Bishop Zanic, while in Medjugorje to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation, speaks his disapproval of the apparitions a second time. It was on the Feast of St. James, the patron of the parish of Medjugorje. He said:
“There is a great deal of praying and fasting going on here (in Medjugorje) but it is in the belief that all the events are truly supernatural. However, to preach falsehood to the faithful concerning God, Jesus, and Our Lady—that merits the depths of hell.â€
Bishop Zanic’s hour long sermon was met with silence from the parishioners. An American who was in the Church at the time said:
“Being present in Medjugorje during the confirmation ceremony on July 25, 1987, the silence I witnessed by the large crowd at St. James Church…was a silence of pain and suffering by these beloved people of Medjugorje.â€
Our Lady also spoke on this day of the 25th, and in Her words She marked the direction She desired them to follow in light of this rejection of their Shepherd:
Bishop Zanic spoke, not on behalf of the Bishop’s Committee, but on his own behalf, his own opinion of the apparitions. It did not represent the Commission nor the Vatican’s directives concerning Medjugorje. Yet, it was widely reported in Catholic and secular news sources that Medjugorje was condemned and Cathoics were disobedient if they traveled there. This caused a great deal of confusion for the faithful and turned many away from Medjugorje. Time and time again, the Church would have to release statements to clarify the official standing on Medjugorje, which was that the faithful were free to go there.
