Understanding Medjugorje

Book excerpt: Understanding Medjugorje is an in-depth investigation into some of the most surprising, but also most influential, spiritual phenomena to have affected modern Catholicism. Millions of people have visited the site of the alleged visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Medjugorje, despite the fact that they have received no official Church approval. Understanding Medjugorje will help readers to understand how important Church figures, including Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger-now Pope Benedict XVI-have actually viewed Medjugorje. It also looks at the role of influential priests and theologians in promoting Medjugorje, and the tangled historical and religious background to the visions. Similarly, it deals with the links between the visions, the Charismatic Renewal, and the worldwide Medjugorje movement, as well as looking at how Medjugorje compares with Fatima, and what the successive local bishops of Mostar have said about it. The degree of trustworthiness of the visions and the visionaries is also assessed, as is the real significance of the Medjugorje "good fruits," and the reasons why it has been so incredibly popular.