The Vatican offered its approval for devotion in one of the most contested aspects of Roman Catholic practice in recent years. The village of Međugorje was put on the map in 1981, after six children and teenagers claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary..... new Vatican criteria that was put in place this year, ruled that the "spiritual fruits" stemming from the Međugorje experience more than justified allowing the people to organize pilgrimages there and permitting public acts of devotion.
Since the first reports of apparitions, Catholics have flocked to Međugorje to visit the place which has been held in high religious regard. Until now, the Vatican has not officially backed the pilgrimages to the area, and past diocesan bishops have voiced doubts about the validity of the claims.
Some of the original witnesses from 1981, have claimed the visions have occurred regularly since then, even daily, and that Mary sends them messages."
IrishTimes