Malachi Martin believed the Medjugorje appartions were a hoax

In the video, Martin points out that Satan is a skilled illusionist. However, there's an ancient belief that demons cannot imitate Our Lady's feet due to the fact that they're what crushes the serpent's head. In the approved apparitions, the visionaries always describe Mary's feet. Since the seers of Medjugorje have verified on numerous occasions that they have never seen Our Lady's feet, Martin believes this is a big red flag. I'm paraphrasing, so if you want to hear the exact words you'll have to play the video.

The reason I'm bringing this up is because Malachi Martin and Medjugorje come up a lot on the forum. Since Martin rejects the apparitions, you cannot fully embrace all of his claims if you accept Medjugorje as true.

Knowledgeable people like Martin and the claims of visionaries have their place in the devout life, but this is a reminder to keep them in check. Don't let them consume you. There's a real danger of becoming more confused than ever and led astray.

 

The real lesson to learn from Malachi Martin's opinion on Medjugorje is to be very careful about using him as a guide and teacher! In support of this, I copy the following quote regarding the condemned apparitions of Bayside:

Mario Aguero, a friend of the late Fr. Malachi Martin, had lunch with Father in a Manhattan restaurant in the summer of 1998, less than a year before he died, when the topic of Marian apparitions came up. Mario asked Fr. Malachi Martin his opinion on the Bayside apparitions. Although he expressed to Mario his disbelief with other major and more popular alleged apparitions, this Vatican insider and advisor to three Popes stated, “I believe that Bayside is a true apparition. For many years I did not believe that Bayside was legitimate but certain circumstances now have led me to believe that in fact it is a true apparition.” ​

 

Malachi Martin's belief in the condemned apparitions of Bayside raises a big, red flag regarding his comments about Medjugorje.

 

Give one time that "seers of Medjugorje have verified on numerous occasions that they have never seen Our Lady's feet." The devil is in the (alleged) details.

 

Personally I find when it comes to Malachi Martin I take what I need and leave the rest. He gives a lot of useful insight in to many things but may get certain things wrong.

 

Those of us who followed Medjugorje from day one and listened to what the local bishop has had to say, know that it is a hoax at best and a demonic illusion at worse.

 

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The only voices that can credibly speak on the veracity of any alleged apparition is the local bishop or Holy Father. Everyone else should be ignored.

 

It would be a strange hoax that would produce such good fruit like countless vocations, conversions, spiritual and physical healings etc.

 

No healings approved by the Church. And Satan will tolerate some good fruits if in the end he can sow disobedience to the local bishop. The "good fruits" argument is a fallacy.

 

Well I can testify that I was healed spiritually there and it gave me great courage for life and faith. Going there changed my perception of the Church completely also in a positive way. I wouldn't be a Catholic today if it wasn't for going there.

 

Richard's dogmatic statements based on ignorance (hopefully) can be ignored without problem. There is more than enough information out there to show anyone who actually wants to know about Medjugorje, to find out the truth. But here is a website with a mass of information that deals with most of the negative stuff that people bring up all the time:
http://www.medjugorje-apologia.com/common_misconceptions_defense.html

And this is a nice excuse to post this video which deals with the scientific tests applied to the visionaries:

 

David, you are always so quick to condemn those who calumniate people you agree with. I guess the reverse isn't true.
Shame!

If I found a "personal friend" of the Pope who said something distasteful about him you would jump all over me if I posted a quote from them. You would label me as a calumniating sinner, schismatic, Pope hating Protestant, etc.
You are a hypocrite!

I am VERY familiar with Malachi Martin. I have never heard him say anything even remotely similar to the allegation you made. I have however heard him condemn Bayside as a false apparition in his own voice in interviews though. There is only 1 unsubstantiated source for the allegation you make and it comes from the supporters of Bayside itself. Surprise, surprise. Why don't you go listen to his interviews for yourself and see what he said and not what a someone else says about him. Maybe you would learn something.

 

The Evil One seems to be working very hard in undermining Medjugorje at the moment and wants to destroy all the good things that have come from it. Personally I'm finding my faith is being tested around it because of that. I don't know is anyone else who has a devotion to Medjugorje experiencing the same thing lately, that their faith in it is being tested and coming under attack?

 

Well, I certainly don't want to calumniate anyone. The quote I made was simply one that came up when I did a Google search. I would be grateful if you would copy here any link that contradicts the quote I made.

 

That is good news indeed. You obviously felt the love of Christ and the fellowship of His Church present at Medjugorje. But it still is not enough to tell us if the apparition itself is genuine. Subjective feelings are not the most reliable gauge of Truth. As for healings, the Church has strict standards: see Lourdes. Healing can come from many sources and God can work miracles in spite of a false apparition.

 

The persecution has to happen. Any authentic prophecy is always attacked. And the attacks have been going on all the time and I think will not stop even when the secrets start to unfold.

 

Well Richard there is more than just the love and fellowship of Christ there. For example, seeing Vicka the first time there speak about Heaven, Hell and Purgatory it immediately seemed clear that it was true and I myself have amended my life accordingly since then as a result and realise that the afterlife is real and that we need to live good lives to ensure where we go in the next life. You should go there and experience it for yourself.

 

I agree David. But for some reason the ante seems to have increased lately, for example every Youtube video about Medjugorje there seems to be a lot of people dismissing it and saying it is demonic in the comments section and people seem to be more vocal. It is very disheartening and seems to have increased noticeably lately.

 

My voice and your voice are insignificant on the matter of Medjugorje's veracity, David. We each have stated our opinions. The only voice that matters is the voice of the local bishop and, following him, the Holy Father. They have the charism to judge the veracity of private revelation, not you or me or anyone else.

As for videos, here is one demonstrating unequivocally that the seers are faking it during the ecstasies:



Now, compare the reaction of the Medjugorje seer with the seers at Garabandal, who were unable to be influenced by external stimuli. I'm not saying that Garabandal is true and I still remain highly suspect of it, but the seers at Garabandal were clearly in either a preternatural state of ecstasy (which can come from the Devil) or a supernatural state of ecstasy (which comes from God). But the Medjugorje seer in the above video was clearly in neither a preternatural or supernatural state of ecstasy; she was in a natural state. In other words: she was faking it.