Borg in-Nadur apparitions of Virgin Mary 'not divine', Curia decrees

The Church authorities in Malta have decreed that the alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Borg in-Nadur are not divine in origin.

A decree issued on the matter earlier today by Archbishop Charles Scicluna reads that “in this case, the judgement of the Church, the said alleged apparitions, alleged messages, and other alleged mystical phenomena is that their origin is not divine and that they are not to be regarded as supernatural.”

Self-styled mystic Angelik Caruana, a father of four who works as a receptionist at a home for the elderly in Floriana, first made headlines in 2006 when he claimed that a statue of the Virgin in his home had started weeping tears of blood and oozing oil.

Caruana claims to suffer regular demonic attacks and to bear the stigmata. He also claims to suffer pain from invisible thorns which pierce the roof of his mouth.

The self-styled mystic has reported a series of visions of the Virgin Mary since 2006 and has attracted a considerable following. Each month, he delivers messages, which he attributes to the Virgin Mary, to the public at Borg in-Nadur.

Forensic investigator Anthony Abela Medici and forensic pathologist Albert Cilia Vincenti had been commissioned by the Curia to investigate the claims in 2009 and had concluded that the DNA from blood on the statue belonged to Caruana and the oil was regular cooking oil.

Intense investigations into the case had been carried out by local Church authorities, on the instructions of Archbishop Emeritus Paul Cremona.

The decree, promulgated by the Archbishop’s Curia and signed by Archbishop Charles Scicluna, was accompanied with the conclusion of the Church investigations, which were reached following a consultation with the College of Consultors and after seeking the advice of Gozo Bishop Mario Grech.