‘Miraculous’ recovery from ‘non-survivable’ gunshot wound could beatify Pope John Paul II

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John Paul II

Cleveland, Ohio, Apr 4, 2009 / 01:55 pm (CNA).- A man who suffered a "non-survivable" execution-style gunshot to the head during a mugging in Cleveland has had a "miraculous" recovery possibly due to the intercession of Pope John Paul II. If the late pontiff is credited for the miracle, it would lead to his beatification.

Jory Aebly, 26, suffered the gunshot would five weeks ago. Doctors at the Metro Health Medical Center declared it to be a "non-survivable" injury, ABC’s Good Morning America reports.

Hospital chaplain Fr. Art Nedeker administered Aebly with the Sacrament of the Sick, asking Pope John Paul II to pray for Jory and to protect him.

Fr. Nedeker explained that the Pope had promised him he would always pray for the patients at the hospital and blessed a dozen rosaries with special patients at the hospital.

The priest gave Aebly the last of the rosaries that had been blessed by the Pope, after which Aebly consistently improved.

He was released on Tuesday, two days before the fourth anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death.

Dr. Robert Geertman, a neurosurgeon involved in Aebly's treatment, told Good Morning America his patient’s survival was "one in a million."

"My jaw was on the floor after a day or two of seeing he is hanging on. …I'd say it's pretty miraculous," he said at a press conference days after the shooting.

At the press conference announcing Aebly’s release, Fr. Snedeker said:

"I stand before you today and can say, to my mind, Jory is a miracle."

Aebly himself credited his recovery to "the many prayers from family, friends and co-workers" and others.

His mother Deb Wolfram told the press conference she believes in "the power of prayer" and said she believed people’s prayers helped her son through his ordeal, Good Morning America says.

A Vatican official reported that the investigation into the alleged miracle could take time.

"We cannot predict a precise schedule," Monsignor Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Caucus of Saints told ANSA. "All stages, including the examination of the miracle, have to be conducted in a particularly thorough way."

Approval of the miracle could lead to Pope John Paul II’s beatification, leaving one more miracle before he can be canonized.

Comments: 10

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Michael
US 11/16/2009 12:57 PM EST

there is no god/religion, only science, medicine, and happy circumstance had any role to play in this. and hey, science has a nearly perfect success rate compared to "blessed beads", who woulda thunk?

Published by: Tamole Taulialia
Tarawa,KIRIBATI 10/17/2009 07:01 PM EST

A story that is quite inspiring and encouraging for the one who has faith or to those who are open to the gift of faith. I am touched by the story of the miraculous healing and it moves me to pray the rosary everyday. It also put my trust totally in God who works through His Son Jesus and also to those who are united with Jesus, the Angels and the Saints. Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.

Published by: Momof2
Illinois 04/16/2009 12:26 AM EST

Tim,

I also used to be a Protestant (albeit the Episcopal Church) but now am a very happy, sacramental, mystical-body-of-Christ-believing, Catholic.

What we believe is right out of the Bible in the letters of Paul: Paul describes Christ as the head of the church, and we, its members, as his body.

The Church believes that death does not separate believers: when John Paul died, he, as a believer, is still part of the body of Christ, although, now dead, he is part of the mystical body of Christ. We are still connected to him.

Paul says in his letters that parts of the body help each other, and each has their function. As believers, we can call upon John Paul's help, and receive it, just as a broken leg can "call upon" the T-Cells in the blood to come and repair it (and science is showing that all the cells in the physical body "know" what the rest of the body is going through.)

So there is no insult to God or Jesus, if one part of the body calls upon another part. Both we and John Paul acknowledge Jesus as Head, and God as our Father, so there is no sin.

As Catholics, we believe that God asks us to continue His creation, and we rejoice when someone saintly like John Paul is revealed to be so deeply united with Christ, that he begins to share some of the healing powers that Jesus had when he walked on the earth.

Love that mystical union!

Published by: Dave
Imperial 04/07/2009 06:03 PM EST

Tim,
No good Catholic will presume that the power of the recovery came directly from John Paul II, but that God worked through the intercession of his prayers. He may be dead to us, but he is quite alive in Christ since "neither death nor life . . . can separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus". Thus this miracle would help to validate the fact the JPII is indeed resting in the arms of our Heavenly Father

Published by: Tim
Atlanta, GA 04/06/2009 11:27 PM EST

My problem's not with whether or not this is a miracle. My problem is who's getting the credit? Pope John Paul? This is what baffles me about the Catholic church. When we should be praising God for the miracle HE has done, we're too busy keeping a miracle scorecard for a dead guy (no disrespect to the pope)

Published by: HOPE F.
VA/USA 04/06/2009 01:57 PM EST

I think what makes it special and attributable to John Paul II, is the rosary that he blessed.

I wonder how many other patients improved after receiving a rosary that the Holy Father blessed.

Maybe Fr. Nedeker has kept a record of this?

I am Sure John Paul II is happily in heaven canonized or not!

Published by: Michael like St. Michael The Archangel
Milwaukee, WI U.S.A. 04/06/2009 01:42 PM EST

To those who struggle to believe in the Truth and Glory of
Our Heavenly Father:
In "Crossing The Threshold of Hope," John Paul II (John Paul The Great)wrote "The action of the word becomes the action of the sacraments." "This, then is the Father who is Always at work, and this is the Son, who is also at work and this is the Invisible Holy Spirit who is Love, and as Love is ceaseless creative,saving,sanctifying, and Life-Giving action."
Our CCD Class for today is over, as Bishop Sheen says, "God Bless!"

Published by: Beth
Central, Ohio 04/06/2009 10:12 AM EST

Robin, your cynicism saddens me.

Published by: Bridie
England UK 04/05/2009 09:46 AM EST

This is a great story I also have great believe in the power of prayer great news for the young man.

Published by: robin
Phoenix, AZ USA 04/04/2009 09:17 PM EST

Rate: Regular

So can we also assume that Pope John Paul II is responsible for the death of anyone at this hospital who receives last rites and is not miraculously healed?
I suspect that if enough people invoke JPII in prayer the law of averages will include a certain number of one in a million miracle.

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