The Face of Mercy / Daniel Conway

Mary, our mother and a source of love, comfort and hope

Pope Francis has a deep devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother. He frequently urges Christians, and all people of good will, to look to Mary as a source of love, comfort and hope.

Just two days ahead of his trip to Fatima last month for the 100th anniversary of the Virgin’s appearance to three children there, Pope Francis sent a video message to the people of Portugal asking them to be with him during his pilgrimage. “I need to feel your closeness, whether physical or spiritual; the important thing is that it come from the heart. In this way, I can arrange my bouquet of flowers, my ‘golden rose,’ ” the pope said.

“Only a few days remain before our pilgrimage, mine and yours, to the feet of Our Lady of Fatima,” he said. “These are days of joy in expectation of our encounter in the home of Mary, our Mother.

“It is as the universal pastor of the Church that I would like to come before the Madonna, and to offer her a bouquet of the most beautiful ‘blossoms’ that Jesus has entrusted to my care,” he continued.

“And this means everyone around the world, none excluded,” he explained. “That is why I need to have all of you join me there.

“With all of us forming one heart and soul, I will entrust you to Our Lady, asking her to whisper to each one of you: ‘My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the path that leads you to God.’ ”

On the pope’s return flight, he was asked about a recent report on another set of Marian apparitions, the commission on Medjugorje established in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI and chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini.

In his response to a reporter’s questions, Pope Francis made a distinction between the first Medjugorje apparitions (the seven presumed appearances between June 24 and July 3, 1981) and the later ones, saying, “A commission of good theologians, bishops, cardinals. Good, good, good. The Ruini report is very, very good.”

At the same time that the pope seemed to accept the commission’s positive conclusion about the original Medjugorje apparitions, he was negative with regard to the current, ongoing apparitions: “I prefer Our Lady as Mother, and not the head of the telegraph office, who sends a message every day.”

Pope Francis resists the idea that Marian apparitions are daily affairs—the Mother of God sending telegrams (or text messages) to a select group of enthusiastic followers. Instead, he prefers to imagine Mary as a constant source of love, comfort and hope for all people in the world. That’s why he expressed doubt about the validity of the Marian appearances that some say take place daily in Medjugorje.

At the same time, the pope made it clear that he acknowledges the abundant spiritual fruits and the genuine conversions of “people who go there and convert, people who meet God, who change their life.” Whatever the doctrinal truth of Mary’s presumed appearances in 1981 and since, Pope Francis acknowledges a positive pastoral result (he called it “a fact”) that the Church cannot ignore.

The Ruini report calls attention to the pastoral and spiritual needs of millions of people who travel to Medjugorje. It recommends ending the ban on pilgrimages, and establishing “an authority dependent on the Holy See” that would ensure that appropriate pastoral care is provided without necessarily recognizing the supernatural nature of the presumed apparitions.

Pope Francis welcomes this “pastoral solution” while the official investigation continues. He sees Mary as our mother first and foremost and then, only in rare cases, as someone who makes God’s will known to us in extraordinary ways.

May Mary, our mother, inspire us with love, comfort and hope—today and always!
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.) †