When it comes to unexplained phenomena, weeping statues are just one of those things that skeptics just can’t wrap their mind around. Whether they believe a leak in a church ceiling, extreme condensation, or the strong beliefs of a community are behind some of the reports concerning weeping statues, some individuals simply cannot rest until they receive concrete evidence or scientific proof that the event is one that is really taking place and not a figment of the imagination.
Documentation regarding weeping statues from all over the world has surfaced in locations usually positioned within or close to a religious institution. Many times, the statues have been said to weep, while other claims link bleeding to the phenomena. In other cases, unexplainable oddities have been detected in association with some religious objects. Sometimes, the object is not a statue, but a painting that bears tears or blood. Below you will find an assortment of instances:
· January 2001: When taking a closer look at a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the microscope revealed that detailed images of people could be detected in the irises of both eyes. Scientists were stumped and could not arrive at a suitable explanation.
· April 2001: In Greece, there was an icon of the Madonna that was said to start bleeding a month before Pope John Paul II was slated to make an appearance. Allegedly, thousands of Orthodox Christians made their way to the icon to witness what was dubbed a miracle.
· September 2002: In Perth, Australia, hundreds of pilgrims were attracted to a statue of the Virgin Mary, where it is believed to have shed tears with fragrance.
· September 2004: In Baalbek, Lebanon, it was reported that a statue shown the appearance of scented oil, and even blinked. Some claim that it can actually cure. This claim has yet to be verified.
· March 2006: Claims that tears of blood, oil, honey, and milk have been attributed to a statue found in India. However, this claim has not been verified.
The Controversy with Weeping and Bleeding Objects
People so desperately want to believe in a miracle, which makes weeping statues and painting quite a temptation for people looking for a good hoax. When it comes to dispelling a myth, the Catholic Church tiptoes around the circumstances and uses a careful approach. One example of this involves a statue of the popular Saint Padre Pio, which was located in Messina, Sicily, showed tears of blood. Church officials hastily ordered tests, which later revealed that the blood belonged to a woman. The case was dismissed as a hoax without any further question. Making such claims is an important thing, as Catholic priests on the local level have been known to expel members for claiming statues at their church have wept.