Catholic News Service publishes an article, “Yugoslavian Bishops Say Marian Apparitions Not Supernatural.†Based on an unofficial “leaked†document from the Yugoslavian Bishops Conference investigating Medjugorje that was meant only for Cardinal Ratzinger, both Catholic and secular news sources reported that the bishops had declared there was nothing supernatural taking place in Medjugorje. This was not a condemnation of the apparitions, but rather that the bishops intended to devote more time to investigating the visions, and to watch how it develops. But as the document was “leaked,†it by-passed the authority of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, of which Cardinal Ratzinger was head and in which he and Pope John Paul II were taking the position of patience with the apparitions. The Catholic News article and articles like it were normally negative and one-sided. It caused great division in the Church, from the hierarchy down to the believers in the pews as some believed the apparitions were condemned by these articles, while the Church itself continued to be open, allowing Catholics to continue to go there—yet that was rarely reported in news articles. Thousands were experiencing conversion through Medjugorje and John Paul II did not want to oppress a movement that was producing such tremendous fruit in the Church.
