Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, appointed by Pope Francis as apostolic visitor in Medjugorje, invited believers from all over the world to come to the famous Marian shrine, to meet Jesus and the Blessed Virgin.
“Go, go, go! Go there because it is a place of grace, where you meet the Lord and the Lord meets you,” he said. in an interview with Vatican News.
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In May 2024, the Vatican published new regulations for the study of apparitions in the Catholic Church. These new guidelines serve, according to Vatican media, to facilitate the devotion of the faithful in the places of alleged apparitions “without committing the Holy See to a declaration of supernaturality.”
In this sense, in September 2024, the Vatican approved the spiritual experience linked to Medjugorje and issued a positive judgment on the “supposed messages” that visionaries receive from the Mother of God, with the publication of the document Queen of Peaceconfirming the nothing stands in the way (nothing prevents) and authorizing the faithful to adhere to this devotion.
“It’s very simple: when there is a message, the person who has received it writes it and sends it to me in the language in which he writes, which is Croatian. They immediately translate it into Italian. This process is very interesting: there are at least two very important human mediations: that is why we always talk about ‘supposed messages’, even if we are in favor, to the point that at the end of the message we write: ‘with ecclesiastical approval'”, explained the archbishop.
“But be careful, the messages are called ‘supposed’ because they go through two human mediations: the Virgin does not write, the person who receives writes. The second mediation is the translation from Croatian to Italian: they are two totally different languages. We say that the message is good, that it corresponds to faith and we invite you to read it and meditate on it because it is positive. It adds nothing to the Revelation, but it enriches. It helps to live the faith better today,” added the apostolic visitor in Medjugorje.
The Italian archbishop was appointed as apostolic visitor in 2021. After three years of service, he claims to have learned that Medjugorje is a place of grace. “I have learned that the Lord, with his grace, always follows us. I have learned that the Lord has a plan in our lives and accompanies us. “He loves us,” he added.
Millions of people come to the place every year, young and old, many times without any sponsorship, highlights Bishop Cavalli. Upon returning, he was able to see that, while he was still living in Italy, everyone “was much more committed than before” on a spiritual and human level.
Medjugorje, located in a remote place in Bosnia-Herzergovina, “is a normal place, without anything special, and has become by grace a spiritual place where people from all over the world come,” he said. And he added that visitors simply seek to change their lives, to live better. “A change called conversion, which takes place especially in the sacrament of penance. This happens normally in Medjugorje,” he said.
The apostolic visitor highlighted that the Blessed Virgin decided to present herself in the “supposed messages” as “Queen of Peace”, an aspect that he considers fundamental given the current reality of the world. A peace, he explained, that must first reign between God and man, and then spread among all peoples.
“God for peace is fundamental. In the commandments we are told few things to live by: respect life and do not kill, family is fundamental, let us respect each other. If we live like this, we live in peace. If, on the contrary, we do not live like this, there are wars,” he indicated.
Finally, he recalled the importance of the Eucharist and prayer to achieve a true change of life. This helps to understand “that with the Lord you can face problems”, a conclusion reached by many who visit Medjugorje with a willing heart.
“The (Vatican) document says very clearly: go to Medjugorje because it is a place of grace,” concluded Bishop Cavalli.
Andres Henriquez
I have been a writer for ACI Prensa and a correspondent for EWTN since 2023. Since then, I have covered events in the Catholic Church in Venezuela and Latin America. I have more than 5 years of experience in bilingual media. Additionally, in Venezuela I have worked with non-governmental organizations in favor of freedom and respect for human rights in the country. I have been a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.