A new report claims the Vatican's own doctrinal office voted decisively against Medjugorje — and that the vote stayed secret for nine years.

Italian Vatican journalist David Murgia published details on August 6 of a September 2016 vote taken in an ordinary session of the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith. Of the thirty-three members: 21 said the events at Medjugorje were NOT of supernatural origin. 9 said they were. 3 said the evidence was insufficient to decide.

Eight years later the nihil obstat was issued anyway.

Michael Haynes of the Catholic Herald joins Joe to walk through what Rome actually said — and what it pointedly did not say. If you have heard commentators claim the Vatican "approved" Medjugorje, this is the clarification.

Rome's own words, from the 2024 judgment: "the positive assessment that most of the messages of Medjugorje are edifying does not imply a declaration that they have a direct supernatural origin... when referring to messages from 'a lady,' one should always bear in mind that they are alleged messages."

00:00 — 21 of 33 voted "not supernatural"
00:22 — Is Rome just blessing good intentions?
01:50 — What the Vatican document actually says
02:44 — Why Rome will never approve another apparition under the 2024 norms

This is a report, not a ruling. The vote is single-sourced to Murgia and has not been confirmed by the Holy See. What is NOT in dispute is the published language of the 2024 nihil obstat — and that is the part that matters.

"Test all things; hold fast that which is good." — 1 Thessalonians 5:21
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God." — 1 John 4:1

Source: Michael Haynes, "Report claims Vatican firmly voted against Medjugorje in 2016," The Catholic Herald, 10 August 2026 — https://thecatholicherald.com

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