Philippine Bishops Call Catholics Back to Authentic Marian Devotion Amid Naju Concerns

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued pastoral guidance urging the faithful to remain in full communion with the Church and refrain from promoting or participating in pilgrimages to Naju, South Korea, following the Church's negative judgment on the alleged Marian apparitions and Eucharistic phenomena reported there.

In a pastoral statement dated July 13, CBCP President Archbishop Gilbert A. Garcera reminded Catholics that authentic Marian devotion always leads believers to Jesus Christ and to the communion of the Church.

Quoting Mary's words at the Wedding at Cana, "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5), the bishops stressed that devotion to the Blessed Virgin should always be rooted in fidelity to Christ and obedience to the Church's teaching authority.

The statement also noted that the Archdiocese of Gwangju in South Korea, in communion with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, reaffirmed its negative judgment that the alleged Marian apparitions and Eucharistic miracles associated with Julia Kim in Naju are not recognized as supernatural.

The CBCP urged Catholics to remain faithful to the authentic Magisterium of the Church, emphasizing that bishops, clergy, religious, and lay faithful share the responsibility of respecting and obeying ecclesiastical authority.

The bishops also reminded the faithful that private revelations are not essential to the Catholic faith and that believers are not obliged to accept them, particularly when competent Church authorities have ruled against their authenticity.

Instead, the CBCP encouraged Catholics to deepen their Eucharistic devotion through approved expressions of faith, including participation in the Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, prayer, and works of charity, rather than through sensational or unverified claims.

The bishops likewise warned against movements that foster division or disobedience within the Church, saying authentic spirituality is marked by humility, obedience, and unity.

The pastoral guidance included a specific appeal to diocesan pilgrimage organizers, parish leaders, travel agencies, Filipino pilgrims, and devotees to refrain from organizing, promoting, or joining pilgrimages to Naju.

Rather than visiting sites that have not received ecclesiastical approval, the CBCP encouraged the faithful to make pilgrimages to approved Marian shrines in the Philippines and other parts of the world, where devotion to the Blessed Virgin is fostered in full communion with the Catholic Church.

In concluding the statement, the bishops called on Catholics to remain steadfast in the life of the Church, nourished by the Eucharist and guided by Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium.

They urged the faithful to avoid confusion arising from unapproved religious phenomena and instead walk the path of obedience, humility, and unity within the Body of Christ.

The statement ended with a prayer asking Mary, Mother of the Church, to obtain for the faithful "the grace of fidelity and peace."

The pastoral guidance was signed by Archbishop Garcera in his capacity as CBCP president and released on July 13.