Italian diocese says weeping statue scientifically unexplainable

Rome, Italy, Jan 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Italian daily “Corriere della Sera” reported this Sunday that it has gained access to a dossier containing various unpublished documents that classify the case of the “Madonnina de Civitavecchia,” a statue of Mary that has wept blood on fourteen occasions over ten years, as a “true miracle.”

The editorial, written by renowned Catholic journalist Vittorio Messori, explains that the dossier that will be published in the coming days ratifies that “in this corner of the earth, an event that has no human explanation and that points to the mystery of the supernatural has been verified.”

Messori emphasizes the testimony of the bishop of Civitavecchia, Girolamo Grilli, “who went from the most radical skepticism to acceptance of the mystery” when, on the morning of March 15, 1995, while he held the statue in his hands, blood began to flow out of its eyes and ran down the neck of the statue.   

The dossier also includes documentation from all of the studies carried out, as well as the testimony by Marian expert Stefano De Fiores, who maintains that “the hand of God is here.”

The case of the Madonnina de Civitavecchia, a city located 70 kilometers north of Rome, came to light on February 2, 1995, when a five year-old girl, Jessica Gregori, noticed tears of blood streaming from the eyes of the 43 centimeter tall statue which had been brought from Medjugore by the pastor of the local parish of St. Augustine.

On February 10, 1995, an analysis carried out by experts from the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome revealed the blood to be human with masculine characteristics.  The statue was kept in a closet at the diocesan chancery, and on March 15, when Bishop Grilli removed it from the closet in the presence of three people, the statue began to weep blood while he held it in his hands.  The Madonnina has wept a total of fourteen times.

The statue was confiscated by local officials for several months during 1995, but later in that year it was returned to the parish of St. Augustine where it was placed on display.