Worship at Site of Virgin Mary Apparition Banned

Story from BBC News No worship on 'Virgin Mary' hill By Prime Ndikumagenge BBC News, Bujumbura Page last updated at 22:49 GMT, Thursday, 29 January 2009 Worship has been banned on a small rural hill in Burundi, where a woman claims to see the Virgin Mary on the same day of every month. The 23-year-old's claims of an apparition have become so widely known that thousands of people gather on the hill at the same time to pray. But the governor of the northern province says the worshippers are troublemakers and they should stop. The Catholic church in the area is also investigating the claims of a "vision". The woman in question is called Euzebie and comes from a rural village known as Masinde, in the province of Kayanza. Sing and cry She claims to see the Virgin Mary on the 11th day of each month. Provincial governor Edouard Nduwimana says people come from all over the country, as well as nearby Rwanda and Uganda, to join Euzebie on the hill. He says they stay for three nights each month, from the 11th to the 13th, during which time they pray, bang drums, sing and cry. "Among the growing controversy surrounding the Euzebie saga, the archibishop of the northern diocese has formally advised worshippers to stop going to see Euzebie while the church investigates to confirm whether or not she has been seeing the Virgin Mary," said Mr Nduwimana, who also comes from Masinde village. Police are to start patrolling the hill in case the request is not met. According to followers of Euzebie, she began to see and talk to the Virgin Mary when she was four years old. Regina Pacis regularly travels for about an hour from another province in the north to see Euzebie. She claims she hears the voice of the Virgin Mary when she talks to Euzebie. But she says only a few people, with what she calls "a special gift", can also see her. Repenting sins Mubiligi is a senior magistrate in the capital Bujumbura. He started to worship with Euzebie last May. He claims he once saw a "miracle" when communal bread fell from the sky into the hand of Euzebie. Both say the message from the Virgin Mary focuses on repenting sins and loving one another. In a written message, the Archbishop of Kayanza, Monsignor Gervais Banshimiyubusa, said that in a country emerging from war, it was normal that people were attracted to a place where they believed they could receive relief for their suffering and mercy for their sins.

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This young woman has claimed to see the Virgin Mary since she was FOUR, and the Church is first getting around to investigating NOW, when she is TWENTY-THREE? Tsk, tsk. Can't help but think this smacks a bit of racism. I mean, there is the Mary Shrine at Lourdes, the Mary worshippers at Medjorie (spelling is probably wrong, I'm typing from memory) in Yugoslavia, the Mary worshippers in Guadalupe, Mexico, etc. etc. So, Africa cannot claim it's own Marian visions?