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The
visionaries continued recording monthly messages from Mary in which
She asks that we continually meditate, read and study (1).
As people have deviated from God and family, these messages seem to
be gentle steps away from immorality towards Piety. Through these
messages, our Holy Mother leads us back to Daily Prayer
(particularly the Rosary), Confession, Fasting, Holy Communion and
Scripture. |
Throughout the Bosnian
War, Medugorje fell under of the jurisdiction of the Croatian
Defense Council. It became part of the internationally unrecognized
Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia in 1993. According to the 1995
Dayton Agreement, Medugorje was incorporated into the Federation of
Bosnia and Herzegovina, populated mostly by Bosnians and Croats. The
village eventually became the starting point of ethnic cleansing by
Croatian Defense Council in 1992. This led to the complete
destruction of the Serbian Orthodox Zitomislic Monastery. The region
suffered heavy damage when the militia of a local weapons dealer
utilized the property of the Franciscan order in Bijakovici below
the Apparition Hill as a weapons testing ground for grenade
launchers during the war years. At the climax of conflict Bishop
Ratko Peric was kidnapped by Croatian militiamen on April 2, 1995,
beaten, and taken to a chapel run by one of the Franciscans
associated with Medugorje and held hostage for ten hours. The United
Nations Protection Force and the mayor of Mostar eventually secured
his release.
Twelve miles
to the northeast, the Mostar International Airport reopened for
civil aviation in 1998 after being closed for seven years. After the
Bosnian War, the road network was expanded and the village of
Surmanci in the lower Neretva valley gained a train station on the
route from Ploce to Sarajevo. Despite the new peaceful atmosphere,
some violent demonstrations took place on April 6, 2001 after the
NATO-led Stabilization Force closed and searched the local branches
of the Herzegovina Bank, in suspicion of criminal activity. Some of
the banks transaction included international donations intended for
Medugorje.
A general
tranquility came to the area after the Bosnian War, as the United
Nations stationed peace keeping troops in western Herzegovina. There
were several failed attempts by a local politician Ante Jelavic to
create a Croatian entity. However, Medugorje continued to remain
part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The village and
its surroundings developed economically subsequent to the war.
Particularly owing to the Marian Apparitions, over a thousand hotels
and hostels were established to accommodate religious tourism. With
approximately one million visitors annually, the Medjugorje
comprises the most overnight stays in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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