The long-standing mystery of a Virgin Mary statue that allegedly "wept tears of blood" has been resolved, nearly a decade after the phenomenon was first reported.
Since 2016, thousands of visitors from around the world have traveled to Carmiano, Italy, to see the statue known as Madonna di Trevignano, believed by many to possess extraordinary powers.
Its owner, Gisella Cardia, claimed the effigy began crying tears of blood nine years ago and provided her with divine prophecies to share with the faithful, per the Mirror.
On the third day of each month, Cardia welcomed worshippers to visit the statue, which was housed in a blue case on a hill as part of a makeshift shrine.
The statue was originally purchased from a Catholic pilgrimage site in Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, before its supposed supernatural occurrences came to light.
Among the alleged miracles, Cardia claimed the Madonna di Trevignano had fed 15 people with an unending supply of pizza, gnocchi, and rabbit.
Additionally, some followers believed she had foreseen the Covid-19 pandemic through divine revelations from the statue.
However, the Roman Catholic Church dismissed these claims last year.
The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for evaluating reports of Marian apparitions and spiritual phenomena, issued a decree referencing an investigation by the Diocese of Civita Castellana.
The findings concluded there was no evidence of anything supernatural.
"It is clear that it is not supernatural," the decree stated. "May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of the Church and our Mother, restore peace and serenity in view of the spiritual good of the faithful of the parish of Trevignano Romano and of the people of God who are throughout the Diocese of Civita Castellana."
Now, scientific analysis has seemingly put an end to speculation about the statue’s alleged tears.
DNA testing was conducted to determine the origin of the red liquid, following suspicions from locals who speculated that Cardia may have used pig’s blood to deceive followers.
Investigations began in 2022 when residents hired a private investigator to examine Cardia’s claims. The findings were later reported to Italian military police, prompting prosecutors to order laboratory tests.
Results obtained on Thursday, February 13, suggest that the red liquid on the statue matched Cardia’s genetic profile, according to Corriere della Sera. These findings are expected to be formally handed over to prosecutors on February 28.
Despite this development, Cardia’s lawyer, Solange Marchignoli, maintains that the test results do not necessarily disprove her client’s claims.
"The DNA stain warrants further investigation," Marchignoli stated. "We are waiting to find out whether it’s a mixed or single profile.
"If the profile is single, it means that it is only Cardia's and she put it there, so in this case, we would go to trial. But if, as expected, the profile is mixed, it means that the DNA found on the statue also contains Cardia's DNA, which we expect because she used, kissed it, and handled it.
"Who can say? Do you know the Madonna’s DNA? I deduce it is not human but this is our thought: do we delve into faith? I want to exclude that it is not only Gisella's blood.
"I invite everyone to be cautious - because, on the contrary, extremes of a crime would be detected - and I await the official outcome of the expert report, hoping that it will be favorable to our defense."
As reported by the Guardian, Cardia is now facing allegations of fraud from several individuals who claim to have donated money under the belief they were funding a center for sick children.
Reports suggest that she has since disappeared from her home in Trevignano, with even her lawyer unaware of where she currently is.