Is Our Lady Appearing at Medjugorje?

I've never understood fully all the controversy surrounding the apparitions at Medjugorje, I know there are problems with it, but can you explain it for me?

A - Thanks for the question. Medjugorge is a site in Bosnia where some children reported to start to receive visions from Mary in 1981. The visionaries say they continue to this day. This is a touchy subject for many people, because I know there are thousands of good Catholics who have visited Medjugorje to see the purported visionaries see and listen to the Virgin Mary give them messages from Heaven. Many believe that she is appearing there and are very sincere in their belief. But, sincerity doesn't prove it is happening nor does a personal belief.

Eventually the Catholic Church will rule officially on whether the visions are valid or not, and they have formed a commission to look into it - which is rare, because they usually do not rule until the visions end. But, until that day I recommned you steer clear of anything to do with Medjugorje. I will lay out why below.

1 - If The Visions Are Not Valid, There Are No Good Options.
Suppose that the visions are ruled to be invalid, and most of the evidence that is coming from the Church points that way, then there is no good option left for a person who believes them to be true:

• A - They can believe the Church is right, but their experience was not.
• B - The can believed their experience is correct, but the Church is not.

2 - All Private Revelation is Optional.
Neither option is good for a devotee of Mejugorje. Furthermore, ANY private revelation, even if approved by the Church such as Lourdes, Fatima, or Guadalupe, still isn't necessary for any Catholic to believe in. We are only bound to believe in public revelation and those doctrines intimately tied to publicly revealed truths that come to us from Jesus and the Apostles.

3 - The local Bishop Has Grave Doubts.
The local bishops in Bosnia have repeatedly stated that they doubt the visions are valid. In one statement Bishop Peric said:

"As the local bishop, I maintain that regarding the events of Medjugorje, on the basis of the investigations and experience gained thus far throughout these last 25 years, the church has not confirmed a single apparition as authentically being the Madonna."

These 3 reasons are just the tip of the iceberg. I admit I haven't paid much attention to Medjugorje, because I find everything I have heard from Church officials who oversee the Diocese (and from the Vatican) to be troubling, at best. Some priests involved have been dismissed from their orders, some troubles in the purported messages, and other issues continue to surface.

I hope this helps.

Furthermore - I know this will bring out supporters of the visionaries. For the sake of clarity, I am NOT saying that Mary isn't appearing. I am saying I have solid doubts she is, based on the evidence. We will all know once the Church rules one way or the other. Until then ask Mary to pray for us all.

NOTE - comments will be strictly monitored.