Weeping Religious Statues

Since the mid-20th century, numerous reports have emerged of religious statues and icons crying tears, blood, or oil. These phenomena have drawn millions of pilgrims and occasionally received investigation by both scientific and religious authorities.

The Syracuse Madonna

One of the first modern cases occurred in 1953 in Syracuse, Sicily. A plaster statue of the Virgin Mary in a family home began weeping tears. The liquid was analyzed and found to be identical to human tears. The statue was declared miraculous by the Church after investigation.

Our Lady of Akita

In 1973, a wooden statue of Mary in Akita, Japan, began weeping, eventually producing tears 101 times over six years. Sister Agnes Sasagawa, who cared for the statue, received messages from Mary predicting a great chastisement for humanity. The bishop declared the events supernatural in 1984.

Weeping Blood

Some statues reportedly weep blood. In Civitavecchia, Italy, a small statue wept blood on multiple occasions in 1995. Scientific analysis confirmed it was human male blood, though no source could be identified. The local bishop verified the phenomena after witnessing it personally.

Skeptical Analysis

Investigations have exposed some weeping statues as hoaxes, using hidden tubes or porous materials that absorb and release liquid. However, other cases have resisted explanation.

Assessment

Weeping statues represent one of the most publicly witnessed categories of alleged miracles. While fraud accounts for some cases, others remain unexplained. For believers, they represent divine communication; for skeptics, they represent wishful thinking and clever deception.