Cash Cow in Medjugorge [Catholic Caucus]

I knew there was something fishy in the Vatican's talking points in Medjugorje

They are taking the position that the Blessed Mother likely appeared in Medjugorje seven times but following those appearances, the 'seers' have been lying.

I think that's very generous. It's inconsistent with the Blessed Mother's nature to choose to appear to people whom she knew would lie about the messages she conveyed to them.

I kept asking myself why on earth their solution to this mess was to set up shop parallel to the frauds and crooks.

What's next? Setting up an office in pope Michael's "see"?

Then I read this:

The commission also recommended turning the town’s parish Church of St. James into a pontifical shrine with Vatican oversight. The move, the commission said, would not signify recognition of the apparitions, but would acknowledge the faith and pastoral needs of the pilgrims while ensuring a proper accounting of the financial donations pilgrims leave.

Of course! They want to make sure the right amount of money is being put in their wallets!

Mejugorje is a place of grace.

And the venom of it's enemies is so over the top, it makes you wonder.

The local bishop, after receiving information (that turned out to be from the local communist party) turned against the place. Later, when the civil war was in full swing, a reporter asked the bishop what was his biggest pastoral problem, and he said Medjugorje. Not the killing of Muslims or the desecration of the churches by the Serbs, but a place where the message was to forgive you enemies and pray for peace.

However, years ago right wing Michale Davis wrote a hit job cherry picking small problems about the place and often out of context, so the catholic traditionalists just repeat the meme without actually bothering to look at what is going on there. link

Davis writes a lot of hit jobs on lots of stuff, and are full of venom, and so over the top that I stopped reading anything he wrote. Yet he is "respected" by the traditionalists? Why?

Our local bishop in the US also hated it, and ordered us not to go there, but you know,after 20 years of coverup this guy was finally indicted for covering up massive pedophilia. Again, his priorities was to stop locals from going to pray, but not to stop his priests from molesting boys.

As for the "Cash cow". Yup. That was Christopher Hitchens' hit job on the place. You know, the atheist reporter who bashes religion and mother Teresa?

in other words, ya gotta wonder when you see the "enemies" of the place, maybe you should wonder if this is a diabolic attempt to shut down a place where literally millions have found conversion.

One is reminded of St Teresa of Avila, responding to those who objected to her reform convent: why are they so upset about a bunch of women who just want to pray?

Similarly, why the venom about a place where millions of people go to pray?

I went there years ago, and found it a place of grace. So what is the problem?

And about the hotels etc: I visited before these were available, and we had to use outdoor latrines. So do those objecting to modern hotel facilities want the pilgrims to camp out and use pit toilets? Get real. This is a fake issue.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.