March 29, 2010. Millions of pilgrims visit Medjugorje every year. For this reason, the Vatican is considering building a diocese for the sanctuary, independent from the Mostar, which it depended on until now.



According to close sources of the Vatican, the new diocese will likely be based in the city of Makrska.

The project was proposed in September 2009, but was not carried out due to the lack of support from the bishop of the region, Ratko Peric.

Since 1981 6 people have supposedly witnessed the Virgin's appearance in the city of Medjugorje, in Bosnia Herzegovina.

The Vatican has never made an official statement on these appearances. On March 17, the Pope created a commission to study what took place in Medjugorje.

Cardinal Camillo Ruini  presides over the commission, that will receive help from the cardinal bishop of Sarajevo, Vinko Puljic, the cardinal of Zagreb, Josip Bozanic, the Cardinal Julian Herranz of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and 16 other people including priests, psychologists and experts on apparitions of the Virgin.

BR/IS