Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje, arrived in the village after a three day absence. He was alarmed to see the confusion caused by the story of the children. Fr. Jozo questioned the children for the first time, but could not come to have belief in the apparitions. The children were picked up and brought to the police station for questioning. In an attempt to have them labeled “mentally unfit,†they were examined by the doctor on duty who, instead, found them to be normal, well-balanced and healthy. This was the beginning of a very long history of examinations of every type to try to disprove the visionaries’ testimonies.
The visionaries asked:
“How must we pray?â€
Our Lady said:
The 7,7,7 are traditional prayers of the Croatian people. They became part of the spiritual foundation of the Medjugorje experience. The visionaries asked Our Lady to leave a sign for the people. Our Lady responded only with a smile.
