Vatican City, Jan 18, 2010 / 12:40 pm
The Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, confirmed over the telephone to CNA today that a "presumed miracle" attributed to Pope Pius XII is under investigation. The case involves a patient cured of cancer in southern Italy.
Cardinal Saraiva was quick to caution, however, that there is a big difference between a "presumed" miracle and a "confirmed" miracle.
The case came to the attention of the Congregation for Saints' Causes from the town of Castellammare di Stabia near Naples, Italy. "Some months ago," the local Sorrento & Dintorni online publication reported on Sunday, a person was discovered to be cured of a form of cancer previously declared incurable after praying for the intercession of Pope Pius XII.
The doctors of the person, of whom no details are public, were unable to give a scientific explanation for the occurrence, according to the article.