An infamous statue of the Virgin Mary that “cried tears of blood” has been declared a fake by Vatican officials after a “mystic” attracted thousands of pilgrims by claiming Jesus’ mother spoke to him and magically supplied him with free pizza.
Wild claims about the “Bleeding Madonna’s” superpowers sparked a huge controversy after pilgrims from across Italy flocked to see the statue’s “miracle” on the third day of every month and make confessions to the effigy.
Gisella Cardia, owner of the Madonna di Trevignano, claimed that the statue had been shedding tears of blood since 2016, while alleging that the statue had been giving her private revelations ever since.
He also boasted of experiencing supernatural phenomena, including one occasion when he fed 15 people seemingly endless servings of pizza, gnocchi and rabbit, thanks to the supposed powers of carving.
Deceived followers believed she brought messages from Mary and some said she had even predicted the Covid pandemic.
The Madonna di Trevignano was known to “cry tears of blood” but the results of a Vatican investigation have revealed that the claims are false
In the picture: A faithful deceived during the prayer for the vision of the Virgin by the ‘mystic’ Gisella Cardia, which was celebrated every third day of the month.
Thousands of Italians flocked to the statue in an attempt to witness the statue’s superpowers before they were proven to be fake.
But last year, residents of the small town of Trevignano Romano, who were skeptical of the image of the bleeding Madonna, called in a private investigator who met with the Italian military police.
Suspicious locals have reportedly produced evidence suggesting the red liquid coming out of the statue’s eyes was pig’s blood.
An earlier investigation in 2020 revealed that after a series of tests, the blood found on the statue genetically matched Cardia’s.
Now, the heads of the Catholic Church have ruled that the supernatural phenomenon was fake, after receiving the green light from the prestigious Vatican.
The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued its first decree under a new set of rules for investigating alleged Marian apparitions and spiritual phenomena.
He was referring to a preliminary report of an investigation by the Diocese of Civita Castellana that found nothing supernatural about the statue.
He said: ‘It’s clearly not supernatural.
‘May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church and our Mother, restore peace and serenity for the spiritual good of the faithful of the parish of Trevignano Romano and of the people of God who are found throughout the diocese of Civita Castellana.’
Authorities believe Cardia has fled her hometown after scamming her fans out of tens of thousands of euros in donations.
This comes after a Vatican academy revealed last year it was set to investigate “mystical phenomena” around the world, including “weeping” statues of the Virgin Mary, stigmata and ghost sightings, under plans for a dedicated observatory.
The Pontifical International Marian Academy (PAMI), which defines itself as a scientific institution of the Holy See, hoped to discover “a hundred ongoing phenomena” in Italy alone.
In 2018, another Virgin Mary in Argentina was seen “crying” tears of blood for the 38th time. The statue was linked to several “miracles,” including that of a woman who had a three-inch tumor that supposedly disappeared after visiting the effigy.
They had their eye on the curious case of the Madonna di Trevignano before it was crushed, but this was not the first example of a case of this nature.
In 2018, a church in New Mexico found a Madonna dripping with olive oil, sparking excitement about the possibility that there was a supernatural force behind it.
Bishop Oscar Cantu of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs, US, said the church would determine whether the sign was good or bad.
Later that year, another Virgin Mary, this time in Argentina, was seen “crying” tears of blood for what was said to be the 38th time.
The statue of Our Lady of the Mystic Rose has been linked to several “miracles,” including that of a woman who had a three-inch tumor that apparently disappeared after visiting it.
A year earlier, Catholic miracle researchers studied a Virgin Mary in Acapulco, southwest Mexico, who began “shedding tears” in front of her owners.
The saint was a Mexican version of the Virgin Mary, nicknamed la Morenita. Devout followers were left stunned when images and videos emerged of tears appearing to run down her cheeks.
