Controversy and official statements

Controversy and official statements

Catholics are divided on the credibility of the alleged visions. Negative judgments, expressed early by the local Bishop, Pavao Zanić, have been voiced by writers such as Michael Davies and E. Michael Jones, who suggested, among many other objections, that the alleged apparitions may have been used by the local Franciscan Order to challenge the authority of the diocese. The region in which Medjugorje lies is reported to have seen centuries of rivalry between members of the Franciscan Order, which runs the parish, and the diocesan hierarchy, in particular the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, the diocese to which Medjugorje belongs. Davies and Jones suggest this conflict played a part in initial, and continuing, opinions within Catholicism.

Apparitions: Types of Decisions the Church can Hand Down

Apparitions: Types of Decisions the Church can Hand Down
To fully comprehend the status of an appartion in the eyes of the Church, an understanding of decisions is needed. Links with cited source info can be found at the bottom.

What kind of decisions can be handed down by the Church? There are three:

* Constat de supernaturalitate (established as supernatural).
* Non constat de supernaturalitate (not established as supernatural).
* Constat de non supernaturalitate (established as not supernatural).