The Vatican has authorized public worship at Medjugorje, where some claim they have seen the Virgin Mary, acknowledging the “positive encouragement for their Christian life” that many pilgrims have received there.

In June 1981, six children aged 10 to 16 claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared to them on a hilltop near the town, now part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They reported that she shared messages of peace and prayer. Since then, the visionaries claim that the Virgin Mary has continued to return to Medjugorje, drawing millions of pilgrims worldwide and transforming the village into a major pilgrimage site.

The alleged apparitions have polarized Roman Catholic opinion. Many believers report finding spiritual solace in Medjugorje, with numerous accounts of miraculous healings and religious callings, while skeptics dismiss the sightings as a hoax.

After years of commissions and analyses, the Vatican released a document on Thursday to conclude the long and complex history surrounding Medjugorje’s spiritual phenomena.

However, the document signed by the head of the Vatican’s doctrine office, Víctor Manuel Fernández, emphasized that the decision does not verify the presence of a supernatural phenomenon at the site.

The church clarified that apparitions or other sightings are private experiences and do not require the faithful to accept their authenticity. “The faithful are not obliged to believe in it,” the document stated.

While the Virgin Mary’s messages at Medjugorje have been described as “edifying,” the Vatican noted that this does not necessarily indicate a “direct supernatural origin.” The messages are considered “alleged” and delivered through the visionaries.

The document stressed that the church’s evaluation of the positive spiritual outcomes at Medjugorje does not mean the alleged supernatural events are deemed authentic. Nonetheless, the spiritual phenomena are seen as benefiting the faithful.