Statue of the Virgin Mary "weeps" over violence in Colima
The Mexican state of Colima is suffering from the bloody power struggles of competing drug gangs. So it seems like a sign from heaven that a statue of the Virgin Mary appears to be shedding tears.
A statue of the Virgin Mary allegedly has real tears running down its cheeks, which is why churchgoers in Mexico claim to have witnessed a miracle. Videos are circulating on social media that capture the phenomenon in a church in the town of El Chanal in the state of Colima.
They show small drops of water dripping from the statue's eyes and running down its face. According to regional media reports, the "Virgin of Dolores" is now attracting crowds of skeptics and believers alike.
Many pilgrims see the "tears" as a sign from God. One eyewitness reports that he saw Mary weeping and her eyes turning red, just like people do. Many locals believe that the statue is weeping over the violence in Colima, whose capital was ranked as the most violent city in the world in 2022.
Gang war with numerous victims
In October, the Colima District Attorney's Office recorded 702 confirmed intentional homicides across the state. Many of the crimes were attributed to the fact that the city is a hotbed of drug cartels. According to a report by the US Congress, at least four major cartels are fighting for supremacy in the region - Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), Sinaloa, Santa Rosa de Lima and Cárteles Unidos. The authorities are largely powerless to stop the violence.
That is why the residents are praying to the "weeping" Mary to put an end to the violence. "May she give us peace in Colima and all over the world so that we can return to the Colima of the past," said one visitor.
However, there is a possible more scientific explanation for the phenomenon. Italian chemistry professor Luigi Garlaschelli, who has already commented on the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, attributes the weeping to the statue's ability to absorb moisture due to its porosity. "You need a hollow statue made of plaster or ceramic, which has to be covered with a waterproof layer on the outside," he explains to the British newspaper The Sun. "If you fill the statue with water through an imperceptible hole at the top, the porous material absorbs the water, but the outer layer prevents it from escaping. However, if the protective glaze near Mary's eyes were scratched, the absorbed water would leak out - creating the illusion that the statue is weeping, the professor said.
Many other statues have been reported in the past that appeared to be crying. A statue of the Virgin Mary in the small town of Trevignano Romano attracted hundreds of pilgrims earlier this year because it was "weeping tears" that looked like blood.
The international media has been buzzing about the unusual occurrence in Mexico, where a statue of the Virgin Mary is reportedly shedding tears in the violence-stricken city of Colima, known for being a hotspot in the ongoing drug war. Despite the ongoing violent drug war in Mexico, particularly in Colima, where over 700 intentional homicides were recorded in October, many locals and visitors believe that the statue's tears are a sign of divine intervention and a plea for peace.
Source: www.ntv.de
