The current debate on strong religion in politics almost completely neglects a unique and highly political form of Catholic strong religion: the Marian apparitions and their interpretations which form part of Catholicism since early modernity. Unlike other forms of strong religion that locate the sources of divine order in the past, for example as a sacred text or a bygone golden age, Marian apparitions present themselves as the direct intervention of the mother of God in the politics of the present.
The appearances of Mary, often in places undergoing fundamental transformation, are always linked to concrete political messages: For example, Fatima as the call for a bulwark against communism, La Salette summoned to a disciplined Christian life on the brink of the 1848 revolution. The still on-going messages at Medjugorje that started a decade before the Balkan wars spread the message of global peace as did the apparition of Mary in Kibeho, where one of the major genocides of the Rwandan war took place.
Both the status of these apparitions and their interpretations are contested by Catholics and non-believers, yet the political relevance and impact of this form of strong religion on millions of people is undeniable. The paper offers an overview of the most central Mariano apparitions and their relation to modern politics. What features do the Marian apparitions share with regard to their political message? How are the political interpretations negotiated by the community of believers? What methodologies lend themselves to the study of the Marian apparitions' political aspects in academia?
