On April 11, 1991, in Zadar, at the conference of bishops, Medjugorje was recognized as a place of prayer. Cardinal Ratzinger, while in Austria, made public what was said at this conference by the bishops of Yugoslavia: “We will try so that this place, which has become a place of prayer and faith, will remain so, and that it will be in even closer unity with the whole Church “. Regarding the supernatural nature of the apparitions, Cardinal Kukharich gave his explanations: “… we (bishops) have already said that at the moment we cannot officially recognize anything. Let’s leave this aspect for further research. The Church is in no hurry.”

Thus, for now, there is no final decision of the Church regarding Medjugorje, since the apparitions continue to this day. This often becomes a reason for hasty negative judgments and evaluations, especially recently. We bring to your attention the reviews of authoritative representatives of the Church from all over the world, who testify from their own experience and experience about the numerous fruits of Medjugorje and their significance for the Universal Church. We cannot ignore the statements of Pope John Paul II, a now well-known saint who was worried and cheered for Medjugorje while still living among us. We believe that he continues to do this even now, speaking to us from his private letters and appeals.

“If I were not the Holy Father, I would have visited Medjugorje long ago and confessed there.”

(Pope Ivan Paul II)

“I cannot dissuade pilgrims from traveling to Medjugorje, as I myself know many people who did not visit churches for 10, 15, or even 20 years, and now – after visiting Medjugorje – they converted” .

(Archbishop Mario Peresin, Italy)

“Pilgrims return from Medjugorje renewed, with inspiration and a desire to change for the better… Here, in Medjugorje, I most tangibly experienced the Church of Love. Today, the Church no longer relies on the state or any financial structure, only on Jesus – His love and His Holy Spirit. This is how Mary sees the Church…

I really appreciate all the prayer groups that arise because of the message in Medjugorje and contribute their share to the restoration of the Church. I would like them to be as common as possible, also here… Let’s follow Maria, she is incredible! It is amazing that it, still limited by human nature, plays such a great role in the matter of redemption of the whole world… if one could imagine that God’s creation would acquire such great importance! To be so close to God; to be capable of such great love!.. Mary was given to us by God’s Providence to help. She is the Mediator…”

(Archbishop Frane Franich)

“The apparitions of the Mother of God in Medjugorje are of great importance to us, because in Czechoslovakia, honoring the Mother of God is especially

deep and alive. Among our people there is great interest in Medjugorje. The priests and the faithful are grateful for every message, for every piece of information we receive from here. I am personally deeply convinced of the truth of the apparitions and am very grateful that prayer, the rosary, fasting are emphasized… I am also convinced that Medjugorje is a continuation of Lourdes and Fatima. It is clear that the church commission has the last word, but the messages must be received with joy and lived by them. And to the priests who go to Medjugorje, I would say that the most important thing is personal experience. It doesn’t need any words. The experience of God’s closeness says everything. And, as a result, we are obliged to carry this feeling further through life and spread it to everyone else…”

(Cardinal Franciszek Tomaszek, 1988)

“I know that the Pope wanted the Marian Year to be announced precisely because of the message of the Mother of God from Medjugorje. I also know that the Pope personally accepts the apparitions from Medjugorje… because the numerous fruits are what testify to the truth of these apparitions.”

(Cardinal Grey, Edinburgh)

Pope John Paul II, 1984, at a meeting of Italian bishops:

“Let people go to Medjugorje if they convert, pray, confess and fast there.”

Pope John Paul II, 1988, to the commission of doctors from Milan, which examined visionary children:

“Today the world is losing its sense of the supernatural, that is, its sense of God. Many people find it again in Medjugorje, through prayer, fasting and the Most Holy Mysteries.”

“I can only say that I see many who go from Genoa to Medjugorje as pagans, and return from there with a rosary in their hands.”

(Cardinal Siri, Genoa)

“The fact that the Mother of God in Medjugorje aims to renew the Church is an indisputable fact.”

(Professor Sgreva, Verona)

“In Medjugorje, the statements of the Second Vatican Council on Christianity are confirmed.” (here we mean ecumenism – the union of Christians from all over the globe)

(Archbishop Franić, Split)

Pope John Paul II, 1984, to Bishop Paolo Hnilica:

“Look, Medjugorje is a continuation of the Fatima messages. In general, the fact that the Mother of God appears now in a communist country speaks of problems related to Russia.”

“… people who return from Medjugorje become apostles. They enliven parishes. They form prayer groups. They pray to all the saints… They renew the Church.”

(Cardinal Siri, Genoa)

“I arrived in Medjugorje and saw the reverence of priests, monks and lay people there. I myself became a part of it during many hours of prayer. First of all, I saw young people, there were thousands of them kneeling, praying the rosary, confessing; the church is full of people, overcrowded during mass.”

(Bishop Miles McKeon, Western Australia)

“… Medjugorje radiates a new Spirit, so strong and so Christian… Many of those who come to Medjugorje are filled with distrust at first, and almost always they come out of curiosity… But then they become so enthusiastic that they become apostles!… For me, the numerous confessions in Medjugorje are a sign that everything that happens there is from God…”

(Bishop Paolo Hnilica, Rome)

Pope John Paul II, in a letter dated December 8, 1992, to the Polish married couple Marik and Sofia Zwarnicki:

“… Thank you Sofia for everything about Medjugorje. Also, I also go there every day in my prayers as a pilgrim: I connect in prayer with all those who pray there or receive calls to prayer from there. Today, we already understand these appeals better…”

Pope John Paul II, in a letter dated February 25, 1994, wrote to the Polish married couple Marik and Sofia Zwarnicki regarding the war in the former Yugoslavia:

“Now we can better understand Medjugorje. We can better understand this maternal insistence when we see the scale of that great danger.”

“… What is really valuable for me in this place is the wonderful sense of peace. This feeling “touched” many young people. They come here to develop their faith, to make it more meaningful. We have nuns who for several years organized weekly pilgrimages for young people of about 15 people in a group. When these young people came home, they usually created prayer groups and thus returned to the practices of Faith, Holy Confession, and the Eucharist…”

(Archbishop Philip Matthew Hanan, New Orleans)

“Here, in Medjugorje, I see the restoration of all those things, the neglect of which in many parts of the world we mourn.”

(Bishop Miles McKeon, Australia)

“The Pope is suffering, but not only because the messages from Medjugorje are not accepted, or because there is a war in this country, but, above all, because of the state of the Church itself, because of the discord between the bishops and the crisis of the supernatural: the supernatural that is as evident in Medjugorje, as he himself claimed. When the whole world longs for Medjugorje, it is to find there that supernatural atmosphere of prayer and life with the Most Holy Mysteries, which is so lacking in today’s Church.”

(Bishop Paolo Hnylitsa, Rome, from 06.04.1995 at the University of Notre-Dame (USA) in front of 5,000 people)

“In Medjugorje, I see a gift and a responsibility at the same time. The Mother of God gives all those who come here the opportunity to find the same love and tenderness that she once showed in Cana of Galilee. The Mother of God approaches us and prompts us to do what… “what He tells you”…

It is even impossible to imagine how important this parish is for the Church in the whole world…”

(Archbishop Murilo Krieger, Brazil)

“A special presence of the Mother of God is felt here. I saw many believers who visited Medjugorje and returned home with renewed faith, with renewed experiences of prayer, fasting, confession, Holy Mass, and with a special zeal. People devoted to the Mother of God are also devoted to the Church…”

(Bishop Donald William, USA)

“… from Medjugorje comes a call for life renewal, purification and conversion. It seems that this is an invitation for the whole Church…”

(Bishop Degenhart)

“There are as many conversions in Medjugorje as hardly anywhere else in the world.”

(Bishop Nicholas D’Antonio, USA)

“In any case, based on the fruits that I see, I can say that something special is really happening here. And it is not the Franciscans who attract people. There are also Franciscans in my diocese, but nothing special happens. It is God who brings people here.

(Bishop Gerard Dion, Canada)

“…When pilgrims arrive in Medjugorje, they discover a certain spiritual growth here, and upon returning home, they help others to realize this as well. This is a real miracle – what people experience here, and then take with them home – to their families and to their parishes… However, many of them will understand only after their return what God gave them here. … Personally, I am now more aware of the presence of Christ in the Most Holy Mysteries, in the church, in the Holy Scriptures and, in general, in people…

I met many priests who were in Medjugorje. All of them understood the meaning of their priesthood much better after the pilgrimage. This is what I will take from here with me… I have rediscovered God for myself, and for me this is proof that the Mother of God is really present here. Such is her task. Sometimes people come here in search of Mary and find God. And this is her desire, since she does not want anything for herself, but does everything so that people will know her Son Jesus better…”

(Newly ordained Bishop Kenes Donald Steiner, USA)

“People come here and change their lives. Many confess… I am sure that God is using this place for the conversion of peoples…”

(Bishop Frederick Drandrua, Uganda)

“I myself have not been to Medjugorje, but in a certain way I have already been there, through the people I met and whom I know have been there and in whose lives I see the fruits. It would be untrue if I said there were no fruits. They are tangible, obvious, and I see in our diocese the grace of conversion, the grace of supernatural life by faith, the grace of joy, vocation, healing, rediscovery of the Holy Gifts, confession. This will not deceive you. Let me add that the criteria by which I measure are the fruits, and when a tree is judged by its fruits, I must admit that it is a good tree…”

(Cardinal Schönborn, Vienna)

Pope John Paul II, 1988, in Rome to nine bishops from Brazil:

“Pray for me in Medjugorje.”