Church officials are investigating a statue of the Virgin Mary in Mexico that reportedly cried tears of blood.
Knewz.com has learned that the religious anomaly sparked widespread interest and prompted an examination by the Archdiocese of Morelia in the Spanish-speaking territory’s Michoacan state.
On June 2, the owners of the statue, the Melchor Mondragón family residing in the town of Obrera, noticed dark streaks staining the cheeks of the Virgin Mary—locally depicted as Our Lady of Guadalupe, perreligious news portal,Religion Digital.
According to the online publication, the family became aware of the anomaly after the daughter spotted it and drew it to her father, Miguel’s, attention.
He then reported it to the local archdiocese which has since urged caution from the public saying:
“It is necessary to highlight the need for caution when approaching an issue as delicate as that of an alleged miracle.”
It indicated that it had not yet examined the anomaly but planned on doing so, stating: “The Archdiocese of Morelia is taking the necessary measures to investigate the situation in a deep and exhaustive manner. Therefore, it is too early to issue a definitive position on the matter,” said the local Catholic authority’s Father David Arias.
“This in no way confirms anything in this regard, which is why he himself asked to treat the issue with adequate discretion while inviting them to take advantage of this moment to motivate their own conversion and family prayer.”
“It will be the ecclesiastical hierarchy itself that confirms the team that will carry out the detailed study of the case, so, as soon as there is any relevant report or conclusion, it will be made public knowledge.”
A Facebook post by a local newspaper, Leaders of Michoacán, claimed that the location of said statue, however, has since been outed and that “hundreds of people” have come and prayed before it including a priest.
Be that as it may, not everyone was convinced of the alleged miracle.
One commenter wrote: “I AM VERY DEVOTED TO THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE BUT I SINCERELY DON'T THINK SHE HAVE CRIED THEY PUT INK ON HER TO CATCH ATTENTION.”
Another netizen vented their suspicion, writing: “It is clearly seen that those tears were drawn with a brush... It is a clever plan to soon put a little cooperation (donation) box and make a fortune.”
As demonstrated in one of the comments not everyone was without empathy. It stated, “Those who are amused, I don't know why they make fun of the beliefs of others, everyone, but the respect of others is peace.”
The Virgin Mary statue, in her guise of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has held significant cultural and religious relevance in Mexico since the 1500s.
At the time it is allegedly one of five visions shown to a peasant Juan Diego and his uncle Juan Bernardino. Said apparitions were chronicled and have become a central theme in Roman Catholicism.