Italian liturgical scholar Andrea Grillo criticises the lack of clarity in the Vatican document on Medjugorje.
"The public cult, on which the 'nihil obstat' is finally based, is rooted on messages whose reference to Mary is labelled with a question mark as high as a house. Can this be enough?", writes Grillo in the Italian magazine "Munera" (Sunday). "It almost seems as if the fruits do not depend on the messages and the messages do not condition the fruits."
However, this does not go hand in hand with recognising the supernatural origin of the Marian apparitions. The conclusions of the document state that the positive assessment does not mean "to declare the alleged supernatural events as authentic, but only to point out that in the midst of this spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje, the Holy Spirit is fruitfully working for the good of the faithful".
"To detach the fruits from this 'supposedly authoritative' mediation is a rather gross methodological error," Grillo said about the argumentation in the text of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. "Is it possible to proclaim falsehoods and produce evangelical life? Should we get used to thinking this way?"
In addition, Grillo sees it as problematic that the positive and negative contents of the alleged messages are evaluated differently. "On the one hand, messages and seers are only 'assumed', on the other hand, the positive is presented as objective, while the negative seems to be only the result of the opinion of some," emphasises the theologian.
Ambiguity runs throughout
According to Grillo, the ambiguity of the text extends right through to the conclusions. "It even goes so far as to say in no. 38: 'It has been established that in the midst of a spiritual experience, many positive fruits have appeared and no negative or risky effects have spread among God's people'."
This exclusion of negative or risky effects is counteracted by the fact that it is up to each diocesan bishop to judge the value of Medjugorje or not.
In principle, the texts of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith under Prefect Victor Manuel Fernandez have a recognisable tendency to break new ground. According to Grillo, this is understandable.
"But the effects of this 'reorganisation' once again leave one very perplexed." Among other things, Grillo refers to the blessing document "Fiducia supplicans": like this, the Medjogurje text "does not lead to a solution, but to a non-solution".
Liturgical scholar Andrea Grillo has been teaching sacramental theology and philosophy of religion at the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant'Anselmo in Rome since 1994. He is considered the mastermind behind the motu proprio "Traditionis custodes", with which Pope Francis significantly restricted the celebration of Mass according to the missals of 1962 in 2021.