A diocesan commission set up to probe
a weeping Mary statue in a small town on the shores of Lake
Bracciano north of Rome is expected to confirm that the events
reported are not of supernatural origin, according to 'Il Segno
di Giona ('The Sign of Jonah'), a website specialised in
Satanism and the occult.
The commission, set up by Civita Castellana Bishop Marco Salvi
to investigate reports of tears of blood shed by the madonna
statue in Trevignano Romano and apparitions, messages and
stigmata received by the alleged seer and statue owner Gisella
Cardia, is expected to issue its findings "in the coming days".
Meanwhile, the Pontificia Accademia Mariana Internationalis
(PAMI), a Catholic academic institution devoted to Marian
science and worship in Catholic and Ecumenical circles, has
created a special observatory devoted to the study and
interpretation of Madonna-related apparitions and mystic
phenomena throughout the world - of which there are thought to
be thousands - pending an official pronouncement by the Church
concerning their authenticity.
"In Italy there are around a hundred ongoing phenomena that the
Church is following closely," said Mariologist Father Gian
Matteo Roggio, who is part of the new Observatory's Scientific
Committee.
"Many of these are local and restricted in scope, not all of
them receive attention from the media and the general public,"
he said.
On the Trevignano case, he said at least a few months are needed
for "a serious investigation", and that the local Church has
been present "from the beginning".
"The Commission will give its opinion to the bishop and he will
then be the one to decide.
"However, if you want a serious investigation, and not just
bar-room chatter, it takes time," Father Roggio concluded.
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