Marian Apparitions Archives

Member says prudence, pastoral concern guided Medjugorje panel
- Catholic News Service, Vatican
- May 19, 2017
A Servite priest and theologian who served on a papal commission investigating alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje has confirmed that the panel regarded the early appearances of Mary there as credible, but had doubts about later developments, in keeping with what Pope Francis recently said on the papal plane returning from a trip to Fatima.
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Papal visit completes Fatima anniversary celebrations
- Catholic News Agency, Global Church, Pope in Fatima
- May 4, 2017
Portuguese Bishop Antonio dos Santos Marto of the Diocese of Leiria-Fatima said the centenary celebrations of the apparitions at Fatima “wouldn’t be complete without the presence of the pope,” explaining that the pope “is part of the message of Fatima.” Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the children who saw Our Lady, will be canonized May 13 during Pope Francis’s Mass at the Fatima shrine.
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It’s official: Pope Francis to canonize Fatima visionaries during May visit
- Catholic News Agency, Pope in Fatima, Vatican
- April 20, 2017
Pope Francis on Thursday confirmed what has long been rumored, announcing his intention to canonize Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the shepherd children and visionaries of Fatima, when he visits the famed place in May to mark the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Mary on the site. They will become the youngest non-martyrs ever formally declared saints.
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How the church determines a true Marian apparition

The Catholic Church has a cautious approach when it comes to recognizing Marian apparitions and the process can take even hundreds of years. The bishop on these occasions, such as those in Fatima, Portugal, must call for a commission of experts, theologians, canonists, psychologists, and doctors to help him determine the facts.

Bishop stops publication of revelations at Argentine Medjugorje

At the Argentine equivalent of Medjugorje, local bishops are not questioning the supernatural origin of reported Marian apparitions, but they say private revelations given to the seer at the heart of the phenomenon will no longer be made public because what’s already known is ‘sufficient.’

Local bishop says ‘no truth’ to alleged apparitions in Medjugorje

Two weeks after the Vatican announced Pope Francis had appointed a Polish bishop to investigate the pastoral situation of Medjugorje, the local bishop issued a statement saying there’s nothing supernatural in the alleged Marian apparitions being reported here since 1981.