Whether they would like him to go to oblivion or keep his name as a real challenge, the Medjugorje apparitions story may never be complete without the mention of the former priest, Tomislav Vlasic, who voluntarily like Judas took it upon himself to take care of the seers there.
As if custom-made for his role, Vlasic was born in Sovici which is part of Herzegovina. He was ordained a Franciscan priest on July 26, 1969 in Frohleiten, Austria for the OFM province of Herzegovina. His former job was as an assistant pastor of the Parish of Caplijina where he was active already in inviting priests and nuns to meet their “charismatic renewal needs” which were already of dubious nature. One must remember that the charismatic movement which crept into the Catholic Church was an innovation of two protestant imports who participated in Vatican II. In September, 1981, he left his post without asking the Bishop’s permission to work with the visionaries of Medjugorje.
He took care of chronicling the events and recorded the first “Chronicle” dating it August 11, 1981 although the actual writing took place in October. He made himself available to the seers and went wherever they go. Seeing his interest and determination, the OFM Provincial recommended him to the bishop to serve as spiritual assistant in Medjugorje on July 19, 1982. On October 16, 1982, Bishop Pavao Zanic came to ask for the diary of Vicka Ivanovic but apparently, she was coached not to give it. The bishop had hoped he could read it so that he could evaluate the apparitions better. But he was told that there was such no diary. Even Vlasic who was spiritual adviser to the children and obviously their confessor said that such diary did not exist. On December 14, 1983, the priest even went to the Chancery to explain because there was a reported diary of Vicka Ivanovic in existence. The Franciscan priest had to swear to the cross that there was no such thing. Later, Vlasic would mention it in his “Chronicle” and much later, he and Vicka would turn it over to Rene Laurentin, writer and “Friend of Medjugorje”as he would admit it. This is one interesting development because an investigator would find it suspicious for a man of the cloth to lie to his prelate and coddle a child into lying about her own diary, especially if the one asking for it was the Bishop, who is sympathetic to your cause as Bishop Zanic was.
Vlasic couldn’t mask his ambitions. His letter to the Pope in 1984 introduced himself as the one “who through Divine providence leads the seers of Medjugorje.” He even informed the Pope the fact that Our Lady was currently telling them about her biography. Had the Pope been interested may be through Vlasic’s intercession, a biography of the Virgin may have been produced by the children. But the Pope seemed not to be interested and so came his next bid,”I am in Rome from 29 April till 10 May for an international meeting. I know that you are busy but if you can reserve me for a few minutes, I would be able to explain the strong points of the apparitions.” A second letter was written two weeks later and this time it was more pressing as it said, “The time is close at hand and we are approaching the end.” Still, the apocalyptic message was ignored. On August 22, 1984, he informed the bishop that they will be celebrating the 2000th birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary on August 5! Never mind the date of the letter but indeed, on August 4-5, so many people gathered in Medjugorje to celebrate the eve and the birthday of Our Lady for the first Mladfest which was contrary to the common knowledge to be September 8. On October 30, 1984, before he could be spooked any further, Bishop Pavao Zanic wrote his evaluation of his person whom he described as a “mystifier and charismatic magician.”
Hence, he was transferred to the diocese of Vitina where he could possibly reflect on his actions. There, the bishop, Frane Franic told Fr. Slavko Barbaric, also a noted Franciscan Charismatic that he had a deep impression on Vlasic’s person. He spoke about his discerned path of sanctity in “his sense of detachment and inner strength”. The poor guy was duped because he was still licking his wounds and therefore must be quiet knowing he was under observation.
He was always thinking ahead of his wards just as in the way he told the pope in the letter that they were absorbing the Lady’s biography daily. In 1983, in an interview with the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, he told him that children are all going into the convent. And yet, only one of them became interested and this is the one who lied about the sign given him, Ivan Dragicevic. In fact, although he tried, with less than two years in the seminaries of Visoko and Dubrovnik, he left his aspirations of becoming a priest altogether. He must have been injecting in their mind to enter the Holy Orders to be consistent with their being seers.
As mentioned, Vlasic was very much into the charismatic movement. But even prior to the apparitions, Tomislav Vlasic may have already been “chosen” spiritually. In May, 1981 he joined the International Leaders Conference of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Rome. During the culminating prayers, the very emotional Vlasic asked for prayers of healing for Yugoslavia, especially that the young people there are succumbing to communist propaganda, and the participants obliged. One of the participants, was noted faith healer and charismatic speaker Irish-American Briege Mc Kenna and she also remembered Vlasic. She came to him and said she had a vision of him sitting surrounded by multitudes. Then water gushed beneath him and formed rivers. (Did he urinate or what?) She told him through an interpreter that many young people will go to his church and there was no need to worry. Relative to this, Fr. Emiliano Tardif, another charismatic priest approached him and said, “Fear not, I’m sending you my mother.” Perhaps, it was Christ speaking through him, as he was another well-known mystic, but it would be too awkward if we were to say that the priest was sending Our Lady to Vlasic’s church. This happened weeks before the first Medjugorje apparition in June, 1981. Do we discern a connection here?
However, if there was one, does it mean that because notable persons were concerned, that the spirits coming to Medjugorje are necessarily from heaven? Our research finds otherwise because there were many questionable things about the apparitions there, of which some we may touch. However, with unsolicited admissions of the members of his movement who thought they were abandoned, he himself had declared that he had conjured spirits to go to Medjugorje.
Of the things we have discerned, here are at least 10 among others; 1) there was grave theological error as those in heaven have souls and bodies with them as if Vlasic was never familiarized with the Nicene creed, 2) the Virgin who is most chaste allowed people to touch her according to the seers; veil, dress, hand, head, etc., 3) the Virgin became black both clothes and body because she allowed sinful people to touch her, 4) the Virgin said Vlasic can be trusted as a spiritual guide despite the fact that even before coming to Medjugorje, he had already made a fellow Franciscan pregnant in Zagreb and despite the fact that, he would make the teeners lie, 5) the Virgin asked the mechanic, Marenko to come so that she could kiss him, but he only felt something akin to electric current, 6) the Virgin was not to come anymore after July 3, 1981 but she kept coming; was she the one who really came?, 7) the Virgin supported the disobedience of the Franciscans opposing what had been approved by the Pope, 8) Vlasic impressed upon Hans Urs von Balthazar that his ward are all going to the convent but it was only Ivan Dragicevic who was influenced by him, 9) Vlasic failed to inform Ivan because he was in the seminary not to write any sign as continually promised by the Gospa and so, he lied and also had to do it, and 10) Vlasic instituted the Mladfest or international youth festival by assigning the birthday of the lady on August 5. This must be another lady.
Having problems already with the church in 1987, he formed with Agnes Heupel, a German who was supposed to be cured by the Gospa the new age movement called Queen of Peace-Totally yours -to Jesus through Mary. Members of this occult-gnostic group were the ones who told on his conjuring spirits to come to Medjugorje apparently to do wonders, when he abandoned the organization. Was the Gospa or the Virgin one of them? He was finally defrocked on May 20, 2018 by Benedict XVI. He was the Cardinal Ratzinger to whom the landlord sent the letters which exposed Vlasic’s relationship with his mada which he tried to hide through another priest who left the sacerdotal dignity to marry a woman he made pregnant. At least this man was man enough to face and suffer the consequences. But even before his removal from priesthood, he was still able to establish some houses for a new religion he established which he named the Church of Jesus Christ of the Whole Universe; with the help of his deputy founder, and lover, Stefania Katerina whom he met in Medjugorje in 2005, in Brescia, Italy.
Those who may want to become missionaries to other human beings in other universes and planets may contact him.
Yes, we also believe that having such charisma and energy, he must be a man of the spirit. We just don’t know what spirit is giving him such power. What do you think?
Icarus Leido
Bartholomew Es Graforti
Tom Fidelis
Renurado F. Montem
Wadi Watkalulu
