date: 09.06.2023.
"On February 11, 2017, the Holy Father tasked Mons. Henryk Hoser, SAC, Archbishop of Warsaw-Prague (Poland), to go to Medjugorje as a special envoy of the Holy See.
The purpose of the mission is to gain as much knowledge as possible about the pastoral situation of this reality, and above all, about the needs of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage and, based on them, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future. The mission will therefore have an exclusively pastoral character,'' was the news from the Vatican on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, and already the following year, on May 31, 2018, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Henryk Hoser, retired bishop of Warsaw-Prague, as the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish Medjugorje, for an indefinite period.
Archbishop Hoser emphasized that the attitude of the Holy See towards Medjugorje is very good and positive, and in May 2019, Pope Francis made a decision approving pilgrimages to Medjugorje, and from that time on dioceses and parishes will be able to officially organize and will no longer be just in the "private" form as it was until now.
"This was announced during the Holy Mass in Medjugorje by the apostolic nuncio to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto and Archbishop Henryk Hoser, the special Apostolic Visitor of the Holy See," Vatican News reported at the time.
After the death of Archbishop Hoser, on November 27, 2021, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, for an indefinite period and ad nutum Sanctae Sedis.
In 2019, the opening Holy Mass of the Youth Festival was celebrated by the Pope's vicar of the Diocese of Rome, Angelo De Donatis, who then said that he was "thankful to God and all of you for the invitation to celebrate the opening mass of the 30th Youth Festival." I bring you all a warm greeting and the blessing of the Holy Father.''
'We pray for the Pope here'
That year, the Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, gave catechesis to young people.
"The Catholicism of the Church is lived here and I see that there is a deep unity with the Holy Father. Here they pray for the Pope, and when I quoted the Holy Father in catechesis today, the loudest applause was just then. These young people love the Church and therefore I thank the Holy Father for opening up the possibility of coming here to pray here,'' said Archbishop Carballo, and in 2020 the Holy Father also sent his message to the young people who gathered in Medjugorje.
"The annual meeting of young people in Medjugorje is a time filled with prayer, catechesis and fraternal meeting, which gives you the opportunity to meet the living Jesus Christ, in a special way in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as well as in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Thus, it helps you to discover a different way of living, different from the one offered by the culture of the temporary, according to which nothing can be permanent and which only knows the enjoyment of the present moment. In this atmosphere of relativism, in which it is difficult to find true and certain answers, the slogan of the Festival: 'Come and you will see' (John 1:39), the words that Jesus addressed to His disciples, are a blessing. Jesus directs his gaze towards you as well, inviting you to go and stay with him,'' said Pope Francis, among other things, who sent his message to young people next year for the 32nd Youth Festival.
A week of devoted prayer and encounter with Jesus Christ'
"The Youth Festival is a week of dedicated prayer and encounter with Jesus Christ, especially in His living Word, in the celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharistic adoration and the sacrament of Reconciliation. This event - according to the experience of many - has the power to direct us to the Lord. This is precisely the first step of the "rich young man" that the Synoptic Gospels tell us about (cf. Mt 19:16-22; Mk 10:17-22; Lk 18:18-23), who headed out, even hurried to meet Lord, full of rapture and longing to find the Master in order to inherit eternal life, that is true joy. This year's slogan of the Festival is actually the question that this young man addressed to Jesus: "What is good for me to do?" These are the words that place us in front of the Lord who fixes his eyes on us and, kissing us, calls: "Come and follow me!" Pope Francis wrote in his message, which was read by the youth of the parish of Medjugorje.
Last year, the Holy Father's message to the Mladifest participants was read by the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli.
"Dear young people, while you are resting in Jesus Christ these days, I entrust you all to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our heavenly Mother, so that by her intercession and example, you may take upon yourself the sweet burden of following Christ. Let the gaze of God the Father who loves you accompany you, so that when you meet others, you can witness the peace that you will receive as a gift in return. I pray for that intention and I bless you, and at the same time I recommend myself to your prayers,'' Pope Francis told the participants of the 33rd Youth Festival last year.
This year's 34th Youth Festival is being held a week earlier than usual, because at the beginning of August is the World Youth Meeting in Lisbon, in which Pope Francis is also participating. The Youth Festival will be held from July 26 to 30 under the motto "Here are my mother and my brothers!" (Mt 12, 49)
