Did the Vatican approve of Medjugorje? Yes and no. It approves of the Marian devotions but does not say that it is of supernatural origin. It approves of pilgrimages but does not endorse statements of the visionaries nor of the phenomena that happened there. In simple words, the approval is on the devotion and on spiritual experiences of pilgrims but not on the supernatural character or authenticity of the Marian apparition.
The Vatican of course could not deny all the good things (conversions, healings, devotions, etc) that have happened in Medjugorje, but attribute these in the context of pilgrimages rather than in relation to the visionaries and Mary’s messages through them. But how can Mary’s appearance be dissociated from the visionaries?
The Vatican with the Pope’s approval issued a Nulla Osta (no objection). In effect this is a Nihil Obstat that says nothing is contrary to authentic faith. So the “approval” is phrased in a negative form rather than in a positive.
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