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_WORLD WATCH______________________________
________________Rwanda_______________
Bishop approves Marian apparitions
Hopes site will become a font of peace
An African archbishop has announced that he is satisfied that the Virgin Mary has appeared in the town of Kibeho, Rwanda.
Archbishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro has released a statement indicating his “definitive judgment” that the reported apparitions in Kibeho are authentic. The Vatican made the archbishop’s statement public on June 29.
Vatican officials privately point out that the Holy See does not ordinarily take a stand on the authenticity of extraordinary events such as apparitions; such determinations are always left to the diocesan bishops. So the publication of Archbishop Misago’s statement was an indirect sign of Vatican support for his findings.
The apparitions of the Virgin were first reported at Kibeho in November 1981. With the passage of time, as pilgrims flocked to Kibeho, there were many subsequent reports of apparitions there, involving dozens of alleged witnesses. Archbishop Misago stressed that he was satisfied that three original seers —young girls from the community—had truly encountered the Virgin; his report suggested that he had strong reservations about some other reports.
The Gikongoro archdiocese had appointed two commissions—one of doctors, the other theologians—to look into the Kibeho reports. In 1988, based on preliminary reports from these commissions, Archbishop Misago had given his approval for the cult of the Virgin of Kibeho, while still making no statement on the authenticity of the alleged apparitions.
Now, however, the archbishop reports that the evidence is sufficient to allow a clear finding that the apparitions “deserve to be treated as authentic.” He added that his finding is not infallible, and the faithful are not obliged to believe that the Virgin Mary appeared in the African country, but he would encourage belief and devotion. “I hope that through Our Lady, Kibeho will become a center for national reconciliation,” Archbishop Misago told the Fides news agency.
Although there have been many reports of appearances of the Virgin Mary in different parts of Africa, the Kibeho apparitions are the first to obtain episcopal approval. Archbishop Misago downplayed the significance of the fact that the young seers said the Virgin appeared as an African woman who spoke their local dialect. “It is quite natural for Our Lady to speak in the local language,” he said. “In France she would speak French; in England, English. Mary is close to all peoples of all cultures.”
Back to Catholic World Report August/September 2001 Table of Contents