This
famous image of Christ shed tears of human blood During
Holy Week of 1995, the miraculous occurrence took
place repeatedly during the recital of the Rosary. Since
then, the number of devotees to the Crying Christ have
grown to around a thousand, one hundred of which were
standing in front of the statue when its eyes shed tears.
The watery liquid afterward transformed into a blood-like
substance that gives an impressive countenance on the
face of Christ.. This weeping icon is closely associated
with the visionaries Catalina
Rivas and Nancy Fowler.
"Since 1995, various
scientific studies of the icon have taken place,
the conclusions of which are astounding and underline
the fact that Cochabamba has fast become the center
of a supernatural event. Recordings have been made of
the crying, samples have been taken and sent to the
laboratory. And lastly, the statue itself has been subjected
to computerised examination. A laboratory report put
together in April 1995 outlined the fact that the liquid
analysed was "hemoglobin, hetero protein of a red
colour that exists in hematoid, or red globules."
-It
was foretold by Saint Don Bosco that Jesus would leave a sign that he had been
in Cochabamba, Bolivia
-The statue has been thoroughly tested and found not
to be fraudulent
-The statue forms tears of human blood at the eyes that
weep down the face, caught on camera in the video
-The blood has been tested
and found to be human
-The blood contained a piece of thorn, identified as
a thorn from the Hawthorne bush, believed to have been the type of thorn used
to make the crown of thorns for Jesus of Nazareth.
Updated
- Good Friday, March 28,
1997
On Good Friday
of this year, a statue of the Christ, crowned with thorns, began to weep again
in the main cathedral of Cochabamba, Bolivia. Is this an example of what Jesus
spoke of as He entered Jerusalem the week of His Passion: "I tell you, if
these keep silence, the stones will cry out." [Luke 19:40]
The
following is a translation of the original Spanish article that appeared in the
March 30, 1997 issue of the newspaper, "Hoy" from La Paz, the
capitol city of Bolivia.
"Christ
of The Tears Cried on Good Friday"
Last
Friday afternoon, the already famous image of Christ shed tears. Cochabamba is
being seized by a new manifestation of divine power in the form of a crying statue
of Christ in the midst of the Holy Week Celebrations. This inexplicable phenomenon
took place at 3 pm on Good Friday in the city's Metropolitan Cathedral, just minutes
before the ceremony for the Liturgy of the Seven Words.
While
the liturgical ceremony was in progress, about ten members of the crowd began
to speak publicly about the miraculous occurrence, which even took several priests
by surprise. The news of the discovery spread rapidly, inciting interest of the
local community. In spite of the rain, a crowd set out for the main square and
then to St. Peters, where the "The Crying Christ" is venerated. In this
square, the local congregation soaked tears with prayers and praises to God, providing
the Holy Week ceremonies with a powerful back drop to Christian devotion.
Rain
and Tears
God seems to have
taken pity on the town of Cochabamba by sending an abundance of rain coupled with
an equal measure of tears of Christ. This inexplicable, miraculous event, since
its first occurrence on 9th March 1995, is awakening the faith of the faithless
and the sceptics.
During Holy
Week of 1995, the miraculous occurrence took place repeatedly during the recital
of the Rosary. Since then, the number of devotees to the Crying Christ have grown
to around a thousand, one hundred of which were standing in front of the statue
when its eyes shed tears. The watery liquid afterward transformed into a blood-like
substance that gives an impressive countenance on the face of Christ.
Between
Doubt and Faith
Amidst the
township, there is little doubt about the miracle, some are debating between doubt
and faith, with the Church opting for cautious reservation.
The
testimonials put forth to date concord with each other regarding the miracles
performed by the "Crying Christ". "Thank You for allowing me to
feel your greatness. I love You my Lord. Lord Jesus, I come to give You thanks,"
are some of the expressions of gratitude for receiving favors bestowed by God.
Those who still have doubts attributed the tears to anecdotal facts, albeit difficult
to explain in physical terms.
The
Archbishop, Rene Fernandez, observed that for God nothing is impossible and that
He is able to show Himself through various forms, creatures and revelations, even
if they are extraordinary as is the case here.
He
said that in the Catholic Church there are principles of proof that have to be
adhered to before recognizing a given miracle. He also said that officially the
Church has not carried out an investigation, although they have already formed
a committee to take up the matter.
The
information that must be obtained is sent to the Vatican. According to Archbishop
Rene Fernandez - "If it is true, God would be making an appeal, He calls
in all sorts of ways. Today within the human race, it is increasingly common that
man ignores what relates to God to a frightening degree. Man puts God to one side,"
he affirmed.
Scientific Study
Since
1995, various scientific studies have taken place, the conclusions of which are
astounding and underline the fact that Cochabamba has fast become the center of
a supernatural event. Recordings have been made of the crying, samples have been
taken and sent to the laboratory. And lastly, the statue itself has been subjected
to computerised examination. A laboratory report put together in April 1995 outlined
the fact that the liquid analysed was "hemoglobin, hetero protein of a red
colour that exists in hematoid, or red globules." [end of article]
†
The Tears of Christ
The
following article was written by Ron Tesoriero and it arises from his making the
documentary, "... the stones will cry out", about a statue of Christ
that is crying and bleeding in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Immediately
following Good Friday this year, Bolivian newspapers carried a story containing
these lines:
"Last Friday
afternoon the already famous image of Christ shed tears. Cochabamba is being seized
by a new manifestation of divine power. The inexplicable phenomenon took place
at 3 pm on Good Friday in the city's Metropolitan Cathedral, just minutes before
the ceremony for the Liturgy of the Seven Words. "
The
famous image of Christ written about in the Bolivian newspaper article of 30 March
1997 is the statue of Christ of Limpias which has reportedly been weeping since
the 9th March 1995.
I came to
know about it in April of 1995 when I spoke by telephone with Doctor Ricardo Castanon
from Bolivia. He told me that a statue of Christ had commenced to cry and bleed
in Cochabamba, a city in central Bolivia. He also said that he had witnessed it
happening and had taken a sample of the blood like substance that had come from
the statue and that he proposed to have it analysed.
He
also told me that in early March of 1995 Nancy Fowler, of Conyers, Georgia, USA
visited Bolivia on a three day speaking engagement, where she spoke at certain
gatherings about her apparitions of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
Dr.
Castanon said that on 7 March 1995, whilst Nancy was still in Bolivia, she said
to him, "Jesus appeared to me today and said, `I will leave a sign of My
presence in this country'."
Dr.
Castanon further told me that Nancy left Bolivia on 9 March 1995, on a morning
flight, back to the United States. At 6:00 pm on that same day the statue of Christ
in Cochabamba began to cry and bleed.
The
statue that is crying in Cochabamba [the Christ of Limpias] is the same shape,
size, colour and mold as the statue that Nancy has in her prayer room in Conyers,
Georgia.
Decision to Examine
the Phenomena
I had worked
with Dr. Castanon when I recorded the medical and scientific testing done on Nancy,
which was the subject of the book that I wrote and the documentary that I made
entitled, "Why Do You Test Me?"
Dr.
Castanon and I agreed that it was important to examine fully the Cochabamba story,
as it appeared to have a strong connection with Nancy's case.
I
met with Dr. Castanon at Conyers at the end of June of 1995, to plan the testing
that we had proposed to do on the statue in Cochabamba, and of the DNA tests of
the blood from the statue. Whilst at Conyers, on the evening of 30 June 1995,
I took the opportunity to interview Nancy about what Jesus had said to her and
about the sign He said He would leave in Bolivia.
At
the time of my interview with Nancy, George Collins [Nancy's scribe] was the only
other person present, and he took notes of what transpired during my questioning
of Nancy. As I began to ask Nancy a series of questions, Nancy did not appear
to be listening to me. She responded by saying, "Jesus is appearing to me
at this moment." I could not see what Nancy said she was seeing.
I
suppose it was an attempt by me to test the truth of Nancy's apparitions when
I asked Nancy this question, "Ask Jesus whether I should make a documentary
on the statue of Christ that is crying in Cochabamba and the statue of the Virgin
Mary which was claimed to have cried in Civitavecchia [near Rome]. And ask Him
what I will find when I investigate these stories." As I asked this question
I had these specific thoughts - If I was at home seated at a table at which my
children were doing homework and a child of mine asked me a question concerning
his homework, as a father concerned for the child, I would provide him with the
answer to his question. If Jesus [who is God, the Father of us all] was really
present, then He would provide to me the answer to my question.
Nancy,
who could not possibly have known my thoughts, surprisingly responded in this
way, "Ron, Jesus said, `Go ahead with your plans. A teacher does not do the
homework for the student. A student does the homework and presents it to the teacher.
I went before you and left the work for you to do. You walk with Me. Go in peace.'"
As
became apparent during the documentary that I subsequently made, entitled, "...
the stones will cry out," there was along the path of my investigations undeniable
evidence of God's hand working in an astonishing way.
God's
Hand at Work in an Astonishing Way
On
13 October 1994 Catalina of Cochabamba, came to Conyers. She knelt at the foot
of the crucifix on the "holy hill" behind Nancy's house, and prayed
that she may become a victim soul and to be able to bear some of Christ's suffering.
Catalina told me that at the moment of her prayer she began to feel a burning
feeling in the palms of her hands, in her feet and in her side. She returned later
to Cochabamba and prayed for the conversion of a relative of hers who had abandoned
her faith. The person she prayed for was Silvia Arevelo, who subsequently became
converted and, as a consequence, purchased the statue of Limpias, which cried
and bled on the day of her purchase.
The
plaster statue of Limpias, found to be crying in Cochabamba, is a 30 cm high bust
of Christ showing Christ's face in the last moments of crucifixion. It was purchased
from a store in Cochabamba, on 9 March 1995 by Silvia Arevelo, a 37 year old airline
hostess. Within a matter of hours of her returning home after purchasing it, the
statue began the effusion.
Witnesses
spoke of how the statue, on a number of occasions since then, has wept what seems
to have been tears and blood from the eyes and blood from the crown of thorns
region on the head.
On 25th May
1995, Oswaldo Rioja, a reporter from Channel 4 Television in Cochabamba, and his
camera assistant, were assigned to report on the story. They did not believe the
claims. At 5:00 pm on that day they set up their camera in front of the statue,
and watched and waited. Within about 45 minutes the statue began to shed what
seemed to be tears from the eyes which turned to blood, and to then shed what
seemed to be blood from locations on the head. They were convinced that what they
saw and filmed was not the product of a trick or fraud.
A
Commission of Enquiry, set up by the local Bishop, Bishop Rene Fernandez, has
declared the event authentic and has authorised the veneration of the statue.
The
Camera Records the Falling Tears
During
the production of the documentary, the statue wept on two occasions whilst the
camera was rolling. The film footage of the tears falling is probably unparalleled
in history. Within hours after the weeping, the statue was subjected to a CAT
scan analysis which was filmed. That analysis showed that the statue was solid
plaster with a void of air inside. No liquids or mechanisms were found inside
it. If there was a perforation in the plaster at any point, even the thickness
of a human hair, the CAT scan would have detected it.
The
Scientific Examination
The
sample of the blood like substance from the statue was given to Gentest Laboratories
in the United States for testing. The laboratory was not told the origin of the
sample. They found that the substance was blood and that it contained human DNA.
An Australian State Government Forensic Testing Laboratory confirmed the American
findings when they tested another sample which was given to them.
In
August 1995, whilst Dr. Castanon and I were in Cochabamba for the filming of the
documentary, Dr. Castanon removed from the head region of the plaster statue a
piece of what appeared to be a dried blood scab from the many encrustations of
blood that had formed around the crown of thorns region of the head of the statue
of Christ.
The scab like substance
was transported in a test tube to Australia where I had it analysed by another
Australian Forensic Laboratory. In transit the particle seemed to have broken
apart, and part of the sample was found to be blood. One part was found not to
be blood, nor to be of human origin, and this surprised us. Subsequent examination
of this particle by a forensic specialist, who knew nothing of the origin of the
sample, concluded that the particle was "the tip of a vicious thorn or spine
from an arid region possibly from a date palm or hawthorn bush". Legend has
it that Christ's crown of thorns was made from such a hawthorn bush.
When
I got to the final stages of making the documentary, I went again to Conyers to
speak to Nancy about whether she would be willing to ask Jesus, why it was that
He chose this particular depiction of Himself as a sign.
I
began discussing the subject whilst seated in Nancy's sitting room, in which were
present Dr. Castanon, Neurologist Dr. Norma Agosto, and some other people. As
I began to ask Nancy a series of questions, Nancy said, "Ron, I see a saint
appearing behind you. I do not know who that saint is." Dr. Norma Agosto
said, "I can also see the saint you are talking about. The saint is St. Ignatius.
I recognise him by the way he looks and the way he is dressed." Nancy then
said, "Jesus told me today that a saint would appear and someone else in
the room will tell you who it is." As I continued to speak to Nancy, Nancy
said, "I still see St. Ignatius standing behind you. I also see a triangle
of blue light."
I received
no direct answer from Nancy to the questions that I asked. I sensed that Nancy's
visions of St. Ignatius at the time of my asking the questions may have been intended
to point me to the answers I needed.
When
I returned to Australia, I began reading some books and literature on St. Ignatius.
It became clear from my reading that part of the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius
involved a meditation on the suffering of the crucified Christ as distinct from
a meditation on the glorified Christ as Lord of Heaven. It was from such reading
of the spirituality of St. Ignatius that I composed the concluding words to the
documentary which are as follows:
"This
sorrowful image weeps and bleeds in a way that science cannot understand. The
image is of God in the form of Jesus Christ not peacefully enthroned in his glory
as the Lord of Heaven, but as the victim that man rejected and crucified 2000
years ago. We are left to reflect and to wonder about the tears that mysteriously
cry out from the stone cast in Christ's image. Could it be, as the theologians
suggest, an expression of the heartfelt sorrow of our Creator who is wounded by
this world's rejection of Him today?"
A
Theological Explanation
During
the making of the documentary, Anne Montgomery of Gentest Laboratory, the scientist
who had carried out the DNA tests of the "blood" from the statue, was
asked, "How can you explain human blood coming from a plaster statue?"
She said I can't. I think you had better ask a theologian."
The
question was put to a theologian who responded by drawing our attention to the
Gospel of Luke, Chapter 19, verse 35 for the explanation:
"So
they took the colt to Jesus and, throwing their cloaks on its back, they lifted
Jesus on to it. As he moved off, they spread their cloaks in the road, and now,
as he was approaching the downward slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole group
of disciples joyfully began to praise God at the top of their voices for all the
miracles they had seen. They cried out: 'Blessed is he who is coming as King in
the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens! Some Pharisees
in the crowd said to Him 'Master, reprove your disciples,' but He answered, 'I
tell you, if these keep silence, THE STONES WILL CRY OUT.'"
The
theologian went on to explain that the Pharisees wanted to silence the voices
that were proclaiming God and Jesus said that if you did not permit them to praise
God then the stones would do this. He said that, "I believe Jesus was prophesying
that there would come a time when man would no longer proclaim God and the stones
would cry out in proclamation." He said, "We are living in those times
and that the statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary weeping around the world are
doing the job we should be doing, proclaiming God in the world, the reality of
God, the supernatural, and we are not doing that."
We
felt it appropriate in view of the theologian's explanation of the happenings
in Cochabamba to title the documentary, "The Stones Will Cry Out."
Professor
Castanon once provided a concluding comment concerning the testing of Nancy Fowler's
apparitions that can also be applied to the weeping statue in Cochabamba. Shaking
his head, and in a quiet, pensive way he said:
"I do not
think we can explain these things. We think that man
is very intelligent and that we know everything. Sometimes
we have to be humble and say `Here is another kind of
power that we do not understand, and that could be God.'"
[See
video] of statue of Jesus weeping
in Cochabamba
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[See
video] of visionary Catalina Rivas
stigmata
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Above
video's used with permission from
PDT's Prophets, visions, miracles
& signs from God website.
Watch
the above videos using the RealOne
(Real Video Player) Click on the following
icon 
if you don't already have this on
your computer and select the free
player at the bottom of the page.
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Learn more about
theses events at love
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