Triumph Pilgrimages
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Is Medjugorje approved by the Church?

Yes. Devotion and pilgrimage to Medjugorje are approved. On September 19, 2024, the Vatican published The Queen of Peace, a note on the spiritual experience connected with Medjugorje, and gave it the Church’s nihil obstat: “nothing stands in the way.” Pope Francis approved the note on August 28, 2024.

What the approval says

The note was issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by its Prefect, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández. It recognizes the abundant and widespread spiritual fruits of Medjugorje: conversions, a return to the sacraments, especially confession and the Eucharist, vocations, healed marriages and a renewed life of prayer.

The nihil obstat means that the faithful can receive positive encouragement for their Christian life from the spiritual experience of Medjugorje, and it authorizes public acts of devotion there. The same day, the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno, Petar Palić, issued the nihil obstat for his diocese.

For a pilgrim, this means you can travel to Medjugorje, pray there and take part in its life of prayer with the Church’s blessing. Pope Francis had already allowed parishes and dioceses to organize official pilgrimages there in 2019.

What it does not say

The Church has not declared that the apparitions are supernatural, and it has not pronounced on the authenticity of each of the many messages. The note asks that they be spoken of as “alleged messages”, and no Catholic is obliged to believe in them. This is how the Church now speaks about such places under its 2024 norms for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena: it looks first at the fruits.

The note also offers guidance on reading the messages, and makes clear that its conclusions are not a judgment on the moral lives of the visionaries.

Why pilgrims go

What draws people to Medjugorje is what the Church has recognized: a place of prayer, confession, the Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, where many find their faith renewed. Our groups pray the Rosary, attend daily Mass, climb Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain, and spend time in Adoration and quiet prayer.

We have led pilgrims to Medjugorje since 1989. If you would like to join us, see our upcoming pilgrimages, or read what to expect on your first pilgrimage.

Read the Church’s own words

Last updated October 12, 2026.