Reconstructing Reality
Marco Corvaglia's website
Mirjana: I Chose Father Petar. Actually, I Didn’t
by Marco Corvaglia
First version of the facts (1984-2015): I chose Father Petar
Mirjana and Father Petar in the mid-1980s
Mirjana claims to have been told by Our Lady to choose a priest to whom to reveal the alleged ten secrets a few days before they would come to pass.
For approximately thirty years, Mirjana had been saying that she had chosen Father Petar Ljubičić. Then, since 2015, she openly and incredibly began trying to deny what cannot be denied, as we will document.
Mirjana wrote in her autobiography:
On September 13, 1984, she [the Madonna] appeared again and told me the date on which I must give the details of the first secrets to the priest.
[Mirjana Soldo, My Heart Will Triumph, Catholic Shop Publishing, Cocoa FL 2016, p. 187]
The "official" historian, Father René Laurentin, reported in the mid-1980s, "Mirjana chose young Father Pero (Petar), a Franciscan vicar in Medjugorje” [R. Laurentin, Le apparizioni di Medjugorje continuano, Queriniana, 1986, p. 34], and added a few statements made by Mirjana herself after the "extraordinary" apparition of 25 October 1985 [emphasis added]:
During the apparition, Our Lady prayed twice (in Latin) for Father Pero:
-I was happy because Mary was happy with my choice, Mirjana continues. Pero's heart is totally open to the Lord. A reward awaits him. We prayed with her (the "Our Father" and the “Glory Be”) for Pero's success in the task that he has been entrusted with.
[Ibid., p. 35]
After that, the years began to pass and nothing happened. In 1993, Father René Laurentin, evidently a bit surprised, interviewed Mirjana once again:
On 14 March 1993, I asked her:
- In 1984, it appeared that you rushed to contact Father Petar, the priest you chose to reveal the secrets to. If you knew that the date of their occurrence was still far into the future, why did you act so far ahead of time?
- I needed to so that Father Petar could prepare.
[Laurentin, Dernières nouvelles de Medjugorje, n° 12, O.E.I.L., 1993, p. 19]
Again on 8 August 2001, interviewed on Radio Maria by Father Livio Fanzaga, Mirjana clearly reiterated [emphasis added]:
Father Livio: Tell me everything you can and then I'll ask you for some clarifications.
Mirjana: Well, I needed to choose a priest to tell the ten secrets to, and I chose the Franciscan Father, Petar Ljubičić. I have to tell him what will happen and where, ten days before it happens. We will need to spend seven days in fasting and prayer and three days before, he will need to tell everyone and he will not be allowed to choose whether to tell them or not. He agreed that he will tell everyone three days before, so it will be evident that it’s something coming from the Lord.
[Mirjana di Medjugorje, La Madonna prepara per il mondo un futuro di pace, Shalom, 2002, pp. 90-91]
Here’s a short file with the original Italian audio:
In 2007, Father Petar himself, interviewed by the Rivista Medjugorje [Medjugorje Magazine], stated:
One evening about 25 years ago in Medjugorje, when I first heard that Mirjana had chosen me to reveal the secrets, I thought it was a joke. I said it was a very serious thing that you usually don't joke about. But then I kept thinking about it. I was wondering, “Can this really be true?” All of this did not leave me indifferent. It was strange for me to imagine why Mirjana had chosen me. I considered it a great honor, but also a great responsibility. I can't explain why, but I wasn't afraid. Then, when I met Mirjana, she said to me, "Do you know that when the time comes, you’ll be the one who will reveal the secrets?
[I 10 segreti di Medjugorje. Intervista a Padre Petar Ljubicic, “Rivista Medjugorje”, n° 70, 2nd quarter 2007]
When he was chosen by Mirjana, Father Petar Ljubičić was 38 years old. Today, he is an old man (having been born in 1946). Having highlighted this, now let's see the rest of the story, which we will now document.
Interim version (2015): The Madonna will choose
The first signs of Mirjana's attempts to deny the choice of Father Petar can be seen in March 2015 in an article written by Medjugorjan activist Ania Goledzinowska in the online Catholic newspaper, La Croce. In it, we read:
Those who follow the "apparitions" of Medjugorje know that there are the so-called ten secrets which will be revealed three days before they occur by a priest chosen by the visionary Mirjana. At one time, it seemed that this task had been entrusted to Father Petar Ljubicić, a Franciscan chosen by the visionary. It was also declared by Mirjana herself. She said, "It will be he who must reveal the secrets.” However, as of late, Mirjana is saying that it will be Our Lady who will show her the priest who will need to reveal these secrets.
[Ania Goledzinowska, Medjugorie sotto l’acqua, il terzo segreto, "La Croce", 3 marzo 2015]
Does this mean that Our Lady has changed her mind? No. Mirjana would once again change her version of the events.
Third version (2018): I never chose Father Petar, but I will have to choose (maybe)
The next change in the version of events is documented by this video, shot on 26 October 2018 during one of the meetings that the "seer" usually holds with guests of her guest-house (in this case, Italian and Argentinian pilgrims). Mirjana made the incredible statement that can be heard in this video:
Translation:
I need to choose a priest to whom I will tell the secrets. I’ve read in many books (and pilgrims have told me, too) that I chose Father Petar. This is not true.
Father Petar is a priest I love very much because I have known him since the apparitions began. I liked him right away because he was always working for the poor. This bonded us, and we always remained together. And, if it’s requested of me, it’ll be Father Petar. If it’s requested of me. It's not that I can say, "It will be Father Petar".
[Original Italian words: Devo scegliere un sacerdote a cui dirò i segreti. Io in tanti libri ho letto (anche me lo hanno detto i pellegrini) che io ho scelto padre Petar. Anche questo non è vero.
Padre Petar è un sacerdote a cui io voglio tanto bene perché lo conosco da quando sono cominciate le apparizioni. Mi è piaciuto subito, perché sempre lavorava per i poveri. Questo ci ha legato e siamo rimasti sempre insieme. E, se si chiede a me, sarà padre Petar. Se si chiederà a me. Non è che io posso dire: “Sarà padre Petar".]
Summarizing the whole story, with the same expressions used by Mirjana over time, Mirjana needed to choose a priest and she chose Father Petar, who accepted. However, Mirjana...did not choose him. Now she must choose, but perhaps she won't be asked to choose...
On February 4, 2021, Father Petar Ljubičić (clearly not aware of Mirjana's new versions), when interviewed by Radio Maria, reiterated what can be heard in the following fragment of audio file (the full audio of the interview can be heard on the Testimoni di Medjugorje fin dalle origini - 04/02/2021: Incontro con Padre Petar Ljubicic scelto da Mirjana per rivelare i DIECI SEGRETI [Witnesses of Medjugorje from the beginning - 04/02/2021: Meeting with Father Petar Ljubicic chosen by Mirjana to reveal the TEN SECRETS], page of the Radio Maria website):
Translation:
One evening 39 (sic) years ago, when I heard that Mirjana had chosen me to announce the secrets, at first I thought it was a joke. I thought you usually don't joke about such a thing. The thought was rather unsettling. I was wondering how it could be true. It was unbelievable to me that Mirjana had chosen me for this task and mission. It was a great honor for me, but also a responsibility. I can't explain why, but inside me there was no fear or anxiety. Then, when I met Mirjana, she asked me, "Do you already know that when the time comes, you’ll be the one who will have to announce the secrets to the world?” I replied, “Is it possible?” It was difficult for me to find the words and feelings to respond. I only know that I was filled with a deep sense of joy and security.
[Original Italian words: Quando, una sera di 39 anni fa, ho sentito che Mirjana mi aveva scelto per annunziare i segreti, ho creduto dapprima che fosse uno scherzo. Ho pensato che su una cosa così non si potesse scherzare. Il pensiero di tutto questo non mi lasciava in pace. Mi sono domandato se tutto ciò potesse essere vero. Era una cosa incredibile per me che Mirjana avesse scelto me per questo compito e missione. Tutto ciò era per me un grande onore ma anche una responsabilità. Non posso spiegarvi il perché, ma dentro di me non c'era paura né ansia. Quando ho incontrato Mirjana, lei mi ha domandato: “Sai già che tu dovrai annunziare al mondo i segreti quando arriverà il momento?” Risposi: "È possibile questo?" Era difficile per me trovare parole e sentimenti per dare una risposta. So solo che fui pervaso da un profondo senso di gioia e sicurezza.]
Marco Corvaglia
Page published on 20 January 2021. Updated on 6 February 2021
You might also be interested in: Mirjana and the Apparitions for Her Birthday
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