When the Holy Father receives certain individuals, they are sometimes posted on the daily Bollettino at the Holy See's website. Some visits are noteworthy, such as the one announced Saturday morning.
Em.mo Card. Vinko Puljić, Arcivescovo di Vrhbosna, Sarajevo (Bosnia ed Erzegovina).
Cardinal Vinko Puljic is the head of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Bishop's Conference. You may recall that back in October, Cardinal Puljic said he was expecting further guidance from the Holy See on Medjugorje soon, perhaps before the end of the year. In an October 7, 2009 blogpost by Adam Tanner of Reuters, the Cardinal was quoted as saying:
“We are now awaiting a new directive on this issue...I don’t think we must wait for a long time, I think it will be this year, but that is not clear… I am going to Rome in November and we must discuss this.”
There was another interview that Cardinal Puljic had, this time with Zenit, which clarifies what the Cardinal was doing in Rome in November:
ROME, NOV. 23, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Bosnian episcopal conference has been in Rome, but not to discuss the controversy surrounding Medjugorje, as some reports have contended.Perhaps Cardinal Puljic's words were misunderstood -- slightly, by Adam Tanner. However, both articles left little doubt that something is about to happen with regards to Medjugorje.
Instead, Cardinal Vinko Puljic participated last week in the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which focused on St. Paul and the "new areopagi."
The cardinal did talk to ZENIT about Medjugorje, affirming that the reports of apparitions there and the consequent popularity of the site for pilgrimages is a matter dealt with by the bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, and the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"As an episcopal conference, we await suggestions and proposals on how to proceed, and I believe the Holy See wants to carry on in this way," he added.
I think that what is really going on as the year winds down is what was offered in the Brazilian press this time last year (my comments bracketed in red; bold is also mine). This is a crude translation from Google.
Three years ago, formed a study group [not a commision], whose core is composed of thirty people, lay and religious, to examine the veracity of the phenomenon. Driven by the Pontifical International Marian Academy (PAMI) [perhaps this is why we have seen denials of rumors involving the CDF or commission, and even the denial about the CDF producing a vadamecum or handbook on apparitions - because it is being handled by PAMI], an institution linked to the Vatican, are at work in secret and are expected to end until the end of 2009. It's extremely remote the probability that the verdict be in favor of the apparitions in Medjugorje," says one of several consultants PAMI. The conclusion of the study group is a key to a final position of the Holy See in relation to the visions of Medjugorje
Watch for breaking news on Medjugorje......soon. I think the Feast of St. John of the Cross would be very good for guidelines to be offered because of the counsel given by this great Carmelite Saint on apparitions and heavenly visions.
Could it be simply a new set of guidelines for Eucharistic celebrations, confessions, etc. in Medjugorje? Or, will it's current status of non constat de supernaturalitate (not established as supernatural) change?
Update December 14th: The Bollettino can sometimes be updated later in the day, but as released a few minutes ago, there is nothing yet pertaining to Medjugorje. There is a press conference for the World Day of Peace.
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