The hand of man rather than God made religious icons appear to bleed and weep blood at a Brisbane Catholic Church, an investigation has found.
Brisbane Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby said today the substance that seeped from a statue of the Virgin Mary, pictures of Christ and crucifixes was not supernatural or a miracle, but synthetic.
He called on the person or persons responsible for the hoax to come forward and tell the truth.
He said a panel of experts could not be satisfied "that the phenomenon was, within the proper meaning of the word, a miracle".
The phenomena, which began at the Vietnamese Catholic Community Church in Inala in Brisbane's west on May 21, attracted thousands of people who thought they were seeing the lord's work in action.
But believers, who are still trickling in from around the country and across the world, today said the official findings made no difference to their conviction that God had given them a sign.
Anne Nguyen, who had flown from California to visit the church, said it did not matter to her what the church had ruled - she still believed.
"We still believe - the rest doesn't matter," she said.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/29/1091080366746.html?oneclick=true
Brisbane Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby said today the substance that seeped from a statue of the Virgin Mary, pictures of Christ and crucifixes was not supernatural or a miracle, but synthetic.
He called on the person or persons responsible for the hoax to come forward and tell the truth.
He said a panel of experts could not be satisfied "that the phenomenon was, within the proper meaning of the word, a miracle".
The phenomena, which began at the Vietnamese Catholic Community Church in Inala in Brisbane's west on May 21, attracted thousands of people who thought they were seeing the lord's work in action.
But believers, who are still trickling in from around the country and across the world, today said the official findings made no difference to their conviction that God had given them a sign.
Anne Nguyen, who had flown from California to visit the church, said it did not matter to her what the church had ruled - she still believed.
"We still believe - the rest doesn't matter," she said.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/29/1091080366746.html?oneclick=true