Worshippers at a Catholic church in Indiana thought they had found a miracle when they discovered red marks on a communion wafer – the reality was much less exciting.
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis said the wafer was found when it fell out of a Mass kit and “when it was discovered, red spots were present”.
Several parishioners were understood to believe the red substance was the blood of Jesus Christ, and therefore a Eucharistic miracle.
The archdiocese said: “Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, there have been well-documented miracles and apparitions, and each has been thoroughly and carefully reviewed.”
But, a scientific analysis debunked claims of a miracle at St Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Morris.
The archdiocese announced on Monday that a biochemical analysis revealed the marks were caused by “fungus and three different species of bacteria, all of which are commonly found on human hands.”
The analysis confirmed that no blood was present on the wafer.
The Catholic faith teaches that wine and a bread wafer signify the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Typically, they’re consecrated by a priest at Mass.
The host, or bread, with red marks had fallen out of a Mass kit at St. Anthony Church.
Before the analysis, some members of St. Anthony Church were excited about what might be found.
“We have such a little town. You can drive through and blink and you’re through it,” Shari Strassell, a church member, told WKRC-TV.
“It means the world, it does, and I think there is something special about our church up here.”
It comes as Assisi, the medieval Italian town revered as the home of Saints Francis and Clare, is experiencing a new wave of pilgrim fervour.
The focus of this burgeoning devotion is Carlo Acutis, a millennial teenager set to be canonised on April 27.
