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	Priest Scandal Can't Shake Faith of Pilgrims Belfast Telegraph July 31, 2009 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/priest-scandal-canrsquot-shake-faith-of-pilgrims-14440367.html A west Belfast man said his faith in Medjugorje — a Bosnian town which is a popular site for Catholic pilgrimages — is unshaken despite the defrocking of a priest closely linked to reported apparitions. Reggie Donnelly (70) vowed to continue bringing pilgrims to the town of Medjugorje, despite the controversy surrounding Father Tomislav Vlasic. He is running pilgrimages in August and September. Thousands from Northern Ireland visit the town each year. Fr Vlasic reportedly fathered a child with a nun and has now been defrocked by Pope Benedict XVI. His punishment is seen as a blow to the movement to have Medjugorje officially recognised as a place of pilgrimage for Catholics. Fr Vlasic became closely identified with the perceived holiness of Medjugorje through his support of the 'seers' from the town who first claimed to have experienced apparitions of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ in 1981. Mr Donnelly said he had been visiting the site for 27 years. On his first visit he said he saw the words 'mir' — Croatian for peace — appear in the sky. "That was the beginning of my devotion," Mr Donnelly said. The retired baker has since brought around 1,200 people very year to Medjugorje. He said he did not believe Pope Benedict to be sceptical about Medjugorje. "He visited when he was a cardinal. The church has never approved it but they have never condemned it," he said. He said miracles were a "daily occurrence" in the town. "I had a man there from Belfast who had not been in a church in 61 years and he was completely converted in Medjugorje. "To those who have not been, no explanation can be given. To those who have been, no explanation is necessary. Forty-one million people can't be wrong."
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