JESUS WEPT

A statue of the baby Jesus in Kilómetro 42, a rural area near Acapulco in Mexico, has appeared to cry blood for the fourth time this year. According to local media, the first time the ceramic statue cried blood was on New Year’s Day, while the most recent occurrence was on 4 March, two days

before Ash Wednesday. Residents believe that the statue, which is kept in a private residence, is weeping because of the soaring crime levels in the locality, which has an average of 111 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants.

Local resident Soledad Natividad Flores said: “A lot of people have said that this is being done by the Devil while others believe that it is a message from God. The truth is, we are convinced that it cried, even when people were holding it.” Residents claimed that they did not want to carry the statue to a church for verification because they were scared of removing it. Church authorities were investigating the claims to make sure that no one was taking advantage of devotees.

There have been at least 15 known cases of weeping statues worldwide since 1949. Only one – in Akita, Japan – has been recognised by the Vatican as a genuine miracle. Sun, 18 Mar; mysteriousuniverse.org 20 Mar 2019.

For a painting in India of Jesus that wept bloody tears, see FT172:12. For a BVM statue weeping tears of blood in Sacramento, California, see FT208:8. For other weeping statues, see FT350:8, 369:22, 370:4.