Pope Francis on Medjugorje Pilgrimages. Pope Francis has decided to authorise pilgrimages to Medjugorje which can now be officially organised by dioceses and parishes and will no longer take place only in a private capacity which has so far been the case. A Vatican spokesman specified that the papal authorisation must be accompanied by “care to prevent these events, which still require examination by the Church.” He went on, “considering the flow of people who go to Medjugorje and the abundant fruits of grace that have sprung from it, this authorisation is part of the particular pastoral attention that the Holy Father intended to give to the people who go on pilgrimage, aimed at encouraging and promoting the fruits of good.”