Message on Church Authority

Our Lady gave guidance to those who are concerned with the Church approving Medjugorje. This message was given in 1986. A Friend of Medjugorje, founder of Caritas and the Community of Caritas, in writing to his bishop, Reverend Bishop David Foley of the Birmingham, Alabama diocese, to explain the Rule of the Community of Caritas based in the messages of Our Lady, wrote this to give an application to Our Lady’s words:

“In writing our Rule, many would be tempted, and I have likewise been advised, not to speak too much about Our Lady and Medjugorje, for it has the taboo of not yet having Church approval, and it is private revelation. This doesn’t make it any more true or false. What is happening is what is happening. For us, there doesn’t have to be judgment along the way. We are not carrying out a call as if it is in a frozen or suspended state. If that should be the case, how would the Church ever move to pass any judgment, approving or disapproving, it there are not approvals or disapprovals of what springs forth from these apparitions? The Church must see something, have some substance to examine in order to judge something worthy of belief. In Our Lady’s own words, this wisdom is pronounced from Her own lips. The words themselves give evidence that they are from a source of great wisdom. Our Lady’s message, dated from the year 1986, is important to qualify Her position, which is our position. Our Lady said:

‘One must follow the authority of the Church with certainty. Yet, before she expresses an opinion, it is necessary to advance spiritually, because She will not be able to express a judgement in a vacuum, but in a confirmation which presupposes the growth of the child. First comes birth, followed by Baptism, then Confirmation. The Church comes to confirm him who, is born of God. We must walk and advance in the spiritual life, affected by these messages.’”

A Friend of Medjugorje continued in his letter to Bishop Foley:

“The origin of these rules of our community would not truthfully be expressed to you without stating our intimate connection to Our Lady, Queen of Peace, of Medjugorje. If the reality of the Virgin of Nazareth in the apparitions of Medjugorje in our lives were ignored, how could Medjugorje ever hope to be approved? We are a fruit directly from these apparitions, and while we have no agenda or ambition to work for the approval of Medjugorje because that is not our call, we do seek approval of our work and the recognition of its fruit. While the apparitions of Medjugorje have not yet been approved, there are several Medjugorje communities, outside our own, which have been approved by the Church. Therefore, in the writing of the Rule, there is no second-guessing the Church’s authority or its ultimate judgment of which we submit. We, rather, state that our Rule is handed to us from Our Lady’s guidance, through Her messages given in Medjugorje, and Her intercession, and as to that truth for us, we would be cowards and liars to pretend anything else in order to be viewed in a more favorable light.”