The Vatican is preparing to publish its verdict on whether long-claimed sightings of the Virgin Mary in Bosnia are legitimate.

A 15-year study has been conducted by the Vatican into the alleged sightings from 1981, when a group of teenagers claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary appear on a hillside in the winemaking town of Medjugorje.

Some of the original seers claim to have experienced repeated visitations and allege that she has given them messages.

Medjugorje has since become a major pilgrimage destination, attracting millions of visitors.

In 2023 alone, over 1.7 million Eucharistic wafers were distributed at Mass services on the site. Religious tourism has become a core part of the town’s livelihood.

Unlike other pilgrimage sites, the Vatican has never officially endorsed Medjugorje. In 2017, Pope Francis cast doubt on the reported signs, saying: “I prefer Our Lady to be a mother, our mother, and not a telegraph operator who sends out a message every day at a certain time.”

“This is not the mother of Jesus and these alleged apparitions have no great value.”

Yet he appointed two personal envoys to oversee the shrine, and two years later in 2019 permitted official church pilgrimages.

Thursday’s outcome is unlikely to permit a full sanctification of the site; earlier this year Cardinal Fernandez announced a new criteria, listing six possible outcomes for sites of reported visitations.

The most favourable is a doctrinal ‘green light’, a so-called 'nihil obstat'.

Tourism Association chief Ante Kozina, told the Press Association that the impact of the Vatican’s judgement will be key for the Bosnian economy: “Medjugorje means a lot, all economic sectors [in the area] lean on Medjugorje.”