First, it should be understood by all Catholics that all private revelation is properly considered fallible. Of course, everything that God says and does is infallible, but a private revelation may have been misunderstood by the one receiving the revelation, or it may have been written down inaccurately or incorrectly. Only public revelation, that is, Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, is infallible.

Second, the words and actions of any particular visionary (when these are not the words of a message or the actions taken following a specific request from a vision), are fallible and may sometimes show the faults that all sinners have to one extent or another.

1. Objection: The messages of Medjugorje, and some commentary on the messages by some of the visionaries, claims that all religions are equal, or that all religions lead to God. This presents the Catholic faith as if it were no better than any other religion.

Reply: This kind of objection relies on taking one sentence or a few sentences out of context, and on drawing many unwarranted conclusions from only a few words. The same approach has been used to criticize the Bible.

It is very clear that the messages at Medjugorje are specifically Roman Catholic. They encourage people to pray the Rosary, to attend Mass and receive the Eucharist and to go to Confession. And all six visionaries are Roman Catholic. Also, many have converted to Catholicism because of Medjugorje. So it is obvious that the messages do not treat all religions as if they were equal.

In commenting on other religions, some messages may point out the truth that God loves everyone, regardless of religion, and that God is pleased by all who seek him with sincere prayer. So, there is a sense, to a limited extent, whereby all true worship of God pleases God, within any religion. There is also a sense, to a limited extent, whereby all those who seek God with a sincere heart are pleasing to God. But it is not true that such expressions of the good found throughout humanity are intended to present Catholicism as if it was no better than any other religion.

It is not fair to take such messages out of context and exaggerate their meaning until they become false.

2. Objection: In these apparitions of the Virgin Mary, she spoke against the Bishop of the diocese (of Mostar), and gave permission to two priests to defy the Bishop's order, remaining in Medjugorje and continuing to say Mass, without calling too much attention to themselves.

Reply: The Bishop of Mostar is not very devout. He quarreled with the Franciscans of his diocese, when he could have talked with them, and complemented them, and, as brothers before God, obtained their cooperation in seeking the salvation of souls. But instead he played the tyrant and used all of his authority to cause them grief and to seek to expel them. The Virgin Mary is just as entitled (more so as Mother of the Church) as any Christian to criticize a Bishop who has gone astray.

Concerning the two priests who were ordered out of the diocese, and the Franciscans who remained against the Bishop's will, it is clear that they are not perfect in their actions. However, given that even priests have weaknesses, imperfections, and failings, Mary, as Mother of the Church, advised these two priests that they may remain and may continue their ministry as priests. Perhaps the perfect response for them would have been to leave, but knowing their weaknesses, and knowing that the Bishop of Mostar was opposing God's will, she permitted them to stay.

Concerning obedience in general, the Shepherd does not require the sheep to be obedient to wolves. Obedience is first and foremost obedience to God. Therefore, a devout priest who is unjustly forbidden from exercising his ministry should be able to find some just and licit way to express his ministry, even if it involves ignoring one particular local Bishop.

3. Objection: There is a long list of accusations made against various persons associated with Medjugorje, including priests and visionaries.

Reply: Some of these accusations are false, or exaggerated, by those who in their ignorance and self-exaltation despise Medjugorje for its success. They are like the brothers of Joseph, son of Jacob, who despised their brother Joseph because his visions (in dreams) placed him above them. Similarly, there are those who consider themselves to be leaders or experts on the Catholic faith, who despise Medjugorje because so many people listen to the message instead of listening to them. The Bishop of Mostar, likewise, despises Medjugorje for the same reason. More people listen to the visionaries and priests of Medjugorje than listen to the Bishop of that same diocese. And so he despises them and their visions. If he could, he would toss them into a well, or sell them to traders, because of his envy and hatred. (Cf. Genesis 37).

A few of the accusations have some merit, such as that one of the visionaries lied or that another lives in some degree of wealth and comfort. And, out of all the priests associated with Medjugorje, there may perhaps be some who have sinned seriously. This does not disqualify the apparitions of Medjugorje. For a similar argument is made against the Catholic Church. People use the serious sins of a small percentage of priests as grounds for accusing the entire Catholic Faith of being false or corrupt. Yet it is not so.

4. Objection: There are some contradictions in various statements by the visionaries.

Reply: Suppose that police detectives are investigating a crime and they question six witnesses. If all six witnesses tell the same story, exact in every detail, the detectives would conclude that they are lying, not that they are telling the truth. Honest witnesses often differ in the details of events, because they remember things differently or they have a different perspective on what happened. It is even common for honest witnesses to make a mistake in what they remember, so that their description is not 100% correct. Only false witnesses tell the same story, exactly the same way, each time, across several different witnesses, because they have fabricated their story and agreed on what to say.

The visionaries sometimes don't remember details of events, or remember them differently, because they are honest witnesses. Also, they were mere children when these event began, but now many years have passed and they are adults. They cannot be expected to remember or to understand every event since their childhood.

5. There are many other objections, but many of them are truly absurd, having nothing to do with the apparitions and messages themselves. It is clear from some sets of objections that some persons decided to act against Medjugorje for their own reasons (or lack of reasons), and that they then raised every objection they could think up, without regard to truth or justice. Such malice would seriously offend God, even if Medjugorje were false.

Conclusion

When the Secrets of Medjugorje are revealed, then it will be clear beyond doubt that the apparitions and messages at Medjugorje are true private revelation from Heaven. There will be a permanent heavenly sign at Medjugorje. No one will be able to dispute this sign.



by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
January 7, 2006
updated July 30, 2006