About 300 people gathered at a chapel in the southern German village of Unterflossing on Saturday to see an apparition of the Virgin Mary even though the Catholic Church had treated the event with skepticism.
According to Al Jazeera, those who took part in the event in St. Lawrence Chapel were followers of the self-appointed Italian prophet, Salvatore Caputa, who has been claiming to have seen visitations by Mary and to have had conversations with her since 1986.
Believers have claimed that the Virgin Mary had appeared in the chapel twice in the past, most recently in September.
The Catholic Church has refused to recognize the apparitions, but the archdiocese of Munich sent an observer in September 2017 to report back to church leaders.
This year, Caputa claimed that the Virgin Mary would appear on March 17 at precisely 4:30pm local time at the chapel. Those present in September claimed that pilgrims will be able to recognize the arrival by her scent.
After the clock hit 4:30pm, Caputa reportedly sank to his knees holding a rosary and claimed that the Virgin had called for prayers for peace, adding "Open your hearts." Some of the pilgrims claimed to have smelled the scent of roses associated with Mary.
While the Church has recognized Marian apparitions in the past, the regional archdiocese has barred clerics against taking part to avoid lending any legitimacy to the gathering.
Some supposed Marian apparitions have been officially recognized by the church, including those in Lourdes, France; Fatima, Portugal; Guadalupe, Mexico and Knock, Ireland.
In May, Pope Francis had expressed skepticism about the alleged apparitions in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje, where the Virgin Mary has supposedly appeared to a group of six visionaries regularly since 1981. The once-sleepy village later become a travel destination for millions of pilgrims and tourists.
"The report has its doubts, but personally, I am a little worse. I prefer Our Lady as mother, our mother, and not Our Lady as head of the post office who sends a message at a stated time," Francis told reporters in May 2017.
"This isn't Jesus' mother. And these alleged apparitions don't have much value. I say this as a personal opinion, but it is clear. Who thinks that Our Lady says, 'Come, because tomorrow at this time I will give a message to that seer?' No!" he added.
The Pope acknowledged that there are conversions taking place at the alleged apparitions site, but insisted that "there isn't magic there."
