Les erreurs de Discernement de l'abbé Laurentin

Time to Tell the Truth about Medjugorje

by Mark Waterinckx



Open Letter to Fr René Laurentin

Dear Fr. Laurentin,

Why don’t you tell now the entire truth about Medjugorje, now that Fr. Tomislav Vlasic has been so severely condemned by the Vatican? This spiritual advisor to the ‘seers’ in the crucial early years 1981-1984, who had full support of the Gospa in many of her ‘messages’…(28-II-1982 Gospa to the ‘seers’:” Thank Fr. Tomislav. He is guiding you so well.”

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Why do you keep defending the fraud and manipulations in Medjugorje?

Why do you contradict yourself so many times?

Here are some of the many examples:

1° a. In an interview with the Italian website ‘ Petrus’ in September 2008 ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] ) you said : “ I have NEVER expressed judgments on the authenticity, at least of the apparitions in Medjugorje.” And also: “I NEVER allow myself to give an opinion on the apparitions which I study.”

1° b. However, in your first book about Medjugorje in 1984 “ Is the Virgin Mary Appearing at Medjugorje?” at p.138 you wrote : “ While reserving judgment to the Episcopal authority responsible in this matter, and simply in my capacity as an expert, well aware of my limits, I would say that my analysis leads me to a POSITIVE evaluation of the apparitions.”



2° a. In an interview with ‘ Avvenire’ on May 26 2004 ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] you said : “ I have NEVER said that Our Lady really appears in Medjugorje.”

2° b. However, in your first book “ Is the Virgin Mary Appearing at Medjugorje?” at p.96 you wrote: “Ivan (the ‘seer’) approached me. Tomislav (Vlasic) translated for me.” Our Lady is praying for this work (first book of R.Laurentin on Medjugorje)…” “Why did I have the sense that OUR LADY, invisible to me, but PRESENT TO EVERYONE, had come simply to recall to these simple people simple and valid things that the world forgets?”

2° c. In “Dernières Nouvelles des Apparitions de Medjugorje” n° 3, March 1985 at p. 27, you wrote : “ La Sainte Vierge a dit : “Faites lire aux prêtres le livre de l’abbé Laurentin et divulguez-le.” (on video-tape). Translated: “Our Lady said: “Let the priests read the book of Fr. Laurentin and spread it.” (!)

2° d. A Dutch priest L. vdK. wrote to me: “In 1989 I have concelebrated with R. Laurentin. He confirmed the authenticity of the Medjugorje apparitions during the liturgical prayers against all rules of liturgy and ecclesiastical deservedness. I have my doubts about his love of truth and his sincerity, or did he forget what he has said before?”

3° a. In “Le Figaro” of June 24, 1998 you wrote : “ Why did I stop publishing about Medjugorje? Because the bishop of Mostar had asked me so!” And in your letter to me of June 3, 2004 you said : “It is forbidden for me to write anymore about Medjugorje…”

3° b. Mgr. Gemma, retired bishop of Isernia, Italy and exorcist, had said in May 2008 that Medjugorje is absolutely satanic, and that the Vatican would soon intervene with something explosive to expose once and for all who is behind this fraud. That indeed happened some months later with the severe condemnation of Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, the first spiritual leader of the ‘seers’, by the Congregation for the Defense of the Faith.

Fr Laurentin protested immediately in an interview with the same website ‘ Petrus’, claiming “ I don’t like to speak about Medjugorje(!). I prefer the silence which the church asks(!). Prudence is an obligation. But… I am convinced that Medjugorje is the fruit of good and not of evil. The fact that two bishops, Mgr. Zanic and Mgr.Peric, are against the apparitions, is a relative fact…”

4° a. In the Austrian bulletin “Medjugorje” n° 62 3° Quarter 2001 p.14 you say : “ I have only given the facts, totally impartial…”

4° b. On the contrary, you have always defended the ‘seers’ and the Franciscans of Medjugorje.

In your 15 private letters to me (between 1989 and 2005) you said to be impressed, perplexed and troubled by my negative information about Medjugorje, but you refuse to correct your own numerous examples of disinformation and manipulation.

In your so-called “Testament” of June 1998 (“Dernières Nouvelles” n° 17) at p. 51-52 you defend Fr. Jozo Zovko, although he had already been sanctioned two times then. (1989 by Mgr.Zanic ; 1994 by Mgr. Peric ; and again in 2004 by Mgr. Peric).

In the same booklet at p. 52, 68-69 and 163 you defend Fr. Tomislav Vlasic. Fr Vlasic has since been condemned by Rome and accused of schism, heresy, manipulation of consciences, suspected mysticism, disobedience, sex scandals,…It can’t get much worse!

In the same booklet at p. 46-48 you defend the ‘seer’ Vicka when she writes in her diary that the Gospa defends the two rebel Franciscans who agitated against the decree ‘Romanis Pontificibus’ by pope Paul VI on June 6 1975. One of them is now married and has 5 children.

And at p. 64-68 you again defend the ‘seer’ Vicka when she rewrites and signs a falsified ‘message’ from the Gospa, asking money from a Dutch abbot for a commercial project.

5° a. During the Fatima-congress on October 12 1997, you said that, concerning apparitions, one must humbly avoid all conflicts with the ecclesiastical authority. (!) And in your ‘ Testament’ (p.19) of 1998 you wrote that the authority of the church must be respected and obeyed…

5° b. But in the same ‘Testament’ (p.42-55) of 1998 you oppose, contradict, blame and attack Mgr. Peric, bishop of Mostar, as you had done before with his predecessor Mgr. Zanic, who already in 1990 had said that you hide the truth and defend falsehoods.

5° c. You even criticize the Vatican for the dismissive attitude to Marian apparitions…

6° You collaborate with dubious persons like Vassula, Milingo, Hnilica (conference Betlehem 2000), and you dare reproach the Vatican that they don’t give enough attention to private revelations.

7° In ‘Le Figaro’ of June 24 1998 you said that the apparitions elevate the prestige of the Franciscans in Medjugorje. In your typed letter of 2001 you deplore the falling down of your own prestige. To save your face seems to be very important to you. More important than the truth? Are you not afraid of the judgment of God?

D.B. from Ireland wrote this to me on October 17 2008 after you said that you never should have said that Our Lady has appeared at Medjugorje (!): “ It seems that the rats are deserting the ship after all these years. Laurentin has done untold damage over many years with all his books and endorsements of Medjugorje. And now at last he seems to be having second thoughts. However does he have the humility to admit that he has been wrong?”

An Australian friend wrote today : “ It is remarkable how a theologian of some repute can be dragged into something as obviously false as Medjugorje. It certainly detracts from anything else he has written.”

8° And indeed, Fr. Laurentin, this could be your real problem. I read in Wikipedia about your impressive career : studies philosophy in the Sorbonne university of Paris, expert during Vatican Council II, professor in different universities, author of 160 books and 2.000 articles, decorations, …

You, as an expert in Mariology, have been the great defender and promoter of the never recognized ‘apparitions’ in Medjugorje. Before the publication of your first book in 1984, almost nobody knew about Medjugorje. Your responsibility is tremendous. Many innocent pilgrims are caught up in a lie because of the influence of your Medjugorje-propaganda.

9° Like myself, you were fooled in the beginning by the ‘seers’ and Franciscans in Medjugorje.

But in your ‘Testament’ of 1998 you wrote at p.7 ‘that I now burn what I had adored before’. Indeed Fr. Laurentin < Errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum>. (To err is human, but to persevere in error is diabolical.)

At p.57 you say that I have ‘ a concern for honesty what honors me’. Thank you, I wish I could say the same about you. Instead of altering the truth, manipulating the absurd ‘messages’ to defend the pseudo-apparitions of Medjugorje, you should have been concerned for the millions of misled pilgrims.

10° Satan’s masterplan : Satan always wants to deceive people, to estrange them from God. He distorts the truth so that they say :

“ In Medjugorje is the real faith, not in our own parish. The bishop of Mostar has no faith, because he doesn’t believe the Medjugorje apparitions. The ‘seers’ and Franciscans of Medjugorje are real saints, not those in the Vatican who do not recognize Medjugorje.”

So Medjugorje becomes the real church. And when they realize that Medjugorje is a fraud, they abandon everything. This is the real goal of Satan with Medjugorje. To alienate the ‘small remnant of faithful Catholic believers’ from their church leaders.

CONCLUSION : Through the Sacraments which are received in Medjugorje, Our Lord gives grace to the pilgrims. But this has nothing to do with the false apparitions, which are a construction of the ‘seers’ and the Franciscans. For them Medjugorje is a goldmine. They should give back all the money they have robbed from the betrayed pilgrims. And then be put in jail. If not in this world, God will judge them the moment of their death. Medjugorje is the biggest scandal in our Church for many years.

You, Fr. Laurentin, still have a little time to repent for all your manipulation of the facts about Medjugorje and your defamation of those who have jurisdiction over Medjugorje.

On October 21 2008 I wrote you a private letter, wherein I suggested and beseeched you once more to tell the whole truth about Medjugorje, and I included the first page of this open letter. Since I received no reaction, I fear that you are still entangled in the typical sectarian fanaticism of most Medjugorje-believers.

So I pray that St. Michael the Archangel and the Holy Spirit may enlighten you.

Your brother in Jesus Christ

Mark Waterinckx 11-11-2008



P.S. Good and reliable books about Medjugorje have been written by :

-Fr. Ivo Sivric-Louis Bélanger Canada : “ La Face Cachée de Med.”(1988)”The hidden side of Med.”(1989)

-E. Michael Jones USA : “Med. The untold story”(1988)”The Med. Deception”(1998)”Der Med. Betrug”(1998)

-Joachim Bouflet France : “Med. ou la fabrication du surnaturel”(1999)”Faussaires de Dieu”(2000)”Ces 10 jours qui ont fait Med.”(2007)

-Fr. Rudo Franken Holland : “Een Reis naar Med.”(1999)”A Journey to Med.”(2002)

-Donal Foley GB : “Understanding Med.”(2006)

-Yves Chiron France : “Constat de non supernaturalitate”(2006)

-Michael Davies GB : “Med.after 21 years”(2004)[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

-Mart Bax Holland : ”Med. : Religion, Politics and Violence in Rural Bosnia”(1995)

-Kevin Orlon Johnson USA : “20 Questions about Med.-What Rome really said”(1999)

“20 Fragen zu Med.-Was Rom wirklich gesagt hat(2001)

-Thierry Boutet France : “Miracles-Apparitions-Que croire? Qui croire?(1997)

-Raffaele Ascheri Italy : “L’imbroglio di Med.-Le false apparizione della Madonna”(2007)

-Rick Salbato USA : “Med. The Case is closed”(1998)

-Brian Hughes USA : “Las Appariciones de Med.”(1997)

-Marco Corvaglia Italy : “Med.- e tutto falso”(2007)

-Ratko Peric bis. Mostar : “Ogledalo Pravde”-“The Mirror of Justice”(2001)