Međugorje ([ˈmɛdʑu.ɡɔːrjɛ], roughly meh’-joo-gor-yeh) is a Catholic Parish consisting of five villages (Medjugorje, Bijakovići, Vionica, Miletina and Šurmanci) in the Herzegovina municipality of Čitluk, today part of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is notable because of a series of alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary by six ethnic Croats since June 1981.

On 24 June, 1981, at about 6 pm, two young people, Ivanka Ivanković and Mirjana Dragićević, were out walking on a hill known as Crnica just outside of town, in the hamlet of Bijakovići. They later reported that they had gone to look for their sheep to bring them in for the night. They said they saw a young woman with a child in her arms, who beckoned them to come nearer. Surprised and scared, they did not approach her.

On the second day, believing that the woman they had seen might be the Virgin Mary, the girls returned to the hill, bringing their friend Vicka Ivanković along. According to the official story, they ran barefoot up the hill over rocks and thorns, not keeping to the path. Ivanka said the lady was there, and the three girls threw themselves to their knees in prayer. Vicka left after a few minutes, because she wanted to bring her friends Marija Pavlović and Jakov Čolo to see the lady. Another young person who reports daily visions is Ivan Dragićević. (According to some accounts, two other children, Milka Pavlović and Ivan Ivanković, were present on the first day of apparitions, but did not come back on the second day, and never again reported a vision.)

According to the official report, Ivanka began to ask the lady about friends and relatives who had died, and Mirjana asked for a sign to show everyone that the visions were real. The girls said that the lady agreed and said she would return the next day.

Source: [1]

They are based on mainly 5 cornerstone topics: Daily Prayer (Of the Rosary), Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, Daily Reading of the Bible, Monthly Confession, Holy Communion.

All the messages are accessible on the Web [2]

Here are a few exemple of messages among other: "Children, darkness reigns over the whole world. People are attracted by many things and they forget about the more important."

"Light won't reign in the world until people accept Jesus, until they live His words, which is the Word of the Gospel."

"Dear children, this is the reason for my presence among you for such a long time: to lead you on the path of Jesus. I want to save you and, through you, to save the whole world. Many people now live without faith; some don't even want to hear about Jesus, but they still want peace and satisfaction! Children, here is the reason why I need your prayer: prayer is the only way to save the human race." (July 30, 1987)

In the early days of the apparitions, it was alleged the Virgin Mary, called "Gospa" in Croatian, promised the six visionaries ten “secrets” which contain information on future events. These ten secrets, which will affect the Church and the world, were written on a special parchment listing the timing and description of each event. Mirjana keeps the parchment in her home. To date, three visionaries, Mirjana, Ivanka, and Jakov report they have received all ten messages, while Ivan, Marija and Vicka say they have received nine. The six visionaries would eventually each know all ten secrets, but none has fully disclosed them except to announce that they include chastisements for the world and that they will begin during the lifetimes of the visionaries. The seventh secret is said to be a punishment for humanity that has been diminished because of the response to Our Lady’s requests for prayers, fasting and conversion. ^[1]

The third secret involves a visible and permanent sign that is described as beautiful and indestructible and not of this world, which will be left on Apparition Hill, the site of her first appearance. The seers report hearing Mary make these comments about the sign: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert: convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. When the sign comes, it will be too late. As a mother I caution you because I love you. The secrets exist. My children! Nothing is known of these now, but when they are known, it will be too late. Return to prayer, nothing is more important than this. I would like it if the Lord allowed me to reveal some of the secrets to you, but that which He is doing for you is already a Grace which is almost too much."

None of the visionaries has disclosed the other secrets, which are said to include blessings as well as chastisements for the world. They say that no amount of prayer, fasting, or good works can entirely prevent the dire events forecast in the secrets. Ten days before the first and second events, Mirjana says she will reveal what is about to happen to Franciscan priest Father Petar Ljubicic of Medjugorje. He will fast and pray for seven days. Then, three days before the event, Father Petar will make a public announcement as to what is to happen and where. Mirjana says that after the events occur, those who are still alive will have little time to convert. She insists that the painful events for humanity are very near, and that the important thing is to convert as quickly as possible and to open ones heart to God.

According to the "Norms of the Congregation for Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations," as issued in 1974 by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the local Bishop or Ordinary has the investigative authority over such events in his Diocese. In 1990 Bishop Zanic expressed doubt on the supernatural character of the apparitions.[3] In November of 1990 the then Yugoslav Bishops' Conference made a judgement of, "non constat de supernaturalitate", which means the apparitions are not consistent with the supernatural, or this event could not be proven to be supernatural.[4] In 1997 Bishop Peric stated as much [5], but invited and left open the possibility for the Vatican to investigate. It is important to first understand that the Church will not continue its investigation of Medjugorje until the apparitions of Our Lady are complete.^{[citation needed]} But the last official statement by the commission of bishops set up to investigate Medjugorje declared in 1993: "We bishops, after a three-year-long commission study accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine. This means that we have nothing against it if someone venerates the Mother of God in a manner also in agreement with the teaching and belief of the Church... Therefore, we are leaving that to further study. The Church does not hurry." (Glas Koncila, August 15, 1993).

According to the Norms, the local Ordinary or Bishop is the first step. If he condemns an apparition, and does not reverse himself, the matter is considered closed.[6]

The visions of Medjugorje, meanwhile, have become a lucrative tourist industry for the hotel industry, as can be seen at Medjugorje Web. Some of the visionaries, Ivan Dragicevic in particular, go on lecture tours around the world. It has to be noted that he doesn't earn any profit from this and that all his copyright's income are given to the Church or caricative associations (Source: Michael Davies, Medjugorje 21 Years Later).

A number of scientific and medical investigations have been conducted on the visionaries in Medjugorje.

The international French-Italian scientific theological commission "On the extraordinary events that are taking place in Medjugorje" reportedly examined the apparitions of Medjugorje. The assembly of seventeen renowned natural scientists, medical doctors, psychiatrists and theologians published a 12 point "conclusion" on January 14, 1986 in Paina near Milan. The summary is that , "one can conclude that after a deeper examination of the protagonists, facts, and their effects, not only in the local framework, but also in regard to the responsive chords of the Church in general, it is well for the Church to recognize the supernatural origin and, thereby, the purpose of the events in Medjugorje."

A French team headed by Mr. Henri Joyeux undertook a series of neurological tests, using EEG and EKG device to examine the internal reactions of the visionaries and the synchronization of their ocular, auditory, cardiac, and cerebral reactions before, during, and after the reported apparitions. They concluded from their readings that the object of observation is apparently external to the visionaries, and they excluded any external manipulation or mutual agreement between the visionaries. The results with individual electro-encephalograms and other reactions were collected and described in Joyeux' book, written with R. Laurentin, Etudes medicales et scientifique sur les Apparitions de Medjugorje (Paris, 1986) It is also interesting to note that during the experiments, one of the things being monitored was brain activity. Most of us are able to use around 15% of our brain during normal activities. It is facinating to note that at the moment when Our Lady appears, the visionaries brain activity jumps to 100% and stays at this level until Our Lady leaves.scientific report

The results of psychiatric investigations by the Institute for the Field Limits Of Science (IGW), the Innsbruck Centre For Study and Research on Psychophysiology of States of Consciousness, the Milano European School of Hypnotic Psychotherapy Amisi of Milan, and the Parapsychology Center of Bologna, likewise concluded that the alleged visionaries showed no signs of pathological symptoms, and no stress other than appropriate for their unusual situation. They pointed out that there is a difference between a state of ecstasy induced by hypnosis and one which comes about spontaneously, and concluded that the alleged visionaries were not under any form of hypnosis.

It is said that historically, the region of Bosnia, and Herzegovina for that matter, has seen centuries of rivalry and animosity between some quarters in the Franciscan Order, which runs the parish of Medjugorje, and that of the diocesan hierarchy (not run by a religious order), including the seat of the Bishop of Mostar which has jurisdiction over Medjugorje [7]. According to Catholic authors Michael Davies and E.Michael Jones, it is possible that the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje were used by the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Croat Franciscan Order to challenge the authority of the diocese.

Jones concluded that the alleged visionaries were a group of "punkers", which there meant that they listened to rock and roll, wore jeans and smoked cigarettes (in fact, they had confessed that they had gone up the hill to smoke, rather than to look for sheep, on the first night). The Franciscans in the area were conducting Catholic charismatic prayer groups which sometimes took the form of encounter groups. The young people claiming the visions were not involved in these groups, and Jones believed that the claimed apparitions may have started as a prank mocking those involved in the charismatic groups, partially inspired by the fact that one of the girls had recently read a book on Our Lady of Fatima and the events at Garabandal. According to him, the Franciscans immediately took charge of the young people and began orchestrating further "apparitions" for public spectacle.^[2]

The local Bishop, Pavao Zanić, adopted a negative position with regard to the alleged apparitions in a letter of 25 March 1985 and a homily of 24 July 1987, provisionally forbidding "the priests who organize pilgrimages or come here ascribing a supernatural character to these events, to celebrate Mass in the territory of my diocese," until a Commission of the Bishops' Conference completed an inquiry.^[3]

A Declaration of ex-Yugoslavia bishops' conference on Medjugorje in 1991 stated that: "The bishops, from the very beginning, have been following the events of Medjugorje through the Bishop of the diocese [Mostar], the Bishop's Commission and the Commission of the Bishops Conference of Yugoslavia on Medjugorje. On the basis of the investigations so far it cannot be affirmed that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations".

Inquiries addressed to the Holy See about Medjugorje are responded to by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith such as the reply to a Bishop sent on 26 July 1998, saying:

• Bishop Zanić's successor, Ratko Perić, who became Bishop of Mostar-Duvno in 1993, had, as local Ordinary of the place, a right to express, as he did, his private opinion that the alleged apparitions not only had not been proven to be supernatural, but had actually been proven to be not supernatural; however, the matter was in the hands of the Bishops Conference, not his, and the Holy See was leaving it in those hands.
• Unless the competent Bishops Conference issued a new evaluation, the 1991 decision still held, which stated only that there was no proof of supernatural character.
• Privately conducted pilgrimages to Medjugorje are permitted on condition that they are not regarded as an authentication of events still taking place and which still call for an examination by the Church.

EWTN's "Frequently Asked Questions" gives an ample account of the history of the question, avoiding any judgement for or against the authenticity of the alleged apparitions.

• Marian apparitions

• Official web site of Međugorje (in Croatian, English, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Español, Polski)
• medjugorje.net - English
• International youth festival Medjugorje (photos, songs, mp3, testimonies, audio, video)
• Medjugorje messages
• TOURIST ASSOCIATION OF MEDJUGORJE-BIJAKOVICI
• / Tourist Association of Čitluk
• The Medjugorje Parish
• Mejdugorje Web Journal -daily news from Medjugorje
• Medjugorje Photos, Wallpapers & Postcards
• Alleged apparitions at Međjugorje
• 1978 Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith document on apparition discernment
• Maria Medjugorje The Medjugorje messages search engine.
• Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research

43°11′41″N 17°40′48″E / 43.19472°N 17.68000°E / 43.19472; 17.68000