During his private pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Bishop Pearse Lacey, retired Bishop of Toronto in Canada was interviewed. This is what he said in regards to Medjugorje:
“When I was in Toronto, 80 Canadian bishops had lunch with the Pope. Some of the working monsignors from the Vatican were there. One of them mentioned the word ‘Medjugorje’ I said, ‘Do you believe in Medjugorje?’ He said, ‘No!’ It was like a firecracker going off on me, because I have run into this kind of silliness! Twenty million people have come here! Even a blind man could see this! I told him, ‘The Holy Father is sitting right here, he believes, ask him!’ He retorted, ‘That’s his private opinion!’ I think it is scandalous in many ways…How God puts up with us sometimes, I don’t know! God can do anything. Our Lady’s apparitions are no problem for me. Fundamentally, it is a question of belief. We can’t inflict faith and devotion on people. Mostly you can show it by your own example. This is the freedom that God has given to all of us. He wants us to respond out of faith and love. Time will move on, God will bury them all, including me! The basic message of Medjugorje is absolutely solid. We are living in 2002, but men and women are still made of body and soul, we all have traces of the original sin. Our needs are the same as in the times of the apostles and in any generation. Basically, we are the children of God and cities are as huge as in any generations. Therefore, the message has to be the same! We cannot do without God. This is the marvelous thing about Medjugorje. This is an oasis of God, this is the life of the Church as it should be. Tradition is not a dirty word, although it seems so to some people!â€
