Philippine Catholic bishops on Monday discouraged pilgrimages to a controversial Marian site in South Korea, urging the faithful instead to deepen Marian devotion through approved shrines and the Church’s sacramental life.
In pastoral guidance issued July 13, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reaffirmed that the alleged Marian apparitions, reported Eucharistic miracles and other phenomena in Naju are not recognized by the Church as supernatural.
The guidance calls on diocesan pilgrimage organizers, parish leaders, travel agencies, Filipino pilgrims and Marian devotees to refrain from organizing, promoting or participating in pilgrimages to the site.
“Instead, we encourage the faithful to make pilgrimages to approved Marian shrines in the Philippines and throughout the world, where authentic Marian devotion is fostered in full communion with the Church,” the bishops said.
The CBCP encouraged Catholics to deepen their relationship with Christ through approved forms of Marian devotion rooted in the Church’s sacramental and liturgical life.
“True devotion flourishes in the celebration of the Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, prayer, and works of charity—not in sensational or unverified claims,” the pastoral guidance said.
The bishops also urged Catholics to remain faithful to the Church’s teaching authority and exercise prudence when evaluating alleged private revelations and extraordinary spiritual claims.
They warned that groups or movements promoting disobedience to legitimate Church authority or fostering division among believers contradict the Gospel and authentic Christian spirituality.
The guidance follows a definitive negative judgment by the Archdiocese of Gwangju, issued in communion with the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Church authorities concluded that the alleged apparitions, reported Eucharistic miracles and other phenomena associated with Julia Kim in Naju lack supernatural authenticity and should not be promoted.
Claims of Marian apparitions in Naju began in 1985 and attracted pilgrims from several countries with reports of visions, miraculous signs, healings and Eucharistic miracles.
The Gwangju archdiocese has repeatedly rejected those claims, a position reaffirmed under the Vatican’s updated norms for discerning alleged supernatural phenomena.
The CBCP said its guidance seeks to help Catholics remain firmly rooted in authentic Church teaching while avoiding confusion caused by unapproved private revelations.
“Let us avoid confusion caused by unapproved phenomena and instead walk the path of obedience, humility, and unity within the Body of Christ,” the bishops said.
