Someone alerted me to a piece at the Italian site Corrispondenza Romana about something that Pope Francis said during a morning “fervorino” at Mass. Posted on 10/03/2013 6:24:01 AM PDT by mlizzy
Someone alerted me to a piece at the Italian site Corrispondenza Romana about something that Pope Francis said during a morning “fervorino” at Mass.
My translation:
Last Saturday 7 September during his morning meditation in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis, speaking on the theme “there is no Christian without Jesus” criticized Christian “revelationists” and expressed his strong reservations about the supposed apparitions at Medjugorje.
The official site of the Holy See and the L’Osservatore Romano, however, purged his words of the reference to Medjugorje, confining itself to refer to them in these terms: “There is another group of Christians without Christ: those who look things that are kind of rare, a bit special, who chase after some private revelations,” whereas instead revelation was concluded with the New Testament. The Holy Father warned about the desire of such Christians to go “to the spectacle of revelation, to hear some new things”. But – and this is the exhortation that Pope directed to them – “Pick up the Gospel!”
Here’s the deal.
There isn’t an attribution here, a source, the name of the person who heard the Holy Father speak specifically about Medjugorje.
That said, if you are interested in Medjugorje in a positive way, I suggest that you get used to the idea that there may be an official pronouncement about it that you are not going to like. My spies used to tell me that the former Pope was not a supporter either.
I’m just saying.
Finally, the Holy Father doesn’t seem to be against apparitions in general. The Holy Father is a huge supporter of Aparecida and he will be welcoming the statue of Our Lady of Fatima in St. Peter’s Square on 12 October.
With that news, I will keep the combox closed. I’ll allow pingbacks. If I get interesting comments by email, I may post something… and I may not.
Hey, lookie at this...
Crazy Evangelicals like me don’t get into Mary revelations so sometimes they get bemused watching Catholics debate about particular ones. Still, is there even a Catholic system for telling phony ones from genuine ones, given that they do believe there ARE genuine ones? Sounds like Francis thinks Medjugorje is a likely phony. If there could be a real one, it seems to me that it would (1) give glory to God and (2) be accurate.
Thanks for sharing. Could get really interesting!
The Church goes over the apparitions with a fine-toothed comb, BUT only after they have stopped occurring. That’s the issue with Medjugorje; it has never “supposedly” ceased.
Yup, the Church is very skeptical when an apparition is reported. For good reason. If people get pulled into something like that, they tend to invest a lot into it and are severely harmed if an apparition is deemed to be false by the Church.
I don’t know the specifics, but the Church does investigate these apparitions thoroughly. It all depends on what the apparition says, eyewitness accounts, and if miracles have happened that can be directly attributed to that apparition. It’s all taken very seriously because the Church and it’s members can be scandalized if an apparition is deemed to be false.
But what if the apparition is deemed to be false by God’s Word? Which is easy to verify, all you have to do is READ it, to find out what is of God and what is of satan.
“..what if the apparition is deemed to be false by God’s Word? ...all you have to do is READ it ...”
Precisely - that is the primary method an apparition is judged by.
Oh, I must have been mistaken. I thought the post said THE CHURCH decides what is a “true” or “false” apparition.
Here’s an interesting article just to add to the discussion a bit.
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202151.htm
I went in 91, just before the war started.
Lot’s of faith building coming from there.
BUT, I’ve seen unnecessary distractions and disobediance from “the children” (all adults now). Making unauthorized and dubious publications.
It’s difficult to judge, because there are so many positive results from there, but I’m afraid it will simply remain unapproved and unjudge for a very long time.
The local authority (ie. the bishop) has jurisdiction in these matters. The bishops of Mostar-Dunvo have spoken quite plainly about Medjugorje, and it has been anything but positive.
Also, by their fruits you shall know them. There has been more than a lion’s share of disobedience here from the “seers” and their councilor (former) priest and a group of local Fransiscans who have blatantly disobeyed direction from the bishop. There is more, but I won’t go into any salacious details here.
“...thought the post said THE CHURCH ...”
The church uses scripture to determine the accuracy of an apparation. The Church is composed of people who read the bible as the basis for their beliefs.
Thanks but we do know that all Evangelicals still do as the Bible says “All generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48)... Oh wait.
It’s difficult to judge, because there are so many positive results from there, but I’m afraid it will simply remain unapproved and unjudge for a very long time.I hope you're not right, but since the apparitions keep on coming, what can they do? I used to be excited about them many, many, moons ago, BUT the visionaries kept on seeing and seeing, yet Mary's appearances [approved] have always been pretty short, so I became skeptical of them some time ago.
Short, you say?
Virgin Mary is 165 centimetres tall, a visionary says in a new book
Here’s some good information : the English translation of Bishop Peric’s statements on the apparitions...
http://www.cbismo.com/index.php?mod=vijest&vijest=101
"For the JEWS require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom..". (1 Cor. 1:22).
The Church the BOdy of Christ is not Israel.
"NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT SEEN." (Heb. 11:1).
Special attention should be paid to that one little word: NOW. Meaning FROM THIS TIME FORWARD.
Signs appeal to the five senses of men and faith does NOT come from the 5 senses, AKA "the outward man". If faith is the "evidence of things NOT SEEN", and your church bases its doctrines of apparitions on things "SEEN", then obviously it cannot be from God. According to His Word.
Mary's appearances [approved] have always been pretty short...Ruh-roh, Alex... I guess you haven't seen our 'tiny Mary' yet... She's been twice-blessed [so far] by orthodox priests! Can you find her?
"Short, you say? Virgin Mary is 165 centimetres tall, a visionary says in a new book"
If there is a Madonna in that picture, I would say on the fence. Straight ahead.
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