Archdiocese cancels speech of Virgin Mary seer

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- A Bosnian man who claims he saw a vision of the Virgin Mary will not be allowed to speak at Lindenwood University.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Ivan Dragicevic, who was scheduled to speak at the university Wednesday, claims he and five others saw the Virgin Mary in a town called Medjugorje in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia in 1981. They claim the vision has continued to appear to each of them since then.

Dragicevic was invited to St. Charles by the Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich Foundations, which is a Catholic not-for-profit in Grover, Missouri. Earlier this month, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith sent a request to the Archdiocese of St. Louis to remind clergy members they are not allowed to participate in events that promote the so-called visionaries.

The foundation could not be reached for comment, but its outgoing phone message notes Dragicevic's event was canceled because of "unforeseen circumstances."

Since 1981, millions have flocked to Medjugorje, or what's known as the "village of miracles."

In 2010, the Vatican body launched an investigation into the alleged visionaries, due to the continued interest. The release of their findings are said to be imminent.

Michael O'Neill, a Roman Catholic in Chicago who runs a website centered on miracles, says he isn't optimistic the commission will declare the apparition as authentic because of other things the so-called visionaries may say.

"I would be willing to bet every dollar I have that they won't say that this is authentic," O'Neill said. "I just don't think they'll want to take that risk."