Medjugorje Press Bulletin 209 -

209
April 26, 2005

PRESS BULLETIN - English
(Extracts)

MEDITATION
"Dear children! Also today, I call you to renew prayer in your families. By prayer and the reading of Sacred Scripture, may the Holy Spirit, who will renew you, enter into your families. In this way, you will become teachers of the faith in your family. By prayer and your love, the world will set out on a better way and love will begin to rule in the world. Thank you for having responded to my call." April 25, 2005

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TOTUS TUUS, JOHN PAUL!
He is gone! He went on a journey, leaving traces in the hearts! What to write? They say that he has died, but isn't this in truth a birth? There is no death for people like him, they travel… The Pope Jean Paul II left for his last pilgrimage - towards the arms the heavenly Father. He went home. He went to his heavenly Mother. Yes. Once again, he wants to tell her: “Totus tuus, Mary – all yours, Mary”.

Why did we love him? Because he was our Pope? This is true, but there were others Popes who were not loved in such a way. In Jean Paul II, we loved God to whom he opened his door. In him, we loved Mary who was his advocate. In him, we loved the ordinary man who found a shelter in his heart. In him, we loved the Church, which he has served and not governed.

We loved in him the illness and the weakness, which he did not hide. We loved him because he was love. He loved until the end, each one and everywhere. He loved where love was not loved, according to the words of saint Francis.

We should not neglect the fact that we have accompanied from this world to the other a Pope who approached death with the rosary in the hand. His “Amen” is like the cry of Jesus: “All is accomplished”. He accepted the realization of the plan of God in him until the last limits. His Fiat, may your will be done, was pronounced like Mary did, who was his mother and his teacher.

From the perspective of Medjugorje, we can say that a man left who celebrated and accompanied the apparitions of Our Lady in silence. He was incontestably in favour of Medjugorje. Cardinals, bishops, priests, personalities to whom he gave his blessing for a pilgrimage towards the Queen Peace in Medjugorje, give witness about it. As a man devoted to Mary, he was able to recognize the power of the sacramental life of the Church, which was spread in the world like a river. He has not physically come to Medjugorje, but his heart was here. This Pope counted on Our Lady and Our Lady counted on him. They travelled together while inviting people to come towards Christ. Together, they were “conquering” a world marked by hatred, and they were gradually transforming it into love and harbour of peace. After all, let us not be surprised by the words of a young girl: “Totus tuus, Jean Paul II!” These same words, according to which he lived, we can repeat ourselves: Totus tuus!

Fr. Mario Knezovic

NEWS
NUMBER OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During the month of March 2005, 81.000 communions were distributed and 1396 priests from this country and from abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
In March, pilgrims were here from: the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, Korea, Mexico, Egypt, England, Rumania, Malta, Sri Lanka, Belgium, France, Ireland, Argentina, Japan, Canada, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.

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HOLY FATHER JOHN PAUL II HAS DIED
Holy Father John Paul II has died on April 2, at 21.37. The parish Medjugorje and the pilgrims were in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. While Holy Father, according to the words of his nearest collaborators “is already contemplating God”, perpetual prayers are held also in Medjugorje. On Saturday, April 2, the usual hour of Adoration at 9 pm is prolonged until midnight, for the intentions of the Pope and for the Church. At the moment when the Pope was dying, the priest was meditation on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane who is calling his disciples to be with him and pray. The faithful were singing. “Stay with me, remain here with me, watch and pray”, and after this: “I need you, Jesus, I give my life to you, you are the source of my life, consolation of my heart, I implore you, Jesus, Lord, hear my prayer.”

John Paul II was a Pope devoted to Mary. His pontifical slogan was “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt”. For him, Mary was the Mother of the Church and the way that is leading to Christ. In this sense he renewed the devotion to Mary, especially the prayer of the Rosary, introducing into the Rosary the Mysteries of light. He was always saying that the devotion to Mary has to be lived in a Christ-centric way and he was writing about thism especially in his Encyclical “Redemptoris Mater� (1987) and in the Apostolic letter “Rosarium Virginis Mariae” (2002), but also in the Apostolic letter “Novo Millennio Ineunte” (2001), in which he entrusted to Mary the lives of all human beings and of the world of the new millennium.

Holy Father has never officially recognised the apparitions of Medjugorje, but he believed in them, and he told this to many. During his pontificate, ha was putting into practice what Our Lady was inviting us to.

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POPE JOHN PAUL II ABOUT MEDJUGORJE These statements are not confirmed by the Pope’s seal and signature, but are brought by trustworthy persons.
1. In a private conversation with the visionary Mirjana Soldo the Pope said: "If I were not Pope I would already be in Medjugorje confessing."(1987).

2. Mons. Maurillo Kreiger, former bishop of Florianopolis (Brazil), visited Medjugorje four times. He writes as follows: "In 1988, after a private mass with the Pope, before leaving Rome, he said, without having been asked anything, "Pray for me in Medjugorje". On another occasion, I told the Pope "I am going to Medjugorje for the fourth time". He concentrated his thoughts and said, "Medjugorje, Medjugorje, it is the spiritual heart of the world". On the same day I spoke with other Brazilian bishops and the Pope at lunchtime and I asked him: "Your holiness, can I tell the visionaries that you send your blessing?" He answered: "Yes yes", and embraced me.

3. To a group of doctors, who work for the defence and protection of the life of the unborn, the Pope said on the 1st of 1989,"Yes, today the world has lost the sense of the supernatural. In Medjugorje, many seek and re-find this sense in prayer, fasting and confession."

4.On November 11, 1990, the Korean national weekly newspaper ("Catholic News") published an article by Mons. Angelo Kim, President of the Korean Bishops' Conference: "Prior to the conclusion of the last Bishops' Synod in Rome, the Korean bishops were invited to a lunch with the Holy Father. On this occasion, Mons. Kim addressed the Holy Father directly and said,
"Father, thanks to you, Poland was able to liberate itself from Communism". To this, the Holy Father responded, "No, this is not my merit. This is the work of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as She had predicted in Fatima and in Medjugorje."

5.The Pope said to Fr. Jozo Zovko on the 20th July 1992: "Busy yourself with Medjugorje, look after Medjugorje, don’t tire. Persevere, be strong, I am with you. Watch over, follow Medjugorje."

6.The Archbishop of Paraguay, Mons. Felipe Santiago Bentez, in November of 1994 asked of the Holy Father, the Pope if he was right to give approval to the faithful gathering in the spirit of Medjugorje, especially with the priests of Medjugorje. The Holy Father answered: "Approve all that is related to Medjugorje".

7. In the unofficial part of the meeting of Pope John Paul II with the Croatian delegation of Church and State held in Rome on the 7th of April 1995., the Holy Father amongst other things said that there was some possibility of renewing his visit to Croatia. Together with this he mentioned the possibility of arriving in Split, and from there on to the shrine of "Marija Bistrica" and Medjugorje. ("Slobodna Dalmacija", 8th of April 1995, page 3.)

8. On March 15, 1997, the Croatian President, Dr. Franjo Tudjman, said: "Again I repeat that on the occasion of my last conversation with him Pope John Paul II said that, on the occasion of his visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina, he would like also to visit Medjugorje."

OUR LADY ABOUT THE POPE JOHN PAUL II

1. According to the testimony of the visionaries, May 13, 1982 on the occasion of the assassination attempt on the Pope, Our Lady said, "His enemies tried to kill him, but I have protected him."

2. Through the visionaries on June 26, 1982 Our Lady sends her message to the Pope, "Let him be considered as the father of all people and not just of Christians; let him tirelessly and courageously announce the message of Peace and Love among men."

3. Through Jelena Vasilj who had an internal locution September 16, 1982 Our Lady pronounced about the Pope, "God has given him permission to defeat Satan."

She requests of all and especially of the Pope "to spread the message that I have received from my Son. I desire to entrust to the Pope the word with which I have come here to Medjugorje: Peace; he should spread it to all parts of the world. . .he should unite Christians by his word and his preaching. Let him mainly among youth spread the messages that he has received from the Father in prayer. God inspires him then.

Taking into consideration the difficulties of the parish regarding the bishop and the commission for investigation of the events in the parish of Medjugorje, Our Lady said, "Church authority should be followed. However, before it pronounces its judgment it is necessary to progress spiritually. It will not pronounce its judgment hastily. It takes place as with a birth that is followed by baptism and confirmation. The Church will confirm that which is born of God. We should go and progress in the spiritual life, impelled by this messages."

4. On the occasion of the Pope's visit in Croatia Our Lady said, "Dear children! Today I am united with you in a special way, praying for the gift of the presence of my beloved son in your homeland. Pray, little children, for the health of my dearest son, who is suffering, and whom I have chosen for these times. I pray and intercede before my Son, Jesus, so that the dream that your fathers had may be fulfilled. Pray, little children, in a special way, because Satan is strong and wants to destroy hope in your heart. I bless you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (8.25.1994)

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MEDJUGORJE IS PRAYING FOR THE POPE
Because of serious health conditions of the Holy Father, on the day before his death, in Medjugorje we were praying for his intentions in all the Masses.

We have invited all the friends to be united in prayer for John Paul II, to whom Our Lady told on September 26, 1982: "Let him be considered as the father of all people and not just of Christians; let him tirelessly and courageously announce the message of Peace and Love among men", as well as on September 16, 1982: "to spread the message that I have received from my Son. I desire to entrust to the Pope the word with which I have come here to Medjugorje: Peace; he should spread it to all parts of the world. He should unite Christians by his word and his preaching. Let him mainly among youth spread the messages that he has received from the Father in prayer. God inspires him then.”

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HOLY MASS FOR THE POPE JOHN PAUL II
On the day of Holy Father’s burial, Friday, April 8, in the evening, in Saint James’ parish church in Medjugorje, there was Holy Mass for him. In the filled church, Holy Mass was presided by the Parish priest, Fr. Branko Radoš, in concelebration with the Franciscans of Medjugorje and 41 priests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and abroad. On that day, we have also prayed at his intentions the Way of the Cross on Cross Mountain.

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RADIO PROGRAM ABOUT THE POPEM
From the very moment when we heard that the Pope John Paul II was seriously ill and suffering, Radio “Mir” Medjugorje is broadcasting a special whole-day program in the honour of the Holy Father. Our Radio was the first to reject the false news about Holy Father’s death, the news that was spread one day before his death by numerous agencies and other medias. Our program is broadcasting Holy Father’s talks and his messages to the Church and to the world, especially to the Croatian Catholics. During these days, the program broadcasted by Radio “Mir” Medjugorje was occasionally retransmitted by dozens of other radios in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Published by: INFORMATIVNI CENTAR MIR - Svetiste Kraljice Mira
(Information Center MIR - Shrine of the Queen of Peace), 88266 Medjugorje.
Director: fra Miljenko Stojic.

Last Modified 04/27/2005 .