Father Jozo Zovko
Blest are those persecuted for holiness' sake; the reign of God is theirs. Blest are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of slander against you because of me. Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven; they persecuted the prophets before you in the very same way (Matthew 5:10-12).
When the communists ordered Father Jozo Zovko to discontinue the evening mass and close St. James Church he refused and went to Sarajevo to argue his case before the Commission of Religious Affairs. The commission chairman shouted at him, saying that the gatherings in Medjugorje were not merely religious but also had political purposes and that these were intended to promote Croatian nationalism. He also emphasized that the mastermind behind the apparitions will be prosecuted. However, Father Jozo appeared to be calm and unmoved by his threats.
On 11 August 1981, Father Jozo Zovko was summoned to the headquarters of the Communist Party in Mostar where he was given the last warning to discontinue the evening mass at St. James' Church and ban the gatherings on Podbrdo Hill (also known as Apparition Hill). Father Jozo responded that he would continue to celebrate mass as long as people came to the church. Despite the threats, he did not stop the faithful from assembling on Podbrdo Hill. Father Jozo was arrested on 17 August 1981 and his trial began and ended on 21 October 1981. He was convicted of sedition by a kangaroo court - a serious crime that could carry a death penalty. However, during the apparition in the evening of 21 October 1981, the Virgin Mary told the visionaries that Father Jozo would not be punished severely. The following morning, instead of being condemned to death, he was given a prison sentence of three and a half years with hard labor which was reduced to one and a half years on appeal.
Who is the real hero of Medjugorje? It is human nature that everyone tends to save his own skin first in times of danger. But the opposite seems to be true of Father Jozo Zovko. He did not betray Medjugorje to save his own skin. He was ready to go to prison for Medjugorje - for the truth. Father Jozo is very devout. He is a priest with great charisma.
When the communists ordered Father Jozo Zovko to discontinue the evening mass and close St. James Church he refused and went to Sarajevo to argue his case before the Commission of Religious Affairs. The commission chairman shouted at him, saying that the gatherings in Medjugorje were not merely religious but also had political purposes and that these were intended to promote Croatian nationalism. He also emphasized that the mastermind behind the apparitions will be prosecuted. However, Father Jozo appeared to be calm and unmoved by his threats.
On 11 August 1981, Father Jozo Zovko was summoned to the headquarters of the Communist Party in Mostar where he was given the last warning to discontinue the evening mass at St. James' Church and ban the gatherings on Podbrdo Hill (also known as Apparition Hill). Father Jozo responded that he would continue to celebrate mass as long as people came to the church. Despite the threats, he did not stop the faithful from assembling on Podbrdo Hill. Father Jozo was arrested on 17 August 1981 and his trial began and ended on 21 October 1981. He was convicted of sedition by a kangaroo court - a serious crime that could carry a death penalty. However, during the apparition in the evening of 21 October 1981, the Virgin Mary told the visionaries that Father Jozo would not be punished severely. The following morning, instead of being condemned to death, he was given a prison sentence of three and a half years with hard labor which was reduced to one and a half years on appeal.
Who is the real hero of Medjugorje? It is human nature that everyone tends to save his own skin first in times of danger. But the opposite seems to be true of Father Jozo Zovko. He did not betray Medjugorje to save his own skin. He was ready to go to prison for Medjugorje - for the truth. Father Jozo is very devout. He is a priest with great charisma.
In his book, The Truth About Medjugorje, a response to the pamphlet "Medjugorje" by Msgr. Pavao Zanic, Bishop of Mostar, Father Dr. Ljudevit Rupcic clearly explains the real situation in Medjugorje. How did Father Jozo end up in prison? It's a long story - let's find out what Father Rupcic has to say. The entire truth can be found in his chapter entitled The Reckless Reversal (summarized below):
Initially, the bishop was the leader of those who supported Medjugorje and believed in the authenticity of the apparitions. He even encouraged those who were doubtful about the visionaries' stories to develop a positive attitude toward the apparitions.
Not long after that, in the summer of 1981, the bishop changed his mind about the apparitions, but there was no noticeable change in the situation in Medjugorje that could help to explain for his sudden change of attitude. Therefore, the only explanation for his change of attitude was that this had nothing to do with the events in Medjugorje but rather with some ocurrences outside Medjugorje.
The communists were against the apparitions in Medjugorje as these were regarded to be counter-revolutionary and their stand on the issue had been formally announced by Branko Mikulic, the President of the Communist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 4 July 1981. When the communists in Yugoslavia realized that the Bishop of Mostar had a positive attitude toward the apparitions as clearly indicated by his words, writings, and public appearances that were contrary to the official state attitude toward these occurrences, he was summoned to Sarajevo by the officials of the Yugoslav State Security Service (UDBA). There, they threatened to put him in prison unless he stopped speaking in favor of the apparitions. Their threats worked very well on the bishop and he returned to Mostar a different person. At that time, it was difficult to say how much the bishop had to fear as different people tend to have different reactions under such circumstances.
At the same time, Father Jozo Zovko was also summoned by the UDBA. He was also threatened with imprisonment unless he stopped speaking favorably about the Medjugorje apparitions. Needless to say, the threats levelled at the bishop and at Father Jozo were the same, since both of them have committed the same criminal offence. However, Father Jozo continued to act in accordance with his convictions while trying not to provoke the UDBA in the hope that they would not carry out their threats. As pastor of the Medjugorje parish, Father Jozo wished to continue to spread the message of Our Lady of Medjugorje and promote the apparitions as he was convinced that the visionaries were telling the truth.
Although he was threatened with imprisonment, Father Jozo continued to support Medjugorje, knowing very well that he was putting himself at risk of being arrested. The bishop, on the other hand, reacted differently, even though he was in the same situation as Father Jozo.
Immediately after his meeting with the UDBA, the bishop called Father Jozo and told him how he had been interrogated by the Executive Committee in Sarajevo and how he was rebuked by 12 of his priests for his support of the apparitions upon his return to Mostar. He also told Father Jozo that he could not get himself involved anymore as he was not ready to go to prison for Medjugorje. At that instant, there was no indication that he no longer believed in the apparitions or had found evidence that the apparitions were not real.
On 17 August 1981, Fr. Jozo was arrested and, the following day, was sentenced to a three and a half years of hard labor in prison because of his support for Medjugorje. Father Ferdo Vlasic and Father Jozo Krizic were also arrested and imprisoned with him.
The situation in Medjugorje became more tense. During those days, simply saying a word in favor of Medjugorje could put someone in danger. For instance, when a hardly noticeable comment appeared in Nasa Ognjista, a Bosnian-Croat, Roman Catholic, weekly newspaper, published in Mostar-Duvno, the Secretary of the Religious Commission in Bosnia and Heregovina, Filip Simic, attacked the newspaper editorial staff, saying that the state and religious authorities (bearing in mind Bishop Zanic and the Franciscan provincial, Father Jozo Pejic) had decided that nothing would be written about the Medjugorje apparitions. Following that, Nasa Ognjista was suppressed.
When Father Jozo was released from prison on 18 February 1983, he immediately went to see the bishop. During their conversation, the bishop tried to justify his actions saying that given the circumstances that he was in, it was not possible for him to have acted differently as he was being threatened with imprisonment by the UDBA. According to the bishop, the diocesan priests and some Franciscans had pressured him not to intervene with Medjugorje and reproached him for his support of the apparitions. The diocesan priests were against Medjugorje because they were worried that the Franciscans would gain prestige if the apparitions were officially approved. The bishop also said that some Franciscans had asked the UDBA for a favor and therefore could not afford to offend the UDBA for the sake of Medjugorje.
The bishop told Father Jozo that given his circumstances, he had to think of his own interests first as he did not want to go to prison for Medjugorje and demoted from being a bishop to assistant pastor of a village. He dared not disobey the UDBA because he did not want to be sent to prison. He had to give in to the demands of the diocesan priests because they had threatened to boycott him if he continued to support Medjugorje. As a newcomer in the diocese, he was left with the choice of either giving up his position of authority or completely denying Medjugorje.
This book of truth is clear evidence of Father Jozo's heroic deeds as he continued to support Medjugorje in an era of communist oppression. During that time, those who spoke favorably of the apparitions would end up in prison but Father Jozo was not afraid of prison because he knew that the apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje were real events. Thus one can see how and why Father Jozo was sentenced to hard labor in prison without committing a crime. Instead of denying the apparitions to avoid imprisonment, he has chosen to defend the truth even though he knew that he would be subjected to horrendous treatment in prison. He has gone to prison for Medjugorje. Truly, he is a saintly prisoner.
You may also like to read JUSTICE FOR FATHER JOZO ZOVKO and FATHER JOZO ZOVKO - A GOOD PRIEST. To view the content page of this blog, please click here. There is a complete list of my articles about Medjugorje on this page.
References:
1. The Truth about Medjugorje. Ljudevit Rupcic. Ljubuski - Humac.
2. The New American Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers.
3. Medjugorje. Information Center "MIR" Medjugorje.
4. The Miracle Detective. Randall Sullivan. Atlantic Monthly Press.
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