Ranking Congressmen Support Suspect Religious Group, Announces The Kronzer Foundation

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 13, 2001--In a letter recently verified by the Phillip Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research, two United States Congressmen have voiced support for an alleged religious scam revolving around the controversial village of Medjugorje, Bosnia where people claim to have seen and spoken to apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

According to the letter, which has been acknowledged by congressional staff, Congressmen Tom Lantos (D, CA) and Chris Smith (R, NJ) extended personal invitations to a ``special briefing'' to members of a religious sect known as Children of Medjugorje.

Children of Medjugorje is currently under investigation and being sued for religious fraud in California. The organization has also been accused of diverting funds to Croatian militias involved in Bosnian war crimes and selling Papal ``indulgences'' on the Internet.

In the letter, the Congressmen praise the group as a model of peace in the Balkans and commend group leader, Sister Emmanuel, a Catholic television personality who dresses in a nun's habit, for her involvement.

``We know what Sister Emmanuel witnessed in Medjugorje . . . could be pertinent to many other problem areas in the world,'' Congressmen Lantos and Smith wrote.

For a complete copy of the Congressional letter, visit www.kronzer.org.

Medjugorje is a thriving religious tourist town that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people from around the world. Medjugorje was also the site of massacres of Serbs in the 1940's by pro Nazi Croatians and during the most recent round of Bosnian fighting was the headquarters of a local Croatian militia whose members were recently convicted of war crimes against Muslims.

Phillip Kronzer, a successful Silicon Valley businessman, has dedicated his life to debunking the myth of Medjugorje and has spent over 4 years and more than $750,000 investigating its authenticity.

``We have volumes of undeniable evidence that Medjugorje is a fraud and a magnet for cultists. It is beyond belief that two US Congressmen would endorse such a scam,'' Kronzer said.

The Kronzer Foundation is seeking a court order from the Sacramento Superior Court enjoining Children of Medjugorje from raising funds in California on grounds of deceptive business practices.

The Kronzer Foundation, is a non profit California corporation that investigates religious fraud within the Catholic Church.

     The Phillip Kronzer Foundation for Religious Research
     Phillip Kronzer, 360/233-7769
     Email: press@kronzer.org
     Web: www.kronzer.org