John Paul the Great and Medjugorje by Father Tim Deeter

John Paul the Great and Medjugorje
By Father Tim Deeter

During the War I went to Medjugorje five times and several time I stopped in Rome.  One time I was able to go to a private Mass with the Holy Father and I told his secretary, at that time His Eminence Stanisław Cardinal Dziwisz, who is now the Archbishop Cardinal of Krakow; I said, 

“I would like to show the Holy Father some photographs of the destruction in Herzegovina, Croatia and what the people are doing.”  

So I had photographs of the stacks, the high piles of food and medicines and supplies being brought by people all over the world and I thought the Holy Father would be very interested. 

 So after the Mass, there were about 35 of us, we all made a circle in the library of the Holy Father.
And he came around and greeted each one of us and gave us a little rosary.  And so he came around and the secretary, Msgr. Dziwisz, said, “when I nod to you, just step forward show the Holy Father the photographs.”  

So the Holy Father is going along and he comes to me and Msgr. Dziwisz nodded very solemnly.  So I stepped forward and I said, 

“Holy Father, I want to show you some pictures of what is happening to the Catholic Church in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina and he was very interested and I turned page by page through this album of photographs.  It was a small one like the kind you get at the pharmacy when they develop your photos.  

But I forgot to take out a picture of St. James Church.  I didn’t want to show anything of Medjugorje because I knew it was a little political time bomb.  So I flipped to the next picture and there was St. James Church!  And before I could turn the page quickly, Holy Father went, 

“Ah, Medjugorje!” Then he said to me, “Have you been there?”  

I said, “Yes Holy Father, several times.”  And he said, “And what do you think?”  

And so I gave the usual, “Well, there is a lot of good that is being accomplished, a lot of conversions, a lot of confessions, a lot of vocations…”  

And he said, “No.  No, no, no.  What do you think about Our Lady appearing there?  Do you think Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorje?”  

There were several people there.  The whole room was full of people.  It was a public thing.  And I didn’t know what to say.  I thought, ‘if I say ‘yes’ maybe he’ll excommunicate me!  If I say ‘no Our Lady’s not appearing’ maybe he’ll excommunicate me!’  

So I looked at Msgr. Dziwisz and he nodded to me and I said, “Yes.  I think Our Lady is appearing there.”  

And the Holy Father said, “SO DO I!”  Just like that, “SO DO I!”  And then he said, “Are you going there?”  

And I said, “Yes Holy Father, I’m going to Medjugorje after I leave Rome.”  

He said, “Good. Go there and pray to the Madonna of Medjugorje for me, for my intentions.”  

I said, “I will on one condition.”  And he looked as if to say, ‘conditions for the Supreme Pontiff?’ I said, “That you give me and my parish a special blessing for the sacrifices they are making for Medjugorje.”  

He said, “I do so with all of my heart.”  Then he gave me his blessing.

After the audience, then Msgr. Dziwisz grabbed me and he took me to the sacristy and he said, 

“I want to show you something.”  And there on the dressing table of the Holy Father was a copy of the little newsletter ‘Echo of Medjugorje’ in Italian.  He said, “The Holy Father reads a paragraph from this every day before he starts his prayers before Mass.”  

So anyone who says the Pope didn’t believe in Medjugorje…and when they say, “This is all hearsay.”  I say, “He said it to me.”  So, it’s just a matter of time.

 http://medjugorjeca.org/vatican-church/

Fr. Tim Deeter - Priest originally in Texas 

- Watch him here: 

https://youtu.be/i5Tuhkspqio