ZAGREB, 27 Nov, 2021 - Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Aldo Cavalli as special apostolic visitator for the parish of Međugorje, the Holy See's press office and the website of the globally popular Catholic place of pilgrimage in Bosnia and Herzegovina said on Saturday.

Msgr. Cavalli was until now apostolic nuncio in the Netherlands.

The Holy See said in its brief statement that Cavalli has been appointed indefinitely.

Cavalli will continue the mission of Archbishop Henryk Hoser, who died of COVID-19 in Warsaw on 13 August.

Hoser was appointed apostolic visitator for Međugorje in 2018 to organise pilgrimages and pastoral care.

Msgr. Cavalli was born in 1946 in Lecce, Italy, and was ordained a priest in the Bergamo Diocese in 1971.

He served in several nunciatures as secretary and at the Holy See Secretariat of State.

He was apostolic nuncio in Chile, Colombia, Malta and Libya, and since 21 March 2015 he was apostolic nuncio to the Netherlands and the Holy See's permanent representative at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The head of the Franciscan province of Herzegovina, Friar Miljenko Šteko, has welcomed the appointment of the new apostolic visitator.

The Holy See appointed the apostolic visitator for Međugorje in 2018.

The Međugorje phenomenon dates back to 1981 when six local children claimed that the Virgin Mary revealed herself to them. Some of them say that she still does.

For more about Croatia, CLICK HERE.

Pope Francis has allowed pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Msgr. Henryk Hoser announced on Sunday at a mass held in Medjugorje together with the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina Msgr. Luigi Pezutto, reports 24sata.hr on May 13, 2019.

“Pope Francis has determined that it is possible to organise pilgrimages in Medjugorje, always making sure that they are not interpreted as recognition of well-known events that still require further examination by the church, i.e. they should not create in any way ambiguousness in the doctrinal sense. The same criterion will be applied to the shepherds of every rank and degree who wish to go to Medjugorje and celebrate in a solemn way,” announced the church.

Translated into a more comprehensible language – the faithful are now officially allowed to make pilgrimages, but this does not mean that the church officially recognises the alleged apparitions and testimonies of the so-called “visionaries,” which the church is still investigating.

According to theologian Anna Maria Gruenfelder, this means that believers must come with the proper purpose. “This means that people should come to worship God, without coming to Medjugorje as an acknowledged sanctuary because it is not. This is actually a concession by Pope to the great number of believers coming there,” said the theologian.

This decision by Pope Francis does not actually change anything, says sociologist of religion Ivica Maštruko. Everything will stay as before. “The only thing that has changed is that now parishes, dioceses and Catholic associations may organise pilgrimages to Medjugorje, which has not been allowed so far because it was not an officially recognised sanctuary. The pilgrimages have hitherto been made exclusively as a private affair. Nothing changes. A large number of believers used to come and will continue to come to Medjugorje,” said Maštruko, while Gruenfelder added that the Vatican would continue to monitor that pilgrimages are not exploited for economic benefit.

Translated from 24sata.hr (reported by Ivan Pavić).

More Medjugorje news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

On Easter in 1994, a believer from the United States, Susan Tassone, claims to have had a miraculous healing experience in Medjugorje, reports 24sata.hr on April 21, 2019.

“In 1983, I had a serious traffic accident. I was crossing a street in Chicago when I was hit by a car. The strike was so powerful that it threw me under the car, which hit me again and left a large wound on my leg. I could not travel anywhere. When I told a doctor that I wanted to go on a pilgrimage, I was surprised by his answer: “I think you should leave. Come back in ten days. Be careful.”

A year later, she made a decision to travel to Medjugorje. “I got healed at Križevac. The wounds were no longer on my leg. After I got back home, the doctor examined me and said: ‘Your leg is completely healthy. It is a miracle!’ Tassone recalled, convinced that the Lord had healed her. She submitted her medical documentation to the Medjugorje parish in 1998.

Susan Tassone has published a number of religious books and is active in spreading God's word. With her books, interviews and guest appearances in various TV shows and at religious events, she has provided hope to believers across the United States.

Another Easter miracle in Medjugorje occurred to Damir Ćorić. He was severely ill, underwent five surgeries due to hydrocephalus, the brain enlargement syndrome, which cause enlargement of the head and brain atrophy.

“The long and difficult illness started on March 21, 1980. That was the first time I was examined in Mostar after symptoms that were characterised by weakness in my legs. They moved me from Mostar to Zagreb, where I was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. After the final operation, they sent me home, believing they could no longer help me. I was feeling worse and worse,” said Damir Ćorić.

“In July 1981, my family drove me to Medjugorje. Then my family began to pray. Three weeks later, they took me back to Medjugorje, in the church, where visionary Vicka prayer over me. At that moment, I felt like a force was entering into me. On my way home, I tried to explain to my mother what I experienced during the prayer. I was able to sit on the very next day and then I did my first steps. On Christmas, I started talking, and on next Easter, I was completely recovered,” he said.

In October 1983, he got a job at a factory in Mostar. After a medical examination on January 17, 1984, Damir was proclaimed healthy and capable of work. On the insistence of physicians studying the case, Damir underwent a CT brain scan in 1988 and was additionally examined by a neurologist and a neurosurgeon. Both CT and two specialist examinations confirmed the patient's health.

Translated from 24sata.hr (reported by Ira Kralj).

More Medjugorje news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Apostolic Visitor Henryk Hoser speaks about Medjugorje.

The non-credible apparitions of the "Medjugorje phenomenon" include those in the first seven or ten days of 1981, say the Mostar-Duvno Diocese.

Archbishop Henryk Hoser is getting ready to start his mission in Medjugorje.

Because the wonderful world of Croatian football keeps getting weirder. 

The move demonstrates a changing attitude towards Medjugorje.

The first task will be to improve the pastoral care.

The move is considered to be another step on the way towards the official recognition of Medjugorje as a Marian shrine.