QUESTION CORNER
Q: What is the current official response of the church to the reported apparitions at Medjugorje? (Palmyra, Virginia)
A: As I write this answer (in July 2017), the church still awaits a formal pronouncement from the Vatican on the authenticity of the alleged appearances of Our Lady at Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The most recent clue as to what that final decision might say comes from comments made by Pope Francis to journalists on the papal plane as he returned to Rome from Fatima in May 2017.
The pontiff said that, while investigations into the original reported apparitions in 1981 should continue, he has personal doubts that Mary continues to appear to the “seers.” (Three of the six young people who claim to have seen Our Lady in 1981 say that she continues to appear to them each day, while the other three assert that Mary now appears to them once a year.)
The church’s investigations have been long and comprehensive. From 1982 to 1990, first a local diocesan commission and then a Yugoslavian bishops’ panel looked into the matter before deciding that they could not confirm that the supposed appearances were authentic. Beginning in 2010, another commission established by Pope Benedict XVI looked further into the claims; that commission has not yet issued a public report.
Meanwhile, thousands of pilgrims continue to flock to Medjugorje each month with clear spiritual benefit — including, for some, the restoration of faith and return to the sacraments after many years away. Pope Francis acknowledged this in his recent remarks on the plane, saying, “The spiritual fact, the pastoral fact, that people go there and are converted, the people who meet God, who change their lives … cannot be denied.” For that reason, Pope Francis recently appointed the archbishop of Warsaw-Praga as his personal envoy to Medjugorje to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and the pilgrims.
Pope Francis’ remarks while returning from Fatima would seem to match unofficial reports that the Vatican commission believes that the first seven appearances of Mary from June 24-July 3, 1981, were authentic but that the thousands of supposed visions since are dubious. Pope Francis told reporters, “I prefer Our Lady to be a mother, our mother, and not a telegraph operator who sends out a message every day at a certain time.”
When can I stop going to Mass?
Q: One month from now, I will turn 90 years old. What determines when it is best for a person not to attend Sunday Mass?
I have macular degeneration and cannot follow the scriptural passages in the missal or follow the words to the hymns. My legs are very weak from vascular problems, and I have fallen several times.
Our church is consistently cold for me, even when I wear a jacket. (Last Sunday, it was 55 degrees outside, and the air conditioning was on.)
I still love going to Mass, and my wife can still do the driving, but for future reference, I would appreciate the church’s thinking. (Columbus, Ohio)
A: The church’s Code of Canon Law recognizes that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass can be lifted for “grave cause” (Canon 1248.2). Illness (or the need to care for the sick) have traditionally been seen as qualifying reasons — particularly when combined with the frailty of advanced age.
If anything, we tend to be too scrupulous in this regard. Regularly, I see people with communicable illnesses jeopardize themselves and others by following what they perceive to be their obligation to be in church on Sunday — and similarly for the elderly in hazardous weather.
In your own situation, I don’t think the macular degeneration excuses you — since you can listen, with profit, to the scriptural readings and the hymns. But the vascular issue is a different story — that could lead, and apparently has led, to dangerous falls.
So be generous to yourself in your judgment: You might be better off staying at home and praying right where you are — perhaps watching the Mass on television, although you would not be obliged to do that.
There is, though, no substitute for the spiritual strength which comes from holy Communion; so why not ask your pastor to designate an extraordinary minister of holy Communion (perhaps your wife) to bring Communion to you at home?
Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, New York 12203.
