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Dancing Alexander-style, Down Under

15 March 2010 | By Sinisa-Jakov Marusic

Sinisa-Jakov Marusic The issue of national identity is taken seriously by Balkan people – including the least serious among them.


Serbs Mark Sixth Anniversary of Riots in Kosovo
17 March 2010 | Bojana Barlovac

Six years after ethnic Albanians attacked Serb enclaves in Kosovo in what became the worst single attack against Kosovo Serbs since the 1999 war, reconstruction of damaged property is ongoing but Serbian officials believe that conditions for the return of the Serb population have not yet been established.

Tadic, Van Rompuy Won't Attend Regional Summit
19 March 2010 | Bojana Barlovac

A regional conference scheduled for Saturday will go forward even though Serbian President Boris Tadic will not attend the event. There are also indications that the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, will not be present.

Dolic: Rape of 17-year old girl
19 March 2010 |

A protected Prosecution witness says she was raped by "soldier Dole" in 1993, identifying indictee Darko Dolic as the person who raped her.



Bosnia: Medjugorje Priest Defrocked

Sarajevo | 28 July 2009 | Srecko Latal
 
Statue of Holy Mary at the site of her reported apparation
Statue of Holy Mary at the site of her reported apparation
Pope Benedict XVI has defrocked a controversial Franciscan priest over his exaggerations regarding the Medjugorje apparitions and suspected sexual relations with a former nun.

The decision could constitute another blow to the  aspirations of Medjugorje - a remote village in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina - that its famous sightings of the Virgin Mary would be investigated and confirmed by the Vatican, a Mostar daily, Dnevni List, reported on Tuesday.

The Vatican had already reportedly decided to defrock Fr.Tomislav Vlasic in March. An official note confirming the decision was sent to Catholic officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Italy a few days ago.

“According to the order of the Holy Father […] he [Vlasic] is absolutely prohibited from carrying out any apostolic activities and giving any statements related to religious life, especially regarding the Medjugorje phenomenon,” the Vatican letter read, according to local media.

Vlasic was at the centre of the purported Medjugorje apparitions. On June 1981, six young parishioners from Medjugorje reported seeing a white form with a child in her arms on one of the surrounding hills. They interpreted this, and other visions they witnessed, as sightings of Mary.

The story spread quickly and Medjugorje became one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Europe, attracting millions of visitors each year. Related development has transformed the remote, poor village into one of the most developed and richest small towns in the country.

Though the Vatican’s lack of recognition has not stopped the pilgrims, it has come close to creating a split within the Roman Catholic Church in Bosnia, with some local priests continuing to conduct services in the Medjugorje church even under threat of expulsion from their order.

Mostar's Bishop Ratko Peric, whose diocese covers much of southern Bosnia, still publicly denies that any apparitions occurred in Medjugorje.

Vlasic himself claimed to be the “spiritual leader” of the six parishioners who claimed to have seen Mary.

A year ago, the Vatican began investigating his alleged exaggerations relating to the Medjugorje phenomenon. Vlasic was also investigated for heresy and for fomenting a schism with official Catholic authorities.
 



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Comments:
believers or followers
2009-07-28 20:10:53
this clearly shows the churh of Rome has more to do with followers than believers. the believers are being pressed again to become followers. any spiritual place is a gift to spiritual people, sightings or not. wrong again Rome, wrong again !

Reality
2009-07-29 14:13:59
There is no God. It's all a gov. conspiracy. Control over the people, that;s all it is.

A Great Article about Fr. Vlasic
2009-07-31 21:25:07
The most complete article about Vlasic I have found: http://www.medjugorje.com/medjugorje-today/headlines/668-medjugorje-the-father-tomislav-vlasic-episode.html God Bless

Finally, some truth about Medjugorje ...
2009-08-02 03:31:40
Finally, here is some shocking truth about the apparitions at Medjugorje. After the apparitions of Our Lady in Medjugorje began and the pastor of Medjugorje was put in prison by the communists, Fr. Tomislav Vlasic was assigned to St. James parish in Medjugorje. In September, 1984 he left Medjugorje and in 1985 was assigned to the parish in Vitina (with all priestly faculties - to preach, to hear confessions, celebrate Mass, etc., ie., when he left, he was in good standing with the Church). He was never formally designated pastor of St. James parish. Parish records state that Fr. Tomislav Pervan served as pastor in Medjugorje from 1982 through 1988. 

Fr. Tomislva Vlasic moved to Italy in 1987 and in 1992 joined the Italian Franciscan Province of Abbruzzo. All these years he has not been a member of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina. It appears he decided to go on a different path in the mid 80’s, having been heavily influenced by a German woman who had come to Medjugorje, Agnes Heupel, who claimed to be a visionary, and with whom he formed his own community in 1987. During this time he tried forcing one of the visionaries of Medjugorje, Marija Pavlovic, to publicly state that Our Lady supported his “spiritual marriage” with Agnes Heupel and the new way of life of his community. To the contrary, Marija’s conscience forced her to write a public statement on July 11, 1988, disavowing any connection with him or with his community: “I repeat that I never received from the Gospa, nor gave Fr. Tomislav or anyone else, a confirmation of the program of Fr. Tomislav and Agnes Heupel.” Though Fr. Vlasic would later build a house outside of Medjugorje behind the hill of Crnica, between the village of Surmanc and Bijakovici, he, himself, kept distant from Medjugorje and was never involved in any activities of the parish. 

The fact is that in the mid 80’s Fr. Vlasic decided to go his own way and since then none of the visionaries of Medjugorje have had any contact with him.

Let’s not forget that during this time the events of Medjugorje were situated between a hostile communist government and a bishop who had stated publicly, “I want Medjugorje destroyed!” (and that anyone purporting Our Lady was appearing in Medjugorje deserved the lowest place in hell)! During a filmed interview in his Episcopal residence in February 1989, in response to my question, “Who is the pastor in Medjugorje?” the Bishop replied, “I don’t know, I think it’s the fat one!” Medjugorje has not been cared for by the local Ordinary – though literally hundreds of bishops throughout the world are testifying to incredible graces having come into their own dioceses through Medjugorje. Though vulnerable itself from attacks on all sides – lacking protection that should have been in place – this little parish has continued going forward, renewing the Church! The parish – and visionaries – have been nothing less than heroic! Let’s not forget that early on in her messages Our Lady had warned that Satan left many places in the world in order to focus his attack against Medjugorje – to try to thwart what God was doing there. All those who continue answering Our Lady’s call to be her apostles are vulnerable to his attacks. 

Don’t be distracted by what you might read in the media. Present developments are a good sign. Rome is finally beginning to give some shepherding to Medjugorje – to take seriously protecting what God is doing there. Good things lie ahead!

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