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The Bishop's View: the Context of the “Medjugorje Phenomenon

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The Bishop's View: the Context of the “Medjugorje Phenomenon The Bishop’s View: The context of the “Medjugorje phenomenon”: Part I Vlašić’s involvement in the “Medjugorje phenomenon” (This document was published in the bulletin of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno, Službeni vjesnik, 2/2009, pp. 179-184. This translation is based on the Italian version on the diocesan website.) Just as last year, when the Holy See sanctioned the Rev. Vlašić with interdict, warning him of more severe penalties if he would not obey, once again numerous comments have appeared in the mass media to proclaim the non-connection between the “Medjugorje phenomenon” and the “Vlašić case”. If in both the letter and in reference to the two more serious penalties there is an explicit reminder of the “Medjugorje phenomenon”,[1] in which Tomislav Vlašić in involved, why is there never any connection between the one and the other? We would like to recall just that undeniable connection, from the beginning. Tomislav Vlašić, born at Socivi, 16 January 1942, was ordained a priest as a member of the Herzegovinian Franciscan province, 16 July 1969, at Frohleiten, Austria.[2] After ordination he worked for some time as a spiritual assistant at Humac[3] and starting in 1973 as superior of the residence at the Franciscan house in Jablanovac, Zagabria.[4] At the proposal of the provincial superiors, he was canonically named spiritual assistant in the parish of Capljina in 1977,[5] where he remained in service until 17 August 1981, when he moved to Medjugorje, on his own initiative, without any necessary warning and without the approval of the bishop.[6] But, according to the Reverend R. Laurentin, the quasi-official historiographer of the “Medjugorje apparitions”, the Provincialate gave Fr. Vlašić permission to reside at Medjugorje, all without the knowledge of the Bishop. Fr. Laurentin writes: “Coming to know of the arrest [of Fr. Zovko, the parish priest] that same day, August 17, Tomislav Vlašić, parish priest from Capljina, went to Medjugorje in order to inform himself and take account of the situation. From there he went immediately to the provincialate, at Mostar, to inform them of the serious situation and the danger that weighed on the parish left without anyone to guide them. The provincial found his observations sensible and his visit providential. He immediately named him to replace the imprisoned parish priest. - Therefore, at the end of the next day, friar Tomislav settled into the presbytery of Medjugorje. For the second time, he contacted the seers, whom he had rapidly questioned on June 29. He became their 'spiritual director' and this would be the title he kept later in the parish....”[7] Therefore, by the sixth day after the “apparitions” happened at Medjugorje, and after the arrest of friar Jozo Zovko, 17 August, transferred to the parish of Medjugorje, where the Provincialate “appointed” him parochial vicar. Obviously, the Provincialate cannot appoint him as a parochial vicar, but can only The context of the Medjugorje phenomenon, part I, page 1/7 propose him, because it is the Bishop who canonically appoints a parish priest or a chaplain, but again such “appointments” are part of the tragic “Herzegovina case” and the “Medjugorje phenomenon”. The Provincialate did propose Fr. Vlašić as “spiritual assistant at Medjugorje”, only a year later, 19 July 1982, although it could and must have known about the sad “Zagabria case”, which had to be resolved in another way. Bishop Zanić, not knowing about Vlašić's moral life and the implications of the “Zagabria affair”, sent the decree on 27 July of that year for his transfer and carrying out his activity at Medjugorje.[8] Since the year 1981, Fr. Vlašić has been implicated in the events of Medjugorje, accompanying the “seers” and inseparably connected to the “Medjugorje phenomenon”, from its beginnings and also in what followed. Or rather, the “Medjugorje phenomenon” was created in a sense , even before its beginning. Already in May 1981, over a month before the beginning of the “apparitions”, “Fr. Vlašić went to Rome for an international congress of leaders of the Charismatic Movement. During the congress he had asked some of those present to pray with him for the healing of the Church in Yugoslavia. A religious, Sister Briege McKenna, who was united with those in prayer, had a vision: she saw Fr. Vlašić seated and surrounded by a great crowd of people facing him, and from the place where he was seated, there flowed rivers of water. Another religious there, Fr. Emile Tardiff, OP, said in prophecy, “Do not be afraid, I will send you my Mother.” After a couple of weeks, the Madonna began to appear in Medjugorje.” [9] And above all he has been involved in the “Medjugorje phenomenon” after having been proposed by his Superiors in July 1982 and having been approved and appointed by the Bishop as chaplain of Medjugorje. Here are the written proofs. Friar Tomislav Vlašić and Friar Slavko Barbarić tell the seers what they are to say to the people. In the Chronicle of the apparitions, prepared then by friar Tomislav Vlašić, we read: 21. VIII. 1982. (Saturday). In the morning friar Tomislav and friar Slavko spoke with the seers. The conversation turned toward the direction of the edification of themselves as persons, and toward indicating their role in the context of these events, especially in regard to their authority, which they must not put at risk in responding to all the questions, but direct the people to the way of conversion and waiting for the promises of God.” Two Franciscans want to indicate the role of the “seers”, that they must not put their own authority at risk in responding to all the questions, but speak of “conversion” and “waiting for the promises of God”, because they won't make any mistakes that way; at least that is compatible with the real Madonna! “The seers must not make statements without informing us.” In the Chronicle of 12 April 1984. Vlašić wrote: “Today I spoke with all the seers. I brought to their attention again the necessity of not releasing statements to anyone without informing us.” This means that he is to control, verify, approve, and announce what is true and what is false in the “messages of the Gospa”. The censor of the “messages of the Gospa”! What an interference in the “Medjugorje phenomenon”! The context of the Medjugorje phenomenon, part I, page 2/7 A grave theological error. In spite of Vlašić, who was illicitly at Medjugorje, a notorious theological heresy showed up, which he had already written down in the Chronicle, 6 May 1982, getting it sincerely from the “seers”: “This evening the young seers posed a theological question and received the answer. Are people in heaven present with their souls, or with the soul and the body? - they asked. They were answered: They are present with the soul and with the body.” All of us profess the Catholic faith that the resurrection of the body (resurrectio mortuorum) will be at the Last Judgment, and Fr. Vlašić takes down the fable of the “seers” of Medjugorje: not only Jesus and the Madonna, as we believe in the Catholic Church, but also all the other saved persons in heaven “with the soul and the body”! And he leaves that in the official Chronicle, with no other observation! This means that even he is not clear about this Catholic dogma, and that after 13 years of preaching on the Nicene Creed at Humac, Jablanovac, Capljina, and Medjugorje. No wonder that last year the Congregation indicated he should take the elementary course on theology and pronounce the profession of faith, on the approval of the Holy See! “The apparition” of Medjugorje praises the work of Vlašić. In Vicka's diary manuscript of 28 February 1982, the alleged apparition greatly praised the work of Vlašić as a guide to the “seers”. Vicka's literal text: “I and Jacov were there. The Gospa came at 6, 3 minutes, she looked kindly at us. Then the Gospa spoke about Tomislav, first she looked at him, and then said: “you can thank Tomislav very much because he is guiding you so well.”[10] The one who is illicitly at Medjugorje, and is directing everything so well, and -- directing everyone to follow him. And the “Gospa of Medjugorje” praises and approves it all! “The apparition” recommends Vlašić as a spiritual teacher. He himself writes in the Chronicle of the apparitions, 5 March 1984, speaking of Ivan Dragicevic: “The Gospa expressed the desire and recommended, after his request for advice, to finish his upper levels and after that she would show him what to do. She also told him to entrust himself to friar Tomislav Vlašić to guide him spiritually.”[11] The one who, furthermore -- either one of them -- have acted without regard to the “message” of the “apparition” of Medjugorje! Friar Tomislav talks to the “seer” Ivan, Ivan talks to friar Tomislav, and then the whole thing is attributed to the Blessed Virgin. Vlašić accompanies the seers according to “divine providence”. In the letter of 13.IV.1984, he presents himself to the Pope as the one who “through Divine Providence guides the seers of Medjugorje”. He reports that “the Madonna continues to recount her life to the seers” and informs the Pope: “I will be in Rome from 19 April to 10 May for an international meeting. I know that you are very busy, but if you can receive me for a few minutes, I will be able to tell you about the main points of the apparitions.”[12] The Pope did not receive him. The context of the Medjugorje phenomenon, part I, page 3/7 Barbarić on Vlašić On the role and the connection of Vlašić with the “Medjugorje phenomenon” even from the beginnings, how he “channeled” the apparitions and events, another disobedient person of Medjugorje has testified, in a better way, writing chronologically: the propagandist of the “apparitions” and myth- maker of the events, friar Slavko Barbarić.
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