The Papacy authorizes worship in the village where the Virgin Mary is claimed to have appeared: 1.7 million people visit every year

In accordance with the new Vatican criteria that came into effect this year, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has announced that it has authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje and the celebration of masses there, citing the 'spiritual fruits' experienced in the region.

However, in a detailed analysis conducted after approximately 15 years of study, the Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith did not declare the events reported in Medjugorje to be of genuine or supernatural origin.

Medjugorje has transformed into a developing destination for religious tourism, thanks to claims that the Virgin Mary frequently appears to the local people.

According to statistics published on the official website of the Medjugorje Municipality, 1.7 million 'communion wafers' were distributed during masses in the region just last year. Accordingly, at least 1.7 million people visit the village every year. Furthermore, this number exceeds the number of communion wafers distributed in the Vatican in a single year.

Papal officials stated that the decision to allow religious services in the region 'emphasizes the fact that the Holy Spirit acts for the good of the faithful in the midst of this spiritual phenomenon.'

In 1981, six children claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary on a hill in the village of Medjugorje, located in the wine-producing region of southern Bosnia.

Some of the individuals who first put forward the claim in 1981 have continued to argue that they have encountered similar images since that time and that the Virgin Mary has been sending them messages.

According to some estimates, the Virgin Mary has appeared to people in Medjugorje more than 40,000 times since 1981. The Papacy had previously investigated the 'phenomenon' seen in Medjugorje and declared it 'demonic'.