Cardinal Rouco, in Medjugorje: I have let myself be guided by the visionaries

The Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid (Spain), Cardinal Rouco Varela, narrates his pilgrimage to Medjugorje (Bosnia-Herzegovina): “I have been to the places of the apparitions, I have let myself be guided by the testimony of the visionaries to understand what is happening here, “What has happened and what a meeting place with the Virgin should be.”

This is reflected on the website of the Medjugorge Center Foundationwhich reports on the pilgrimage that the cardinal makes to the place, being the second time that a Spanish cardinal has done so, after the Archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Cardinal Juan José Omella, who attended the 2022 Youth Festival.

Cardinal Rouco defined Medjugorje as “a place where the experience of grace, forgiveness and mercy is palpable from morning to night, both in the recitation of the Rosary, and in a very unique way in the sacrament of Penance and then in the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist.”

The Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid presided over the evening Mass on September 11, together with the apostolic visitor to Medjugorje, Mons. Aldo Cavalli. The ceremony, which took place at the exterior altar of the parish of Santiago Apóstol, was performed in Latin.

The next day, he presided over another celebration before about 300 faithful from Spain and various Latin American countries, accompanied by eight priests from various groups of pilgrims.

What happens in Medjugorje?

The alleged apparitions in Medjugorje began on June 24, 1981. Six children were the recipients of the Virgin’s messages, of which three say they continue receiving messages every afternoon.

In January 2014, the then Congregation – today the Dicastery – for the Doctrine of the Faith concluded a report requested by Pope Francis who, In November 2013, he stated that the Virgin “he is not a post office master, to send messages every day,” although he did so without specifically mentioning Medjugorje.

In 2017, summarizing the content of the report, Pope Francis assured that the initial appearances are something that “must continue to be investigated,” while regarding the current ones “the report has its doubts.”

On the other hand, he acknowledged that there is a “spiritual” and “pastoral fact” in the place that “cannot be denied,” and that many experience conversions, but he expressed that “there is no magic wand for this.”

A few months earlier, the Pontiff appointed Bishop Henryk Hoser as “special envoy” to Medjugorje. When he died in 2021 as a victim of Covid, he was replaced by Bishop Aldo Cavalli.

Since May 2019, Pope Francis has officially authorized the organization of pilgrimages, indicating that such pilgrimages must be “prevented from creating confusion or ambiguity regarding the doctrinal aspect.”

In the years 2020, 2021 y 2023Pope Francis has sent messages on the occasion of the Youth Festival that is celebrated there.