The Vatican’s Medjugorje decision, explained

On Sept. 19, the Vatican officially recognized Medjugorje as a place of pilgrimage and popular piety, stopping short of confirming the supernatural origin of the apparitions. The next day, Pope Francis, in a fiery speech to global grassroots organizers, criticized the wealthy for obstructing social justice and advocated for higher taxes on billionaires, an end to sports betting, and a universal basic income.

Also on the show, host Colleen Dulle and Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell discuss Pope Francis’ visit to Belgium and Luxembourg from Sept. 26-29 and what he might find in these increasingly secularized, historically Catholic countries.

Find links for further reading from the episode here.

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Links for further reading

• Vatican finally approves Medjugorje devotion: visit Mary but not the visionaries
• Pope Francis says tax billionaires, stop sports betting in fiery economics speech
• Vatican cancels papal audiences because Pope Francis has ‘slight flu’
• Why supernatural apparitions are a mixed blessing for the Vatican

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