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"Medjugorje after Twenty-One Years - The Definitive History"
Michael Davies
CONTENTS
Foreword
List of Principal Croatian Persona
The Six “Seers”
24 June 1981—The First Apparitions.
The Charismatic Connection.
A Preposterous Proliferation
Credibility of the Messages
Secrets
The Sign
The Position of Monsignor Zanic
An Immoral Priest Defended
Fraud on Film
The Herzegovina question
25 March 1985
A Letter From Msgr. Zanic to Father Tomislav Pervan
23 February 1987
1987 Communiqué of the Yugoslav Bishops
Concerning the Facts of Medjugorje
25 July 1987
Declaration of the Bishop of Mostar
Concerning Medjugorje - 25 July 1987
20 January 1988
Letter to Mrs. Marija Davies from the
Bishop of Mostar 20 January 1988
11 July 1988
Marija Pavlovic Contradicts Herself
31 March 1989
Visions in Alabama?
May 1990
The Truth about Medjugorje
A Statement by Msgr. Pavao Zanic,
Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, published in May 1990.
13 June 1990
The Irish Bishops’ Conference Statement
1991
Alleged Miracles at Medjugorje
The Medjugorje Industry
May-June 1993
Sacrificial Giving
1993
Millions Are Deluded
24 July 1993
A New Bishop of Mostar
October 1993
An Interview with the Bishop of Mostar (Excerpts)
10-11 September 1994
The Pope Visits Croatia
11 October 1994
Synod Intervention by Msgr. Ratko Peric
17 June 1995
The Film Gospa
31 August 1995
A Warning concerning the film Gospa-The Wanderer.
23 March 1996
CDF Letter to Bishop Taverdet
16 June 1996
The Ban on Pilgrimages Reaffirmed
4 December 1996
The Circulation of Alleged Private Revelations
25 January 1997
Medjugorje: the State of the Question in 1997
12-13 April 1997
Medjugorje in the Light of the Pope's Visit to Sarajevo
13 April 1997
The Pope, Medjugorje and the Provincial
of the Herzegovina Franciscans
22 June 1997
What Kind of "Fruits" are These?
November 1997
Medjugorje Incredibilities
11 November 1997
The "Confirmation" in Capljina
and the "Charisma" of Medjugorje
26 December 1997
The Grievous Fate of the Truth
19 March 1998
Laurentin Visits Monsignor Peric
22 March 1998
Laurentin Writes to Monsignor Peric
23 March 1998
The Franciscan Rebellion in Herzegovina—Rome Acts
24 March 1998
A Letter from Monsignor Ratko Peric to the Abbé René
Laurentin, dated 24 March 1998. Protocol Number: 265/98
26 May 1998
Beautiful Gift or Pathetic Delusion?
21 July 1998
Private Visits to Unauthentic Apparitions
15 September 1998
An Unexpected Endorsement for Monsignor Peric
16 November 1998
Implementing Romanis Pontificibus
21 November 1998
Dismissal of Three Franciscans from the Order of Friars Minor
14 December 1998
Further Implementation of the Decree Romanis Pontificibus
Communiqué
January 1999
With Truth Against Lies Concerning the Parish of Capljina
20 February 1999
The Franciscan Rebellion in Herzegovina - Rome Acts
11 January 2000
Death of Monsignor Zanic
7 January 2000
The Position of the French Episcopal Conference Regarding
Medjugorje
24 January 2000
Newsweek Report “Visions of the Virgin”
7 February 2000
A Letter From Monsignor Peric Concerning Father Zovko
1 July 2000
Confirmation Homily by Bishop Peric
3 December 2000
A Medjugorje Canonisation
2000
Unexpected Support for the False Apparitions
from the Catholic Truth Society of England and Wales.
28 May 2001.
Communiqué from Msgr. Luka Pavlovic, Vicar General
29 May 2001
Communiqué of the Bishop's Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina
14 June 2001
Invalid Confirmations and Attempted Invalid Priestly
Ordinations.
Homily by Bishop Peric, given in Medjugorje
10 October 2000
Catholic World News Service, 10 October 2001
Reference 16570
Mostar, 2001
Final Chapter of the Book Ogledalo Pravde (“Mirror of
Justice”) by Monsignor Peric (Mostar, 2001), pp. 313-314.
5 July 2002
Catholic Herald Report
12 July 2002
Catholic Herald A Defence of Medjugorje
19 July 2002
Catholic Herald—My Reply to Monsignor Tutto
26 July 2002
Catholic Herald Editorial —The Mixed Fruits of Medjugorje
8 November 2002
Crkva Na Kamenu, Prosinac 2002
A Pronouncement by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the Current Spate of Apparitions.
24 August 2002
A Bogus Papal Blessing
29 December 2002
The Sunday Times
Appendix I—Criteria for Discerning Apparitions:
Regarding the Events of Medjugorje — Part 1:
Msg. Ratko Peric
Appendix II—Extracts from the Diary of Vicka Ivankovic.
Foreword
Since the Second Vatican Council there has been a grave crisis of authority within the Catholic Church. The ordinary faithful have not received the firm and unequivocal teaching and guidance from their ecclesiastical superiors to which they had become accustomed. Cardinal Josef Ratzinger, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has noted the extent to which individual bishops have abdicated their authority to national episcopal conferences which, only too often, have been manipulated into propagating the opinions of so-called theological experts of dubious orthodoxy
Parish priests have frequently abdicated their authority to parish councils, and Rome itself has sometimes appeared to speak with an uncertain voice. But certainty is what the faithful seek, and when they do not receive it from the magisterium they will seek it elsewhere. Some have sought certainty in the charismatic movement which, if examined objectively, renders the magisterium unnecessary, for what need is there of a teaching authority when each individual Christian can communicate directly with the Holy Ghost?
Other Catholics have put their faith in one of the numerous apparitions which are allegedly taking place throughout the world. For the purposes of this book a distinction must be made between visions and apparitions. Donal Foley is probably the greatest authority on Marian apparitions writing in the English-language today. He explains:
The basic difference between a “vision” and an “apparition” in Catholic terms, is as follows: in a vision God produces a concept or image without there necessarily being anything external to the viewer, whereas in an apparition, God apparently causes something external to the viewer to be perceived through the senses, which act normally, even if the “seer” is in an ecstatic state.1
This distinction is not always made clear by those promoting Medjugorje. It is evident that what the so-called seers claim to receive are, according to Mr. Foley’s definition, apparitions, but in Medjugorje literature they are described indiscriminately as seers or visionaries. This is not a matter of any importance, because, as this book will make clear, no individual associated with Medjugorje has ever been the recipient of either an apparition or a vision.
In the years following the Council a very clear pattern of behaviour has emerged among supporters of alleged apparitions. It is a tendency to make belief in the authenticity of a particular apparition the criterion of orthodoxy. True Catholics believe the apparitions, and the faith of those who do not is suspect in some way. Those drawn towards these apparitions tend to be conservative in outlook, the type of Catholic who might have been expected to defend the teaching of the magisterium Once such Catholics become "hooked" on an apparition, all their efforts tend to be devoted to defending it and propagating it. They have thus been removed effectively from the battlefield for orthodoxy. There can be no doubt that spurious apparitions are one of Satan's most effective weapons in his war against the mystical body. The problem is, of course, to discern authentic from spurious apparitions. The principles for making this distinction are enunciated clearly in Appendix 1.
I recollect very clearly a decade or so ago that I scandalised some devout friends by maintaining that the alleged apparitions at Palmar de Troya in Spain were inspired by the devil. I was asked how I could make such a claim in view of the piety manifested there: all night vigils, heroic acts of penance, the rosary, and financial sacrifices of staggering proportions. How could Satan have been responsible for such good fruits? I knew one devout and highly educated English Catholic who sold everything he had and abandoned his profession to go and live in Palmar. Later, when Clemente, the self-styled seer, proclaimed himself to be Pope and "excommunicated" everyone who did not recognise him as such, this friend and others withdrew from Palmar in horror, and admitted that they had been deceived. But the tragedy is that there are thousands who did not. Their faith had become identified with the authenticity of the Palmar sect. Satan had amputated them from the mystical body of Christ.
How can one reconcile the devotion that I have mentioned with diabolic inspiration? The answer should be self-evident. If a seer, claiming to be inspired by heaven, denied the doctrine of the Trinity or advocated free love, he would hardly be likely to deceive faithful Catholics. Satan will obviously seek to introduce error and separate the faithful from the Church under a veneer of piety.
There can be little doubt that when the time comes for adherents of Medjugorje to choose between the Church and the illusory apparitions, many will choose the apparitions, as was the case with Palmar de Troya. Pope Leo XIII warned us in his encyclical Satis cognitum that:
The Church of Christ, therefore, is one and the same forever: those who leave it depart from the will and command of Christ the Lord. Leaving the path of salvation they enter on the path of perdition.
In 1983 I was visited by some good friends who brought me a booklet written in Croatian about some apparitions allegedly taking place at Medjugorje in the then Yugoslavia. They wished my wife, who is Croatian, to translate it. When they had left I asked my wife to give me a résumé of the alleged messages, and after she had done so with the first three I told her not to waste a second of her time translating them as they did not possess a vestige of credibility. I am glad to say that these friends now share my opinion. Since that time Medjugorje has attracted more attention and more enthusiasm almost daily, and millions of Catholics now flock there from throughout the world.
List of Principal Croatian Persona Mentioned in this Book.
My proof reader, Mr. Leo Darroch, suggested that it would be a great help to the reader if I provided a list of the principal Croatian persona mentioned in the book, particularly as a good number of them have the same surnames. The reference OP refers to the book Ogledalo Pravde by Monsignor Peric.
Father Petar Barbaric, OFM—Expelled from the Franciscan
Order for disobedience—see 23 March 1998.
Father Slavko Barbaric, OFM—one of the principal mentors of
the six seers and concealers of the truth concerning Medjurgorje.
He died in 2003 and received an instant Medjugorje canonization
(see 3 December 2003).
Father Janko Bubalo—author of a book entitled:
A Thousand Meetings with Our Lady, consisting of
conversations with Vicka Ivankovic.
Jakov Colo—youngest “seer”.
Bishop Cule of Mostar—predecessor of Monsignor Zanic.
Ivan Dragicevic—“seer”.
Mirjana Dragicevic—“seer”.
Archbishop Franic of Split—charismatic and the only prelate in the former Yugoslavia to believe the apparition to be authentic.
Ivanka (Ivica) Ivankovic— “seer”.
Vicka (Vida) Ivankovic—oldest “seer”.
His Eminence Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, President of the Yugoslav Episcopal Conference.
Father Ivan Landeka —parish priest of Medjugorje in 1993.
Sister Leopolda—Religious sister seduced by Father Ivica Vego.
Father Miljenko-Mici Stojicu— Parish Priest at Medjugorj 1997.
Marija Pavolvic—“seer”.
Father Tadija Pavlovic, OFM—Priest quickly disillusioned with
Medjugorje. See 24 June 1981.
Monsignor Ratko Peric—Bishop of Mostar-Duvno from 24 July 2003.
Father Tomislav Pervan—Parish Priest of Medjugorje from 1984-1988, and then Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina.
Father Ivan Prusina, OFM—Expelled from the Franciscan
Order for disobedience, but reinstated on a legal technicality.
Now lives in Germany and is not permitted to exercise
any ministry in Herzegovina. See note 38.
Monsignor Z. Puljic—Bishop of Dubrovnik.
Father Bozo Rados, OFM—Expelled from the Franciscan
Order for disobedience—see 23 March 1998.
Father Ljudevit Rupcic, OFM,—Forbidden to celebrate
Mass or preach at Medjugorje.
Father Ivo Sivric, OFM, author of The Hidden Face of Medjugorje .
Father Emilio Tardif, OFM—charismatic Franciscan who
initiated seers into the movement. See “The Charismatic
Connection.”
Jelena Vasilj—“locutionist”.
Marijana Vasilj (not related)—“locutionist”.
Monsignor Pavao Zanic—bishop of Mostar-Duvno 1980-2000.
Father Jozo Vasilj, OFM—Franciscan Provincial in
Herzegovina who was so disillusioned with the members of
his province that he moved to Zaire and will not return.
See May 1990, Part 23.
Father Ivica Vego, OFM—laicised after making
Sister Leopolda pregnant. Now married to her
and still actively involved with Medjugorje.
Father Jozo Zovko—parish priest of Medjugorje when
the “apparitions” began. Forbidden to celebrate Mass
for the faithful or to preach in Herzegovina
(see 25 March 1985).
The Six Seers
In the interests of clarity, before entering upon an account of the events at Medjugorje in chronological order, brief biographies of the self-styled seers will be provided. In several cases they have the same surname which tends to cause confusion. They are, in order of age:
Vicka (Vida) Ivankovic, born on 3 September 1964 is the oldest of the seers. She has been receiving daily apparitions since 24 June 1981, although on some days there were no apparitions while on others she received five or more. She has received nine of the ten secrets and still receives daily apparitions. Vicka is always willing to speak to any large number of pilgrims who wish to meet her, and to put their questions to Our Lady and to transmit her answers to them.
She claims that for two years, from 7 January 1983 until 10 April 1985, Our Lady recounted her life story in great detail, and that this autobiography will be published in due course. She also stated in an interview for an Australian television network, which I have on video-cassette, that Our Lady took her on a guided tour of heaven, hell, and purgatory. Jakov Colo, the youngest visionary, was also invited on the tour. Our Lady took Vicka by the right hand and Jakov by the left and they floated off. Vicka wondered how long the journey would take, and was amazed to find that it lasted only one second. The tour itself took 20 minutes. Vicka did not explain how she was able to be so precise about the time taken. Heaven is a very large room in which people wearing grey, yellow, and pink gowns are walking, praying, and singing while small angels float above them. Purgatory is a big space in which no one can be seen, but it was possible to feel that the souls there were beating and thumping each other. There is a large fire in hell into which the souls enter and emerge as beasts.
Another of her stories is of a taxi driver who had been given a bloody handkerchief which he was about to throw in a river. A mysterious women in black, who, of course, turned out to be Our Lady, prevented him just in time, because, had he done so the world would have been destroyed (see May 1990, Part 6). No open minded person who reads Monsignor Zanic's account of Vicka (see May 1990—Parts 6-11), or of her attempt to defraud Dutch benefactors of Medjugorje by telling them that Our Lady wished them to finance the construction of an hotel by the father of one of her friends, can escape the conclusion that she is an habitual liar (see November 1997, Medjugorje Incredibilities.)
In January 2002 Vicka married Mario Mijatovic from the parish of Gradino. They live in the parish of Medjugorje.
Mirjana Dragicevic was born in Sarajevo on 18 March 1965. Her first vision was on 24 June 1981 and after receiving the tenth secret on 25 December 1982 she ceased to have daily apparitions. Mirjana said that parting from Our Lady caused her great sorrow, and they found it hard to part from each other even after being together for 45 five minutes. Our Lady assured Mirjana that she must return to a normal daily routine and live in future without her motherly advice. She warned Mirjana that the first few months without their daily meetings would be very hard for her, and this proved to be the case. Mirjana fell into a state of deep depression, avoided everyone, and locked herself in her bedroom weeping, hoping that Our Lady would appear to her, and calling out her name. Our Lady bestowed a great gift to her, that of promising to appear upon her birthday for the rest of her life. However, a year is a long time, visitors were coming from all sides, and so Our Lady had a change of mind. On 2 September 1987 Mirjana received an internal locution, and from then on, on the second of every month, she has received an internal locution or an actual apparition of Our Lady, and sometimes they pray together for unbelievers. From 2 January 1997 these visits ceased to be on a private basis. Mirjana is made aware of the exact time when Our Lady will appear, from 10am until 11am, and this monthly meeting is now open to the public.
Mirjana has received all ten secrets. She claims to have received them from Our Lady on a parchment which has been examined by “linguistic experts” who pronounced that it is written in an unknown language. This is fortunate as had this not been the case they would no longer have been secret. The only precedent for a document in an unknown language is that of The Book of Mormon One wonders why Our Lady would have given the ten secrets to Mirjana, who speaks only Croatian, in an unknown language, and whether by some miracle she is able to understand it. It is also claimed that, having been carbon tested for date and substance, the parchment has been documented as made from an unknown substance.2 Mirjana was married to Marko Soldo on 16 September 1989 and has two children, Marija born on 8 December 1990, and Veronica born on 19 April 1994. She is married and lives in Medjugorje.
Mirjana has the distinction of being the only seer to have had an apparition of the devil. He appeared to her on 14 April 1982 while she was waiting for Our Lady to appear. He was wearing the same clothes worn by Our Lady, he had a terrible black face but with Mary’s features. He stared at her with burning black eyes and offered her all the pleasures of the world, but she refused. A little later Our Lady appeared and said: “I apologize, but you had to see him in order to know that he exists and that you will be tempted in this world.” 3 To the best of my knowledge this is the only occasion when Our Lady has apologized to a seer, and no explanation is given as to why she did not command the devil to manifest himself to any of the other Medjugorje seers to prove to them that he exists.
Marija Pavlovic was born on 1 April 1965. She is married, to Paolo Lunetti on 1 April 1993, went for a honeymoon on the Côte d’Azur in France. The couple now have three children, Mikaele, born on 14 July 1994; Francesco Maria, born on 24 January 1996, and Marco Maria born on 19 July 1997. Mrs Lunetti now lives in Monsa, Italy, in a “palatial” six storey home.4 She has received nine secrets, and still has daily apparitions. She is on such good terms with Our Lady that the Blessed Virgin allows herself to be caressed if Marija requests it. A nun who was present while Marija was witnessing an apparition relates:
Marija asked me whether I desired to touch the Virgin. I said yes straight away. She then took my right hand and I lifted it to the Virgin's shoulder: she then guided my hand down telling me what I was touching. I myself neither saw nor felt anything. Thus I caressed her right down to her feet.
Surely this ludicrous and almost blasphemous nonsense is enough to deprive Pavlovic of any credibility.
Marija receives and reveals Our Lady’s “Message to the Parish of Medjugorje and the entire World” on the 25th of each month.
Ivan Dragicevic, who is not related to Mirjana, was born in Bijakovici in the parish of Medjugorje on 25 May 1965. His secondary education took place in Citluk where he failed to pass the first year examinations. In August 1981 he entered the Franciscan seminary for Herzegovina where he claimed to receive daily apparitions and claimed that Our Lady always gave him the traditional Croatian greeting: “Praise be Jesus and Mary”. It is somewhat surprising that Our Lady, who is our model of humility, would bestow praise upon herself! He failed to pass his first year examinations after two attempts. It was thought that he might have more success at the seminary in Dubrovnik where he was sent in the autumn of 1982. On one occasion, during the recitation of the rosary, he informed his fellow seminarians that Our Lady had appeared upon a picture of Our Lord and said: “This is your father.” Our Lord did not once refer to Himself as our father in the Bible and is never referred to as such in the Tradition of the Church. Once again his academic progress was poor and he left the seminary in January 1983 and returned home. He spent, and still spends, a great deal of his time touring the world, addressing large audiences, and never fails to delight them with purported apparitions of Our Lady. On 23 October 1994 he married Laureen Murphy, an American beauty queen from Boston, and, of course, had a wedding day apparition. They have three children. He divides his time between his homes in Medjugorje and Boston. He has received nine secrets and by 2001 more than 7,000 daily apparitions, and still has a daily apparition wherever he is in the world. He is now extremely wealthy and drives a custom built BMW with “outside the series” wide sports tyres.
Ivanka (Ivica) Ivankovic was born in Bijakovici on 21 June 1966. She married Rajko Elez on 29 December 1986, and has three children, Kristina, Josip, and Ivan. She has received ten secrets and ceased having daily apparitions on 7 May 1985. Ivanka claimed that in this final apparition Our Lady had never looked more sweet and beautiful, and was wearing the most beautiful dress that she had ever seen. It sparkled with silver and gold. The Virgin was accompanied by two angels with matching outfits, and asked Ivanka if she had a wish. The wish was to see her deceased mother, and then, after embraces and kisses, there was a final message: “My dear child, today is our last meeting. Do not be sad. I shall return on your birthday every year except for this one. My child, do not think that I am not coming because you have done something wrong. You have done nothing wrong. The plans which my Son and I had you accepted with your whole heart and you carried them out. Ivanka, the blessings that you and your brothers (the other seers?) have received have never previously been accorded to anyone on earth.” After the conversation had lasted an hour, Ivanka gave a farewell kiss to Our Lady who then rose aloft to heaven accompanied by the two angels.
She now has one apparition a year. She states that one apparition a year is sufficient for her as she has already received more graces than anyone else on earth. In 1997 the visit lasted for six minutes and the message was as follows:
Dear Children, pray from your hearts so that you will know how to forgive and to be forgiven. I thank you for your prayers and for the love that you give me.
Ivanka claimed that when she was preparing to celebrate the New Year at midnight in 1982 Our Lady paid her a surprise visit and wished everyone present a Happy New Year. Marija, Vicka, and Ivan claim to have had only nine secrets confided to them and hence still have daily apparitions.
Jakov Colo, born in Bijakovici on 6 March 1971, is the youngest of the visionaries. He was married on 11 April 1993 to Anna-Lisa Barozzi and has two children, Ariana Maria born in January 1995, and David, born in September 1996. He received daily apparitions from 25 June 1981 until 12 September 1998. Between 7 January 1983 and 11 April 1983 Our Lady told him the story of her life. During an apparition in 1993, at the height of the war, Our Lady asked him to pray for peace in the former Yugoslavia, and convinced him that his prayers could bring the war to an end. On 12 September 1998, after visiting the USA, he came to the parish office in Medjugorje saying that Our Lady had appeared to him for the last time on that day. The apparition lasted for 30 minutes from 11.15 to 11.45. He did, however, receive the promise of a regular visit on Christmas Day each year. The Virgin revealed the tenth secret to him with great sadness, but comforted him gently, saying: “Do not be sad, because like a mother I will be with you always, and like a true mother I will never abandon you.” Jakov has had the privilege of shaking hands with Our Lady:
On the feast of Our Lady's Nativity (8 September 1981), the Virgin appeared to Vicka and Jakov in Jakov's house. So Jakov held out his hand to the Virgin, saying: "Dear Holy Virgin, I wish you a happy birthday." Thus it was that the little boy had the great good fortune to see the Mother of God shake his hand.
It is claimed that "Jakov's face, eager and upturned, is one of the most external outward proofs we have of the authenticity of the events." If one reads the accepted criteria for discerning the authenticity of alleged apparitions, eager and upturned faces will not be found among them (see Appendix I).
The situation, according to the June 1996 issue of the Medjugorje Herald is that: “Marija, Vicka, and Ivan have each received nine secrets and so continue to have daily apparitions.” This is very convenient in order to ensure that the pilgrims and the money continue to roll in. The Medjugorje pilgrims expect, as part of their package-trip, to see a seer going into ecstasy while experiencing an apparition. They are never disappointed.
Jelena Vasilj and Marijana Vasilj
In addition to the six seers already listed, there are two who do not claim to have apparitions but to receive inner locutions in which they hear the voice of Our Lady and see her inwardly with the heart. They are Jelena Vasilj, born on 14 May 1972, and Marijana Vasilj (no relation) born on 5 October 1972. They have established a prayer group which the Virgin not only attends but actually leads through the two locutionists. Our Lady leads another prayer group which she directs through Ivan and Marija.5
24 June 1981
The First “Apparitions”
The alleged apparitions began on 24 June 1981 when Ivanka Ivankovic claimed to have seen Our Lady while out walking with Mirjana Dragicevic. They later claimed that they were looking for their sheep when, in reality, they had gone out to smoke, a fact which they hid from their parents (see May 1990, Part 5). The apparition took place on Mount Crnica, now referred to by tour guides as Apparition Hill. A footpath leads up from the village of Bijakovici, where Ivan Dragicevic was born, to the place of the apparition itself. This is sometimes referred to as Mount Podbrdo which causes confusion as Mount Crnica, of which Podrdo is part, is the usual name given. The path is now widened by the feet of millions of pilgrims. According to the official Medjugorje mythology, the girls ran up this hill over the rocks and thorns barefooted, not even following the path.
In an interview on 8 September 1988, Vicka Ivankovic described what happened on the second day:
On the second day in the afternoon the three of us, myself, Mirjana and Ivanka went walking. We said that we would go and see if Our Lady was coming. We expected to see her but still wondering if she would come. We went along the same road to the same spot as the previous day. Ivanka was again first to see Our Lady. I returned home to bring Marija and Jakov because after the first day they asked me, "Vicka, if you see Our Lady, come and get us. We do not have to see her but we would like to be with you." So I went to bring the two of them but they were already on their way to the hill.
We had nothing on our feet and it seemed that we were not walking on the ground but gliding above it. Suddenly we found ourselves at the apparition site. On that second day those who were not so shy could ask questions but mostly we were praying with the Lady.
On the third day I took a glass of holy water and sprinkled it at Our Lady, I said, "If you are Our Lady, stay with us but if you are not, leave us alone." The Lady smiled, and the water which I threw just flowed off her dress.
Eight days later the girls stated categorically that Our Lady had said four or five times that she would appear on three more days only, that is, on July 1, 2, and 3. On 30 June 1981, Father Jozo Zovko, parish priest of Medjugorje, told the seers that he would prefer the last three apparitions to take place in the parish church. The seers expressed anxiety that this might result in many of those attending the apparitions on the hill ceasing to come, but they eventually agreed. The following conversation is recorded on a tape which is available in the archives of the bishopric of Mostar:
Zovko: What are you going to say to the people?
Ivanka: I could say to them that Our Lady has appeared to us at some other place...
Vicka: ...and that she has told us that we will see her tomorrow in the church, but that others will not be able to see her.
Zovko: All right tell this to the people...6
Can one imagine St. Bernadette of the children of Fatima instructing Our Lady on where she should or should not appear? On 1 July the apparition duly took place in the presbytery and was accompanied by Mass and a Rosary During the Mass Father Jozo told the faithful: “At the end of Mass, the children who have met the Gospa will pray for you and your families.”
Commenting on this statement Father Rudo Franken states:
This is incredible. Father Jozo guarantees the apparition is true. Did he not know that only a bishop is to give such a guarantee? Did he not know a deep investigation is required before such a guarantee can be given? Jozo Zovko spoke without any restriction and this was the beginning of a mass movement.7
On 3 July 1981, the date specified for the final apparition, Father Tadija Pavlovic, pastor of a neighbouring parish, came to Medjugorje to help hear confessions. He was present in the presbytery when what was to be the final apparition took place. There were, in fact, two apparitions, one lasting ten minutes and one five minutes. All six seers affirmed that the apparition had told them this would be her last appearance. Father Pavlovic was shocked when he learned from one of his parishioners that there had been further apparitions on 4 and 5 July. Never again has he gone to Medjugorje to celebrate Mass or hear confessions.8
According to the seers the apparition had a change of mind concerning her final appearance, and decided to visit them each day. Two years later, in 1983, Vicka was asked by a Father Janko Bubalo why the apparitions had continued after 3 July 1981. She replied: “Really, I can’t remember any of this. If someone (i.e. one of the seers) has said this, then it must have been intended to ensure that we were left alone.”