavia into different independent nations it would now pertain to the members of the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia-Hercegovina to eventually reopen the examination of this case, and to make any new pronouncements that might be called for. What Bishop Peric said in his letter to the Secretary General of "Famille Chretienne", declaring: "My conviction and my position is not only 'non constat de supernaturalitate,' but likewise, 'constat de non supernaturalitate' of the apparitions or revelations in Medjugorje", should be considered the expression of the personal conviction of the Bishop of Mostar which he has the right to express as Ordinary of the place, but which is and remains his personal opinion. Finally, as regards pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which are conducted privately, this Congregation points out that they are permitted on condition that they are not regarded as an authentification of events still taking place and which still call for an examination by the Church. I hope that I have replied satisfactorily at least to the principal questions that you have presented to this Dicastery and I beg Your Excellency to accept the expression of my devoted sentiments. Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fr. Daniel-Ange (France) summerizes this way:
Return to index of subjects on Medjugorje Article by Paul Baylis. Published April 4, 2006. SOURCES
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