Dear Veronica:

I personally believe that Medjugorje is not genuine (and I have met Ivan). I do not see the marks from the events, messages, and visionaries that one normally sees in genuine apparitions.

If is not enough to say that Medjugorje is genuine because there are some good things happening. According the Bible God can bring good things even out of evil. Also good fruit can be produced sometimes by a bad tree in real life farming.

The length of time of these alleged apparitions, some questionable messages, the lifestyle of the visionaries, the negative fruits surrounding the apparitions at the site itself, the disobedience of many people associated with the apparition site, and not least the negative judgment of the local bishop all speak for themselves as to be suspicious of its genuineness.

As such, people should not be taking pilgrimages to this place, and certainly priests ought not to be involved in such pilgrimages.

All this emotional investment to a apparition that has so many negatives and which is not approved or have approbation from the bishop can lead people to eventually become disobedient if and when the Church every does make a judgment. This happened at Bayside, New York. The Church formally condemned the Bayside visionary and yet people to this day people are still devotees.

Frankly, the only reason to my mind for the years and years and years of these "messages" is to keep the the show going. As long as the apparitions are active the Church will not evaluate it. I think that if the apparitions cease and the Church then makes a judgment there is a fear that the judgment will not be positive.

I see little evidence of a genuine apparition.

Now, of course, this is not my discussion to make. It is up to the Church to make a judgment. I accept whatever judgment, if any, the Church will make.

Of course, I may not be alive at the time the apparitions stop, since it seems to promise to be ongoing for at least another 25 years.  

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary