Kraljica Mira

Reprinted from the Asian Journal
October 26, 2007



Dobar Dan or “good day” as they like to greet each other here in Medjugorje.

Twenty-six years and thirty million pilgrims later, Medjugorje, situated in the heart of mountainous Bosnia-Hercegovina, is no longer the quiet, God-forsaken village that it was in Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia. It has, in fact, become one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Christendom.

The story is now well known. On June 24, 1981, the feast of St. John the Baptist, six children, walking by the hill of Podbrdo on their way home to Bijakovici, saw an incredibly beautiful lady. Dazzling like the sun, she wore a luminous white veil over her head and cradled a baby in her arms. The children claim that no words are adequate to describe her lovely face and smile.

Since that momentous afternoon in 1981, Kraljica Mira (translated to “Queen of Peace” in Croatian) has miraculously appeared to the six visionaries every day at around 5:40 PM. The daily apparition may last from two minutes to an hour, but usually occurs in five to ten minutes.

The children go into ecstasy when the apparition occurs and they report that they see Kraljica Mira or Gospa (“Our Lady”) just like they see you and me. They converse with her freely and she in turn gives them private and public messages. Through Marija, a public message is given to the parish (and the world) every 25th day of each month. In the early years, the message was promptly posted on the front door of St. James Church. With the advent of the Internet, such message is disseminated world wide by a click on the keyboard (log on to http://medjugorje.org).

Today, only three of the visionaries -- Marija, Vicka and Ivan -- continue to see Kraljica Mira each single day. The other three -- Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- no longer see Our Lady except on special occasions. Reminiscent of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, the last three children (now adults) have received ten secrets each, which are to be revealed to a priest of their choice, at the proper time.

The secrets of Medjugorje understandably scare people who link them to the Book of Revelations or an apocalyptic end of the world scenario. But the visionaries emphasize God’s love and say that people who strive to live the messages of Medjugorje have no reason to fear. Theologians who have analyzed the hundreds of messages through the years see them as consistent with lessons in the Gospel. Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje when the apparitions began, summarizes the messages into five main points or requests by Our Lady, namely:

1. To “pray with the heart” or to pray the Rosary each day (preferably to pray together with family).

2. To attend Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist regularly.

3. To read and reflect daily on Scripture.

4. To fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays (assuming one’s health allows; otherwise, to fast from other things, i.e., TV, movies, video games, internet, and other distractions).

5. To practice monthly confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation).

American pilgrims frequently ask if morning coffee is consistent with fasting to which Mirjana responds with an impish smile: “Sure, just drink it before Our Lady wakes up!” Italians typically ask if pasta can substitute for bread (rice for Filipinos?). The visionaries respond with good humor. The point, they say, is that Our Lady does not wish to give us a hard time. Far from it, she just wants us to advance spiritually, step by step.

Actually, none of the above Christian practices are radically new. Fasting may have been forgotten along with other ascetic traditions known since the time of the Apostles. The purpose of fasting is to develop the virtue of self-discipline, which is essential for spiritual maturity. Kraljica Mira frequently invites the visionaries (and the world through them) to make every effort to incorporate these virtuous practices in our daily life.

The Vatican has not officially approved the apparitions at Medjugorje. But that is not unusual; traditionally, the Church waits until apparitions or supernatural phenomena have ceased before embarking on a full theological investigation, as in the case of Fatima and Lourdes.

The visionaries, however, have been subjected to a battery of medical and scientific tests. A local physician, Dr. Ante Vujevic, conducted the first examination when communist police brought the children to the doctor four days after the first apparition took place. On June 29, the children were rushed to a clinic in Mostar and examined by Dr. Dzudza Mulija. The psychiatrist reportedly remarked that the frantic officers who brought the visionaries to the clinic were the ones who acted insane. The children were clearly psychologically normal.

Other psychiatrists, including Croatian Dr. Nikola Bartulica who practices in Missouri, have evaluated the visionaries from October 1981 to 1989. In 1991, Dr. Bartulica published his conclusions in the book, “Are the visionaries telling the truth?” All the medical and scientific experts to date have uncovered nothing out of the ordinary or pathological with the visionaries. They have all been assessed to be physically and psychologically healthy and definitely not epileptic or hysterical.

The most exhaustive series of examinations, utilizing technically advanced monitoring devices, were performed from March to December 1984 by a team of French experts, led by Dr. Henri Joyeaux. Their findings were published in the book, “Etudes medicales et scientifiques sur les apparitions de Medjugorje”.

The following year, a scientific and theological commission composed of 17 French and Italian experts, including a vision and a hearing specialist, interviewed and tested the visionaries. The consensus was invariably the same -- the visionaries were physically and mentally fine.

In 1998, at the request of the Franciscans, a team headed by Dr. Andreas Resch, Professor of Theology at the Papal University Alfonsianum in Rome, expanded on the tests conducted by the French and Italian team.

The most recent scientific investigation was performed on the 24th anniversary of Medjugorje, at the behest of the Holy See. It was conducted by Professor Joyeaux, with the assistance of neurologist, Dr. Philippe Loron. When the visionaries went into ecstasy, their brain waves and vital signs were recorded in detail. Ivan resents being “treated like a guinea pig” but endures having a nest of electrodes and wires taped all over his body if only to persuade skeptics and unbelievers.

All the medical and scientific testing through the years have arrived at the same conclusion: the visionaries are undoubtedly normal, healthy individuals. They are not under the influence of drugs or any mind-altering substance. They are not pretending, imagining things, or hallucinating.

Needless to say, the daily appearance of Kraljica Mira cannot be proven scientifically. But, indirectly, scientific methods applied to the visionaries have not detected fraud, delusion, hallucination, or any other subjective irrationality. Granted, for the sake of argument that the visionaries are pretending to see things and making up stories, it is humanly impossible to go through such acts fraudulently every day for 26 years.

To believers of the supernatural events in Medjugorje, no further proof that the Mother of God is appearing daily is needed. To unbelievers, no amount of proof, scientific or otherwise, will suffice.


more . . . E-mails from the Desert - Dr. Ed Gamboa