Weeping statue
A weeping statue is a statue which has been observed to be shedding tears or weeping. Statues weeping tears of a substance which appears to be human blood, oil, and scented liquids have all been reported. The phenomenon of weeping statues is very similar to that of the rarer weeping paintings. Other phenomena are sometimes associated with weeping statues such as miraculous healing, the formation of figures in the tear lines, and the scent of roses. These events are generally observed by members of the Christian religion. Reported weeping statues are almost exclusively of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Spiritual Significance
Despite their apparent contradiction to natural laws, many accept weeping statues as a legitimate occurrence. They are described as spiritual events, a form of revelation or apparition.
The Catholic Church has been very careful in their approach and treatment of miraculous events and apparitions. Validating a forgery could be detrimental to the church’s image, but renouncing something that is revered by many could also cause offense. This is particularly true of weeping statues, due to the uncertainty of the phenomenon.
Attempts at Scientific Explanation
Weeping statues have been dismissed by some as a purely psychological phenomenon. The witnesses are said to be deluded by their own state of mind or strong group suggestion. In this altered state of mind, they believe they see something that isn’t really there.
Another possible explanation attributes the so-called tears to condensation. The tears that statues appear to weep are said to actually be beads of condensation from microscopic cracks on the surface of the statues. Unpublished reports of the testing have supposedly been able to verify this theory, but peer reviewed scientific research is rarely, if ever, carried out into the phenomenon.
Others attempts have been made to use science to further validate the occurrence. Blood wept by images of the Virgin and of Christ in Puglia, Italy was tested in a prestigious forensic laboratory in Bologna, Italy. The samples were found to be human, type AB and male. It was also found to exhibit some curious properties related to the Y chromosome. This information is used to argue in favor of the explanation of the phenomenon as a legitimate spiritual event that sustains the Scriptures in favor of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. [1]
The scent of roses, miraculous healing, and other peripheral events associated with certain cases of weeping statues have yet to be explained, or scientifically tested.
With all this in mind, people are still divided. Some maintain that these are legitimate spiritual apparitions. Others claim that, given enough information on the matter, science can provide a more mundane explanation. The verifiable evidence around weeping statues, both explainable and inexplicable, are so far inconclusive.
References in popular culture
The movie Stigmata opens with the investigation of a weeping statue.
In his novel Lucky You, Carl Hiaasen pokes fun at residents of Florida who used fake weeping Madonnas to make money off of tourists.
List of weeping statues
This is a list of more notable claims. The veracity of these claims is difficult to establish.
Date Location Claims Reference
1945 Syracuse, Italy tears of oil
1949 Syracuse, New York human tears [2]
1975-1981 Akita, Japan human tears, bleeding on the right hand of the statue
June 1985 Naju, South Korea tears of human blood followed by oil in later years
1992 Virginia, United States tears or blood seen by priest and reporter
1994 Rooty Hill, Australia
1994 Grangecon, Ireland
1995 Italy [3]
1996 Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago shed tears of human blood
March 2002 Messina, Sicily statue of Pio of Pietrelcina shed a red liquid [4]
September 2002 Rockingham, Australia weeped scented tears, apparitions [5] [6]
January 2003 Musetesti, Romania seen by two unnamed workers
February 2003 Chittagong, Bangladesh [7]
September 2004 Baalbek, Lebanon appearance of scented oil, blinked and cured a cripple [8]
November 2005 Sacramento, California tears of blood
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