A devout Catholic woman in the southern German town of Traunstein has reported blood emerging from a 30 centimeter figurine of a praying Virgin Mary standing in her apartment. The town's newspaper has dispatched its newshounds and the local church is deeply skeptical.
The inhabitants of the Bavarian town of Traunstein have been perplexed by reports that tears of blood have been trickling from the eyes and limbs of a little statue of the Madonna standing in the apartment of a pensioner.
It has bled almost every day since Good Friday, the woman named only as Renate D. told the local press. "Somehow it's like a miracle but I can't explain it," she said.
She described herself as "pious but not fanatical" and said she wouldn't dream of making the story up or manipulating the figurine she bought 15 years ago for the equivalent of €40 during a visit to Catholic Poland.
She also claimed to have witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary, who instructed her to talk about the suffering in the world.
The local priest has visited the woman and came away saying it appeared to be an "individual religious experience" by a single person. The chair of the diocese has said it will launch an investigation if further checks warrant it.
Reporters from the local newspaper, the Traunsteiner Tagblatt, visited the flat and said the face, hands, feet and robe of the 30 centimeter white gipsum figure appeared to be smeared with blood.
The newspaper conducted forensic tests on the blood and found it to be human. Now the reporters claim to have solved the mystery but won't say who they think is behind it. They first want to compare the Madonna blood smears with blood from the people they suspect. The only problem is that their suspects are refusing to submit to blood tests.
On Monday, the mystery continued.
