In a development that stirred both the faithful and skeptics alike, DNA analysis revealed that the blood on the statuette of the Madonna of Trevignano originates from Gisella Cardia, the self-proclaimed seer currently under investigation for fraud. This finding, reported by Italian news outlet TGCOM24, confirms suspicions surrounding the authenticity of the alleged supernatural events in the small town on the shores of Lake Bracciano.
The revelation intensified scrutiny on Cardia, a 55-year-old Sicilian woman who moved to Trevignano after receiving a two-year suspended sentence for bankruptcy when her ceramics firm collapsed in Sicily in 2013, as reported by ANSA. She purchased the statue at the Bosnian apparition site of Medjugorje a few years prior and claimed that it began to weep blood, attributing this phenomenon to divine intervention.
The Vatican had previously expressed its stance on the matter. Both TGCOM24 and ANSA reported that the Vatican declared the absolute non-existence of any supernaturalness in the alleged apparitions of Trevignano. The Bishop of Civita Castellana, Msgr. Marco Salvi, issued a decree declaring the non-supernatural nature of the events. "I warn the faithful to refrain from organizing and participating in private and public meetings (be they prayer and catechetical) that would give as certain and indubitable the supernatural truth of the events of Trevignano," stated Msgr. Salvi, according to ANSA.
Despite ecclesiastical admonitions, Cardia continued to attract hundreds of followers to her monthly gatherings, held on the third day of each month. During these events, she claimed to pass on messages from the Madonna, including ominous warnings about Satan orchestrating catastrophes, the impending destruction of Rome by an earthquake, and the infiltration of Communism into the Catholic Church.
Cardia also professed to have performed miracles, telling of her ability to multiply gnocchi and pizza to feed the throngs of visitors who flocked to the alleged apparition site. However, as the investigations progressed, Church and police authorities ordered the dismantling of the makeshift shrine she had established.
Consultant Emiliano Giardina conducted analyses on four traces of genetic material. According to TGCOM24, Giardina examined samples taken from two spots on the cheeks of the statuette, one on the face, and one on the robe of a painting depicting Christ. All traces pointed conclusively to the DNA of Gisella Cardia, whose birth name is Maria Giuseppa Scarpulla.
"I intend to stay here and I won't budge an inch because I'm in the house of God and I have the Madonna on my side," declared Cardia, as reported by ANSA. Furthermore, she assured her supporters, "The Madonna is with me," she added.
While the defense posited that the DNA traces might contain mixed genetic material, the analyses conducted by Giardina indicated otherwise, attributing all samples solely to Cardia.
Produced with the assistance of a news-analysis system.