MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-Herzegovina Thousands Of Christian Pilgrims Have Gathered In The Southern Bosnian Hamlet Of Medjugorje To Mark The 30th Anniversary Of The Contested Apparition Of The Virgin Mary.

MEDJUGORJE, Bosnia-HerzegovinaThousands of Christian pilgrims have gathered in the southern Bosnian hamlet of Medjugorje to mark the 30th anniversary of the disputed apparition of the Virgin Mary.
At dawn Sat., pilgrims from all over the world climbed a hill above Medjugorje where 6 children claimed in 1981 they had the visions.

The Medjugorje apparition has been disputed for many years. Unlike Fatima in Portugal or Lourdes in France, the Roman Catholic church is wary about calling the sightings real, and hasn't officially approved Medjugorje as a shrine site. The Vatican last year started officially investigating the apparitions the sixnow adultsclaim are still regular.

But the absence of official recognition hasn't stopped the remote hamlet from thriving, through communism and then war. Some 40,000,000 faithful have visited its shrine so far.
A Catholic priest blesses a pilgrim as other travellers walk by at the St. Jackob church in the southern Bosnian city of Medjugorje,160 kms south of Sarajevo, Sat., June twenty-five, 2011. It is thought the Virgin Mary showed herself and conveyed messages of peace to 6 youngsters in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981.

For thirty years, the alleged phenomenon was ignored by the Catholic authorities in Rome until 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI issued an order to form an inquiry team to go searching for the truth surrounding the Medjugorje sightings. From the beginning in 1981, Medjugorje was generally accepted by Catholic believers, and travellers arrived in their hundreds of thousands each year to hope to the Virgin.

Bosnian Catholic lady Iva Kozul, 73, left, prays in front of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary at the St. Jackob church in the southern Bosnian city of Medjugorje,160 kms south of Sarajevo, Saturday, June 25, 2011. It is thought the Virgin Mary showed herself and conveyed messages of peace to 6 children in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981.

For thirty years, the alleged phenomenon was ignored by the Catholic authorities in Rome till 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI issued an order to form an investigation team to go looking for the truth surrounding the Medjugorje sightings. From the beginning in 1981, Medjugorje was generally accepted by Catholic followers, and pilgrims arrived in their many thousands each year to wish to the Virgin.

Bosnian Catholic lady Iva Kozul, 73, left, prays in front of sculpture of Virgin Mary at the St. Jackob church in the southern Bosnian city of Medjugorje,160 kms south of Sarajevo, Saturday, June twenty-five, 2011. It is thought the Virgin Mary showed herself and conveyed messages of peace to 6 children in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981. For 30 years, the alleged phenomenon was ignored by the Catholic authorities in Rome until 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI issued an order to form an inquiry team to search for the truth surrounding the Medjugorje sightings. From the beginning in 1981, Medjugorje was generally accepted by Catholic followers, and travellers arrived in their hundreds of thousands each year to wish to the Virgin.

Travellers gather kneeling around a sculpture of the Virgin Mary to assert requests at the Hill of Appearance in the southern Bosnian town of Medjugorje,160 kms south of Sarajevo, Saturday, June twenty-five, 2011. It is thought the Virgin Mary showed herself and conveyed messages of peace to six youngsters in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981. For thirty years, the alleged phenomenon was ignored by the Catholic authorities in Rome until 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI issued an order to form an investigation team to go searching for the truth surrounding the Medjugorje sightings. From the beginning in 1981, Medjugorje was widely accepted by Catholic followers, and pilgrims arrived in their hundreds of thousands each year to wish to the Virgin.

A Franciscan clergyman blesses pilgrims as they gather kneeling around a sculpture of the Virgin Mary to say requests at the Hill of Appearance in the southern Bosnian city of Medjugorje,160 kms south of Sarajevo, Sat., June twenty-five, 2011. It is thought the Virgin Mary showed herself and conveyed messages of peace to 6 children in Medjugorje on June 25, 1981. For 30 years, the alleged phenomenon was ignored by the Catholic authorities in Rome till 2010 when Pope Benedict XVI issued an order to form an enquiry team to go searching for the truth surrounding the Medjugorje sightings. From the beginning in 1981, Medjugorje was generally accepted by Catholic believers, and pilgrims arrived in their hundreds of thousands annually to wish to the Virgin, writes tagza.com.

The name Medjugorje means (area between two mountains)
Medjugorje is one of the towns of the Herzegovina municipality of Citluk or you can say of historic Brotnjo.The territory of Medjugorje has a mild Mediterranean climate and spreads out at the altitude of 150 meters above sea level.
The parish of Medjugorje was set up in 1892 and also placed under the protection of St. James, patron of travellers. Five years later, the old parish church of St. James in Medjugorje was completed.The church was completed and sanctified on 19.1.1969. So there was a beatifull church which attracted no attention, not even from the people of the nearest surroundings. The story of Medjugorje started in the summertime of 1981.

It's become widely known all around the globe, because of six youngsters who claim to have seen visions of our Woman.