Since June 24, 1981, six young people in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, have reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Peace. Messages emphasize peace, faith, conversion, prayer, and fasting. In September 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with Pope Francis’s approval, issued a Nihil obstat authorizing public devotion connected with Medjugorje, while not declaring the supernatural character of the apparitions.
The reported apparitions began on June 24, 1981, in the parish of Medjugorje, then part of Yugoslavia and now located in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Six young people—Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Marija Pavlović, and Jakov Čolo—reported seeing the Virgin Mary, whom they called the Gospa or Queen of Peace, first on a hill near the village. Some of the seers later reported ongoing daily apparitions; others described appearances on specific dates.
The core messages attributed to the Queen of Peace emphasize peace, faith, conversion, prayer (especially the Rosary), and fasting, calling the faithful to a deeper spiritual life and reconciliation with God and neighbor. Medjugorje has drawn millions of pilgrims over decades; many report conversions, vocations, and a renewed sacramental life.
Church discernment has been long and complex. An International Theological Commission chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini (2010–2014) distinguished the first seven days of the reported apparitions (24 June–3 July 1981) from later events; a majority of that commission judged the first seven apparitions to be of supernatural origin. That majority vote was never promulgated as an official Holy See declaration of supernaturality.
In 2019 the Holy See authorized official diocesan and parish pilgrimages for pastoral reasons. On 19 September 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published the Note “The Queen of Peace,” approved by Pope Francis, granting a Nihil obstat for the spiritual experience connected with Medjugorje. Under the 2024 Norms for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena, this determination authorizes prudent public devotion and highlights abundant spiritual fruits, but it does not declare the apparitions supernatural and does not oblige the faithful to believe in them. Alleged messages remain subject to pastoral discernment by the Apostolic Visitor and local authorities.
Narrative source SanctumNomen (public historical digest) · Catalog source Marian Apparitions – Historical Atlas · CC BY-NC 4.0 · Private revelation is not required belief. Approval means the faithful may believe with prudence. · Images from Wikimedia Commons (public domain or Creative Commons).
